Like any other group of people some are and some aren't. Last night I had a mind blowing experience (conversation) with an under 20 dancer. We were discussing how the rise of technology has created a surveillance state, which is in and of itself unusual, when I remarked that "a book written in 1948 foresaw the whole thing." She responded: "Eric Arthur Blair was amazing". I was stunned. Not because she was aware of the book 1984 and what it was about, but because of instead of her mentioning George Orwell by his pen name, she referred to him by his given name. One of the rare occasions where lap dances where a billion times better than extras and not just because she was a perfect spinner.
I think about this, too. I do think the average dancer has an above average IQ. It’s a very tricky job to do well, and requires a lot of logical thinking. Most dancers have their own systems, and reasons for doing things, even if it doesn’t seem to make sense at first. On the other hand, even the smartest ones have a weakness for instant gratification, and can be lazy.
I feel like dancers are the female equivalent of males who are gifted at sales, but can’t seem to buckle down and make the short term sacrifice in pay and freedom, required to move up and gain real power and stability. I don’t know if it’s out of arrogance, lack of confidence, or a lack of faith in the system.
Many are it takes rare intelligence to play so dumb. Think about Edith from All in the Family. Jean Stapleton was a brilliant woman who had a knack for playing ditsy characters.
BJ - Dancing has a sales aspect to it and so does being a lawyer. I sell myself to prospective clients because asking people to give you money for the promise to do something in the future,. with a guarantee of results, is harder than it looks. I also "sell" my clients position and version of the truth to juries and/or judges.
I can see that. You have many of the same gifts as a gifted sales person. Something made you buckle down and apply yourself, instead of taking the short term options.
StripperWeb has an interesting take on this -- that strippers have to dumb themselves down, because that's what their customers want. Obviously, take that with a grain of salt; StripperWeb's overall fantasy world is that strippers are always better and smarter than their customers, even if their biggest talent is looking good in a bikini and their customers are successful enough to have money to spend on strippers. But, on the other hand, I believe this to an extent -- customers want strippers to be their fantasy girl, and very few guys fantasize about a 22-year-old stripper, in her underwear, who is smarter than them. It is pretty easy to believe, however not-smart or smart strippers are, they additionally dumb themselves down on purpose for us.
Putting classic IQ aside: many strippers have far above average street smarts (tragically), and many have just amazing sales skills and sales intuition. Some of the strippers I've gotten to know are geniuses (at least to me) at selling and manipulating people in all areas of their lives. Most strippers have excruciatingly low emotional IQ (except where emotional IQ intersects with manipulating men in sales situations).
I agree ab the low emotional awareness. It could contribute to not applying themselves. Most of the girls at work really do want to move on, save money, buy a house, etc. They do not behave logically when their own emotions are involved, and they won’t make short term financial sacrifices.
Depends, some are defiantly intelligent but in other cases they may be very knowledgeable about a topic they are passionate about but clueless about most other aspects of life.
That’s typical of everyone not just strippers. Like the moron at the bar that’s a super expert on the NFL, but can’t even name the 3 beaches of government.
This is a very interesting topic. In order for a stripper to last and be successful, she should be intelligent, out going and insightful (outside of other physical attributes).
In my view - the most important part is the insight - and the intelligence is secondary. Having the insight to know how customers will react is very important. I guess insight and intellect can be grouped together.
Guys aren’t very difficult to manipulate. We basically live in the moment. Capitalizing on our simplicity is something dancers do quite well. We look at this as brilliant mind reading - but it’s basic math.
I agree - certain strippers are very intelligent. Many are well read, and some have great minds.
A good portion of the dancers are smart and had hold a pretty good conversation. I would think it takes a certain IQ to navigate some of the situations they'd had to in their lives. Other times they channel their inner moronic drunk slut. I like both but prefer the former to the latter.
