Emperor’s Palm Beach is advertising that they’re taking applications from soon-to-be high school graduates. Seems like a questionable strategy, since another location operated by the same owners was sued for allowing an underage dancer to work. It sounds like the club might be a nice stop for traveling (legal) dancers, though. An article in the Broward-Palm Beach New Times points out that the club’s website offers hotel accommodations and “guaranteed funds.” Of one thing we can be sure: This sign undoubtedly reached more Reddit readers than potential strippers.
Given that the military is given space in schools to recruit underage students, I have no problem with strip clubs doing the same. At least the strippers aren’t being trained to kill… I hope.
Surprisingly, it also means that there will be a lower probability of sexual assault as a stripper than as a soldier: [http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/03/06/panetta-gates-rumsfeld-face-new-suit-over-u-s-military-rape-epidemic.html]
When I saw the sign, I thought it was meant in a facetious way, to make passers-by remember the place. However, who am I to judge the intentions of strangers? I’d be a hypocrite if I said that high schoolers shouldn’t be stripping, but openly recruiting them does seem a little shady. If they were just looking for publicity, it seems to be working.
Ah, these must be those Job Creators I keep hearing about… Yeah, this was probably meant in a mocking manner. Couldn’t help but notice in the newspaper site the caption is “Oh, for God’s sake, just go work at Target”… I dunno, but I wonder which is the tougher gig.
Even as a stripper myself, I feel like targeting high school kids for recruitment into sex work seems sketchy as fuck. Maybe it’s because I began “late” (at 25), and had way more confidence, maturity, job experience and life-skills built up than a 17/18 y.o. Not that it should be against the law or school-rules for of-age high-schoolers to strip or anything… I just think it’s a questionable strategy on the part of the club itself. Like, WHY target barely-legal girls? They’re not harder workers, better hustlers, better dancers or more confident than women just a few years older who’ve like, ever lived outside their parents’ house, and many customers are turned off by dancers who look or are very young, so it has nothing to do with finding girls who are more “appealing” to their customer base (especially if it’s an upscale club with an older clientele) . Is it because the clubs figure younger girls are more impressionable, insecure and easier to control? That they’ll put up with a lot and go far for what seems like a “lot” of money as the industry declines, since they’ve likely never had more than a couple minimum-wage summer jobs?
I see this more as them being cheeky, perhaps a play on their recent trouble. Also, it’s possible that they’re referring to a graduating college class, kind of clever considering no one else is hiring college grads these days. And if none of that, I agree with Sex Mahoney in that if the military can set up shop in high schools, shamelessly recruiting our boys and girls to go off inciting widespread violence in the name of “Freedom,” then we should be able to handle a threat so nefarious as nipple tassels and AC/DC burnout.
Totally agree! I think it’s funny, especially considering the bad publicity they’ve just had. Like, “hey, we said we’re looking for high school graduates now, not underage girls.”
Hey! Who says Reddit readers aren’t potential strippers? 😉