This article was first published on August 25, 2024, and republished on September 30, 2026. The author began stripping at 24 years old after a discussion with a friend over tea in Berlin. At that time, they were two young idealists with little money. From there, things progressed quickly, as is often the case in this world. The friend saw an advertisement online, and shortly after, they ended up half-naked in a smoky strip club, swaying on their high heels. Six years later, the author's perception of the industry is more nuanced than it was during that discussion. However, the questions they are asked daily have not changed: "Do you have a boyfriend? What does he think about your job?" No matter how the question is phrased ("Is it possible to find a guy with this job?" "Is your boyfriend not jealous?"), the curious always start from the assumption that the author lives with a man. The idea that they might be attracted to women does not seem to occur to them. Traditional gender norms are still deeply rooted in strip clubs—at least in those the author has experienced. Non-conformity to gender norms is not welcome, and the smelly carpets in the clubs are... To read the rest of this article, subscribe. Subscribe and access: all our articles, the weekly digital edition, the app, the Morning Brief and our newsletters. Starting at 1 € per month. The New York Times is the reference newspaper in the United States, in which one can read "all the news that's fit to print" ("all the news worthy of publication"). In its Sunday edition, one finds notably The New York Times Book Review, an authoritative book supplement, and the unmatched The New York Times Magazine. The Ochs-Sulzberger family, which took over this newspaper created in 1851 in 1896, is still at the head of the left-leaning daily. As for the web edition, which claims more than 12 million subscribers by the end of 2025, it offers everything one can expect from an online service, plus dozens of specific sections. The archives group articles published since 1851, accessible online from 1981.