Many exceptions -- and I don’t mean to offend any of the dancers who post here – but on average dancers come from dysfunctional families, and it’s nearly impossible for them to flourish in any traditional academic way because of horrible parenting. But that has nothing to do with intelligence and IQ.
I think the StripperWeb version is pretty much correct: guys who inhabit strip clubs are about as sexist and boorish as they come (i.e, girls were placed on this earth to suck your dick). If you want a pretty Ivy League grad these days, you can go online and find one. So if you’re addicted to strip clubs, you’re probably not looking for someone who’s on a traditional trajectory toward success.
@ random, I agree that upbringing is a major contributor. It’s very hard to instill kids w the faith required to follow management, buckle down and get through college, and to put in time to earn respect, if the parents aren’t doing it. It’s one of my concerns as a parent, since I’m a dancer, and I have a degree. I hope the kids in my life don’t see my education as useless, bc I’m not directly using it. I actually think my background is a huge contributor to my success as a dancer, especially at my age.
I have a real hard time pegging what "average" intelligence is, so the question is hard to answer. Compared to my peers at work, and even my direct reports, strippers as a whole are not what I'd consider even marginally intelligent. Don't get me wrong, many are clever, in an Aesop's crow kinda way. Perhaps its the low emotional awareness or perhaps they're so much smarter than me that they've got me fooled, but I rarely see demonstrations of critical thinking and logic. I also so the continued inability plan for the future, or to steal bj's phrasing "make short term sacrifices." Those things to me are hallmarks of intelligence, and are usually easily recognizable even in folks without a lot of education.
At the same time, if I compare the average stripper to the masses at the grocery store, the gym, the gas station, or god forbid someplace like Walmart strippers as a whole come out as remarkably intelligent. I don't know if its just that the idiots really stand out at those places, if I'm less tolerant of stupidity in those situations, or if really average intelligence is that low.
I'm just trying to generalize here. I've met strippers who are far and away more intelligent than some of the most successful people I work with & there are successful people at work who are, outside of their one specialty, fucking morons. I also tend to think the more intelligent strippers don't do it for long. Leaving me to get to know the dumber ones who do.
Bj99 your kids will learn by watching you and seeing how you use your intellect around them. It’s becoming a stretch for many adults to show a tangible connection from college studies to adult employment.
By handling yourself with poise and dealing with issues with knowledge and wisdom - your kids will see far more than you might think they see.
@ cashman. Thank you. That’s a very nice thing to say. I do work hard to give them confidence in me. Still, It’s always hard to know what their take always will be.
One simple idea is to do the opposite of what I do. When I come home from work I’ll say “Four years of college - and three years of graduate school to do this?” - If you turn that around and tell them how your years of schooling have helped you - that could give them a useful perspective of how you’ve used your education to your benefit.
I’m guessing the IQ level of strippers varies a lot, just as with non strippers. As others have said, it also depends on what kind of smarts you are talking about.
Very few come across as erudite but I’m sure some are. Most strippers who don’t get eaten alive are very street smart. But many strippers make bad decision after bad decision.
Our perception of what strippers are like is going to carry a lot of our own preconceived notions. If I go to a club and the first stripper is dumb as a box of rocks, the second stripper is drunk and the rest are flyby “wanna dance”, it is going to seem to confirm what i already believe before i set foot in the club. None will have seemed very intelligent but there was no fair interaction by which to gauge that.
There are all kinds of intelligence. Intellectual, emotional, physical (yes the human body is incredibly intelligent, but some people connect the mind and body better), financial/business, social, situational/observational/street smarts. I guess you can throw in sexual intelligence =). Basically any skill, craft or talent that can be developed require a type of intelligence. Then you have other qualities which might resemble intelligence like wisdom, sanity and enlightenment, but you either have these or you don't. You can't truly develop them.
