Booty Hop and the Snake: Race, Gender, and Identity in an Atlanta Strip Club Öffentlichkeit
Howell, Amelia (Spring 2018)
Published
Abstract
Atlanta is widely regarded for its quality, quantity, and variety of strip clubs available. The venues have been popularized for both their entertainment value and their imperfect reputation. This narrative does not include all the complexities that exist within the strip club like it being a booming hub of culture, expression, and identity. This ethnography explores how meaning is made out of a strip club beyond just being a source of entertainment. Strip clubs are sites of gendered performance, economic sustainability, racial separation, community, and much more. This analysis is unique in that it illuminates ideas of culture within a strip club by including both anthropological and black feminist theory frames. Typically strip club literature is produced from a gender studies or feminist lens in which the focus does not include larger discussions of culture. The following research focuses on the club Ebony is Atlanta, a club that predominantly employs, advertises, and attracts black individuals. This ethnography is divided into three sections: Space gives a glimpse into the location and environment of Ebony, Place discusses the different facets of how meaning is made out of strip clubs, and The Individual explores the personalities, personas, and identities of the dancers within the strip club. These sections intend to illuminate the complexities and depth of culture that exists within a strip club and how this strip club can be thought of as a black geography. Quotations from dancers as well as stories from experiences inside the club are used to shape a complex picture of Ebony. This research would not have been possible without the kindness and of a handful of individuals at Ebony who shared their stories and lives with me even if it was only for a brief moment in time. I hope this ethnography accurately portrays their voices and allows others to include these voices in larger discussions of race, gender, and sexuality to which they are largely excluded from. Ultimately, I hope this research will broaden the conversation of race, gender, and sexuality in the U.S. and allow for more opportunity for black female dancers to be heard in conversations that directly impact them.
Table of Contents
1. Entering a Fantasy World……………………………………………………….….…1
2. Awkward and Obvious: A Note on Subjectivity…………………………………..…4
3. Identity Politics and Performance: Literature Review……………………………...8
A Brief History of the Sexualization of Black Female Bodies in the U.S…..........9
Negotiating Identity………………………………………………………….………...21
The Realities and Limitations in Current Strip Club Literature and Ethnographies......................................................................................................28
4. Research Methods………………………………………………………….…………35
5. Section I: Space and Place
Location……………………………………………………………………..………….42
Scenes From Inside……………………………………………………….…………..43
Full Throttle Thursdays………………………………………………………………..46
Attitude and Ass……………………………………………………………..…………62
“Let’s Talk Money, I’ll Talk That”……………………………………………………..67
Beyond Fun and Games………………………………………………………………72
Music Makes Money Move……………………………………………………………75
6. Section II: The Individual: Race, Gender, and the Body
Personality……………………………………………………………………………...81
Race…………………………………………………………………………………….87
Gender………………………………………………………………………………....92
Body…………………………………………………………………………………....96
7. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….101
8. Appendix………………………………………………………………………………107
9. Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………..109
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