Taking It Off, Putting It On: Women In The Strip Trade

by Chris Bruckert

This book is a careful, studied, theoretical walk through "women and work." The author interviews female strippers to reveal the core of the world of the professional stripper. Bruckert contends that the audience's reading of the stripper's sexualised form does not erase her authorship; she is able to "put on" the audience while she is "taking it (her clothes) off." Bruckert was herself a stripper, and writes of feeling objectified by the usual feminist analysis of strippers. These feelings were the catalyst for her interest in women and work. She uses her intimate knowledge of the world of the stripper to journey to the heart and soul of the industry and allows the voice of the stripper to emerge as the "subject" in an experience in which she is usually objectified.

182 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

Reviews

[Holly Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m 100% biased because Chris Bruckert is someone I consider a friend, but her writing - not only from an academic standpoint, but also from an experiential standpoint - really brings an edge to the sex work debates that have plagued literature for a while now. I’ll be actively using excerpts of this book in my thesis and even more so, the work I currently do in the HT field. If you’re critical thinker who likes to argue both sides of a conversation, this book is for you. If you’re someone who is entirely against sex work, this book is for you. If you’re someone who cares about sexual violence against women, this book is for you. If you care about women’s rights in general, this book is for you. Chris does an amazing job of taking societal perceptions around a highly debated topic and puts into perspective for those who face backlash the most: sex workers.

[Natalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Superbly researched Canadian Criminal Code, legislation and history of laws and regulations of the industry.