In my experience, strippers seem to be lacking in the intellectual and emotional. Their financial intelligence tends to be one way. They're good at making money, but not good at keeping it or letting their money work for them. That might be tied to their emotional intelligence. But no, strippers in general don't strike me as noticeably more intelligent that your average person, although strippers do have to grow up much quicker, at least the ones that make it. So yes, if i have to compare a stripper with your average "dumb" young girl, then yes, i would say they're considerably "smarter" or ahead of the curve if you will.
Like any other group some are below average intelligence, most are average and the best are above average intelligence.
It's the above average intelligence girls that are most likely to be successful because they can profile their customers. They can figure out what to say and what to do to manipulate the customer into giving them what they want. They do this by maximizing the customer's enjoyment and thereby creating a win-win situation in which both sides are satisfied.
Unfortunately for us PLs these girls only stick around as long as they want too because they are smart enough to plan for theit future. That may mean stripping long enough to get through college, long enough to put aside $X, long enough to find a spouse or simply long enough to have fun while deciding what they want to do next.
Clever and Educated are mutually exclusive. When people have both they become smart in my book. Third and fourth factors include work ethic and discipline (or impulsiveness). Of those four things (clever, educated, work ethic, discipline) many dancers are weak in one or more. Plenty of smart girls are lazy or impulsive and stripping accomodates their lifestyle. Any weakness in cleverness or education limits their career options. But if a dancer has all four she must be killing it as one otherwise she would have a career with benefits and stability (a rare few in this catagory also do both). I am not implying there is something wrong with stripping, it just works well as easy money for different types of girls. Yea I have met plenty of intelligent girls who strip and it doesnt suprise me. BJ is a great example of smart, but she must be lazy :P
I actually do like meeting and having great conversation with smart strippers...I also enjoy fucking their brains out. Hopefully I end up leaving something left in there when we are done ;)
I am the opposite of you taxi_driver. I love an intelligent debate. I have told dancers before that they didn't need to be so agreeable around me. The girl that one day figures that out (and then lets me win) will probably get a bunch of money out of me.
I see you guys using "emotional intellegence" to refer to the ability to resist short term fun. I would tend to just call that being disciplined. To me emotional intellegence is more about empathy.
Also, the AMP girls who have always tried to set themselves up as my mistress, with visits at their homes, have usually been the ones blessed with both brains and beauty.
Most of the time women have their most serious limitations between their ears.
I've found most strippers to be very intelligent, creative and thoughtful people on topics in which they have specific interest. I.e. Shopping for Jewlers tatoos cell phones animals tv shows purses pink clothing plastic surgery etc. ask them about financial matters budgeting etc and they're (not all) clueless. Same with budgeting etc.
At the club I go to the most nowadays, I personally think one of the strippers there is one of the smartest people I have ever met. I can talk with her about lots of stuff I wouldn't even think about with normal strippers. There's also an artistry to her stripping that doesn't exist with most strippers today. She's also one of those strippers who likes to sing along to the music, and I think she has some singing talent. But the one thing she said is she came from a "completely dysfunctional" family. They always have that nature vs. nurture debate and I think for a good number of strippers, nurture failed nature.
37 comments
I feel like dancers are the female equivalent of males who are gifted at sales, but can’t seem to buckle down and make the short term sacrifice in pay and freedom, required to move up and gain real power and stability. I don’t know if it’s out of arrogance, lack of confidence, or a lack of faith in the system.
Putting classic IQ aside: many strippers have far above average street smarts (tragically), and many have just amazing sales skills and sales intuition. Some of the strippers I've gotten to know are geniuses (at least to me) at selling and manipulating people in all areas of their lives. Most strippers have excruciatingly low emotional IQ (except where emotional IQ intersects with manipulating men in sales situations).
That’s typical of everyone not just strippers. Like the moron at the bar that’s a super expert on the NFL, but can’t even name the 3 beaches of government.
In my view - the most important part is the insight - and the intelligence is secondary. Having the insight to know how customers will react is very important. I guess insight and intellect can be grouped together.
