The comment about LDs being demeaning is a very interesting one.
I was raised by liberal parents, I have a couple of sisters who are feminists. If they knew I was visiting strip clubs they would probably disown me! I used to think stripping and prostitution were demeaning. Even in the feminist community, however, there is a split over whether prostitutes should be chastised for demeaning all women or whether true "equality" and "freedom" means being able to sell your body for a living if you want to or need to. I now fall into the latter category.
I think it's interesting that some dancers who don't do extras really look down on those who do... calling them whores, etc. Like there's really a difference between grinding on a guy's mr. happy and trying to give a happy ending in his pants as opposed to somewhere else... seems like kind of a fine line to me.
I had a dancer tell me once, "half these girls are on drugs, and all of them have got something going on in their heads or they wouldn't be here." She was a philosophy major!
I honestly believe there are different kinds of strippers. There's no question some hate it and find it demeaning. I know a 40ish dancer, mother of 3 teenagers, who started dancing years ago after getting divorced, and now feels trapped, been out of the "real" workplace too long to get a decent job. Part of the problem is she wants a job that pays as well as dancing... to keep herself and her kids in the lifestyle they're used to. Hard to do. Says she hates the club, hates how the customers can act... but even she says things like "doing dances can be fun if you like the customer." We like to go to the VIP because it's the only place in the club where you can actually converse. She sits on my lap and we talk. Sometimes she pretends she's giving a dance... plus she likes to make fun of the other dancers and the things they'll say like "OMG your pecks are enormous... I've never felt a bulge that large before... you're making me so hot!!!" She also looks around at the other dancers giving extras, and says "I think it eats up their souls after awhile".
On the other hand, I think there are some dancers who do actually enjoy what they're doing. They get off on being a "bad girl", and enjoy the sexual power they hold over the customers. Or, maybe I'm just an idiot and they're just really good actors.