I was 21 years old the first time I danced on stage naked for money. After a few months of full-service escorting, I had decided to try my hand at a “safer” avenue of sex work and got a gig at The Lusty Lady, a now defunct peep show in San Francisco. Unionized and worker-owned since 1997, the club had a reputation for empowerment, feminism, and inclusivity. It was those ideals that led me to audition during one of their open calls in early 2008, during the height of the recession.
Maintaining a healthy eating plan while dancing was an ongoing problem that I didn’t anticipate when I started dancing. I worked nights, usually the second shift between 5 p.m. and closing at midnight. Three or four times a week, I’d take the BART across the bay after my evening college classes, and then walk the 20 minutes uphill to the club. If I planned my day right, I packed something to eat during my half-hour, middle-of-the-night dinner break. Otherwise, I would have a few minutes to drop into a bodega and buy some ramen or a can of ravioli to warm up. On other days, if I had some extra cash on hand, I might roam the streets of North Beach until I found a taqueria or Chinese takeout spot with reasonable prices.