Guys aren’t very difficult to manipulate. We basically live in the moment. Capitalizing on our simplicity is something dancers do quite well. We look at this as brilliant mind reading - but it’s basic math.
I agree - certain strippers are very intelligent. Many are well read, and some have great minds.
I think the StripperWeb version is pretty much correct: guys who inhabit strip clubs are about as sexist and boorish as they come (i.e, girls were placed on this earth to suck your dick). If you want a pretty Ivy League grad these days, you can go online and find one. So if you’re addicted to strip clubs, you’re probably not looking for someone who’s on a traditional trajectory toward success.
Who are you and what have you done with skibum609?
At the same time, if I compare the average stripper to the masses at the grocery store, the gym, the gas station, or god forbid someplace like Walmart strippers as a whole come out as remarkably intelligent. I don't know if its just that the idiots really stand out at those places, if I'm less tolerant of stupidity in those situations, or if really average intelligence is that low.
I'm just trying to generalize here. I've met strippers who are far and away more intelligent than some of the most successful people I work with & there are successful people at work who are, outside of their one specialty, fucking morons. I also tend to think the more intelligent strippers don't do it for long. Leaving me to get to know the dumber ones who do.
By handling yourself with poise and dealing with issues with knowledge and wisdom - your kids will see far more than you might think they see.
Very few come across as erudite but I’m sure some are. Most strippers who don’t get eaten alive are very street smart. But many strippers make bad decision after bad decision.
Our perception of what strippers are like is going to carry a lot of our own preconceived notions. If I go to a club and the first stripper is dumb as a box of rocks, the second stripper is drunk and the rest are flyby “wanna dance”, it is going to seem to confirm what i already believe before i set foot in the club. None will have seemed very intelligent but there was no fair interaction by which to gauge that.
In my experience, strippers seem to be lacking in the intellectual and emotional. Their financial intelligence tends to be one way. They're good at making money, but not good at keeping it or letting their money work for them. That might be tied to their emotional intelligence. But no, strippers in general don't strike me as noticeably more intelligent that your average person, although strippers do have to grow up much quicker, at least the ones that make it. So yes, if i have to compare a stripper with your average "dumb" young girl, then yes, i would say they're considerably "smarter" or ahead of the curve if you will.
It's the above average intelligence girls that are most likely to be successful because they can profile their customers. They can figure out what to say and what to do to manipulate the customer into giving them what they want. They do this by maximizing the customer's enjoyment and thereby creating a win-win situation in which both sides are satisfied.
Unfortunately for us PLs these girls only stick around as long as they want too because they are smart enough to plan for theit future. That may mean stripping long enough to get through college, long enough to put aside $X, long enough to find a spouse or simply long enough to have fun while deciding what they want to do next.
Clever and Educated are mutually exclusive. When people have both they become smart in my book. Third and fourth factors include work ethic and discipline (or impulsiveness). Of those four things (clever, educated, work ethic, discipline) many dancers are weak in one or more. Plenty of smart girls are lazy or impulsive and stripping accomodates their lifestyle. Any weakness in cleverness or education limits their career options. But if a dancer has all four she must be killing it as one otherwise she would have a career with benefits and stability (a rare few in this catagory also do both). I am not implying there is something wrong with stripping, it just works well as easy money for different types of girls. Yea I have met plenty of intelligent girls who strip and it doesnt suprise me. BJ is a great example of smart, but she must be lazy :P
I actually do like meeting and having great conversation with smart strippers...I also enjoy fucking their brains out. Hopefully I end up leaving something left in there when we are done ;)
I see you guys using "emotional intellegence" to refer to the ability to resist short term fun. I would tend to just call that being disciplined. To me emotional intellegence is more about empathy.
Our Sunnyvale Hip Hugger was more set up for talking and I always told the bosses that their club attracted the smartest girls.
SJG
Most of the time women have their most serious limitations between their ears.
SJG
SJG
Most are probably in the middle.
A. Drool.