There are some topics that are so overwhelmed by prejudices and preconceptions that we are sure we know every detail, when in fact we know nothing. One of these is definitely the world of strip clubs.
Thinking about the dancers and strippers who every night stand on the bar, most people think only of clichés born out of nothing, because probably – or certainly – these people have never been in a strip club, indeed they would not even know where to find one.
American photographer Elizabeth Waterman not only went in once, but spent five years spending her evenings in American strip clubs, from New York to Los Angeles, via Miami, Las Vegas and New Orleans.
Armed with an analog camera and an open mind to envy, Elizabeth Waterman not only captured young girls working from dusk to dawn but listened to their stories. Stories of students who have to pay for their studies, stories of young mothers who work hard to give their children a future, stories of aspiring entrepreneurs who dream of starting their own business.
Yes, because if the real data of the sex industry are impossible to know, those of strip clubs are in the public domain. Waterman herself says: “There are more than 4,000 such establishments in the U.S., generating more than six billion dollars annually, and providing living wages for about 58,000 dancers, bartenders, and other employees. Exotic dancers give stage shows for male and female patrons, demonstrating “tricks” on stationary or rotating poles, lap dances, and acts in private rooms. On a good night, a dancer can make $2,000 or more. They find the courage to preserve and maintain their dignity, and in rarified moments, they seem to transcend it all with ethereal, dazzling grace.”
Everything the photographer has experienced in person since 2016 can now be relived through her shots. In fact, Elizabeth Waterman chose 75 images and encapsulated them in the photo book “MONEYGAME”, published by XYZ, accompanied by these words, “first and foremost, this project would never have gotten off the ground without the trust and generosity of the remarkable women in these images. Thank you”.
