A ‘sexy space’ for women? Heterosexual women’s experiences of a male strip show venue

Abstract

The rise of male strip shows marketed towards heterosexual women has called into question the idea that only men can ‘gaze’ or be ‘sexual scrutinizers’ in public leisure spaces. This paper details the findings of an ethnographic study of a male strip event ‘Cheeky’s’, ¹ located in the Midlands, England. Utilising observation, informal interviews and photography, the paper describes the physical environment and the atmosphere of the event, and analyses interview data with female customers. The paper questions what spaces such as Cheeky’s mean for female sexualities, sexual roles and desires. The findings are twofold. On the one hand the club was a relatively novel sexual space, as some women spectators experienced it as an ‘empowering’ space in which they could be ‘sexually aggressive’; on the other hand, the character of the club was actively and adeptly manufactured by the Master of Ceremonies (MC), and male dancers, so as to encourage – and even to coercively elicit – extrovert behaviour from women customers. Despite shifting normative gendered expectations of women’s sexual behaviour to some extent, ultimately the club structured women’s sexual experiences around traditional heterosexist lines. The club did not encourage women’s autonomous sexual expression, and many women claimed they had not found it a very ‘sexy space’.

Keywords:

• heterosexuality
• sexualised space
• ‘gaze’
• women’s leisure
• strip club
• ethnography

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the ESRC for the studentship that funded this research project. I would also like to thank my PhD supervisors, the anonymous reviewers, and delegates at the ‘Sexy Spaces: Leisure and Geography Intersectionalities’ conference for their comments on earlier drafts of this paper.

Notes

1. Pseudonym.

2. Tickets for the show cost £10, or £15 for each VIP ticket, which includes reserved seats giving the best view of the stage and a ‘party pack’. Transport to the event can be hired in the form of a fire engine, limousine or ambulance. If transport is not hired the event represents a relatively ‘cheap’ evening, as alcoholic drinks and entrance fees are both cheaper in this event than when the nightclub officially opens at 11 pm.

3. £2.00 for a glass of wine, £2.00 for a bottle of any ‘alcopop’, £2.50 for a spirit and an accompanying soft‐drink ‘mixer’.

4. A ‘bachelorette’ party is where a bride and her female friends celebrate the bride’s ‘last night of freedom’ before her wedding, known as a ‘hen’ party in the UK.

5. Italics, my emphasis.

6. The area right in front of the stage, reserved typically for large hen and birthday parties.