Some Memoirs of a Male Stripper: The Conflicting Tensions of Disrobing Oneself without Disrobing One’s Self

Abstract

This autoethnographic paper relives my first working night as a male stripper. The purpose of this paper is to examine my subjectivities as a male stripper by unpacking and theorizing around my autoethnographic writings from working at a private bachelorette party. This paper provides a new perspective in the sex and leisure literature and puts the (male) researcher into the study. It explores the complexities and vulnerabilities entangled within my subjectivities as a male stripper – its construction, deconstruction, and co-construction. Narratives are presented depicting scenes during my first working night from pre-party preparations to post-party reflections. These narratives analyze my desires to be accepted beyond the traditional physicality central to stripping, tensions present within role ambiguity, and the co-consumption of sexuality produced within this sex and leisure space. Critical analysis of my performer perspective advances the understanding of identity co-construction and co-consumption within these sociosexual leisure spaces.