I had that term used on me today. I’ve said it to people before admittedly and when I started dancing again I immediately apologized because I realized what a douche thing it was to say.
You hear it from time to time as a dancer. You’ll be having a conversation with somebody and they’ll find out your a dancer and that is when the tone changes. Like somehow what we do is so incredibly dirty we’re second class SL citizens. And for the most part we’re going to be okay with that? Now, why would be okay with that? Allow me to tell you.
See, dancers in Second Life, they work for tips. Those tips for those of you who aren’t keeping track = L$. So every time one of you morally “superior” idiots says something quaint like “Go back to your pole” or “polewhore”, or “Slwhore”, or any other of the many colorful terms you’re tiny little minds have come up with we remember it. Then, with that L$ we’ve earned…we go shop somewhere else. And we’re a chatty bunch we dancers. Almost as much as you fashion kids. So when we ask each other where is a good place to get clothing, furniture, textures, ao’s, you name it….we remember then too. And we then recommend somewhere else to shop. Still feeling morally superior?
Still here? Good. Now then, what really sticks in my craw (I haven’t been able to use that saying much these days) is that a good number of you started out dancing and escorting. While I could do the wrong thing and post the list of well known content creators and “fashionistas” who started up on stage and on the poseball, I won’t. Why? Because you already know who you are. But, as always with the SL fashion community hypocrisy will never ever be out of style. While this level of hypocrisy is not shocking it still remains disappointing. Go figure.
So where were we? Oh yes…the moral of the story. Go ahead and keep making fun of the dancers, we’ll keep making money while you’ll see your profit margin drop. I’ll go ahead and go back to the pole now and continue being looked down upon. You kids have fun in morally superior land with your backstabbing, content theft, he said she said drama, and other fun and games.
Dimitri is wearing
Skin – Daniel Nougat 04 – LAQ
Hair – Rev Hair (Carbon) – Pretty Vermin
Hat Cap’n Jack Hat – Illusions
Shirt – Gypsy Tunic White – Nomine
Vest – Gypsy Vest Black – Nomine
Pants Gypsy Striped Silk Black – Nomine
Boots – Pirate Boot – Illusions
Belt Pirate Belt w/attachments – Illusions
Gloves Pirate Gloves – Illusions
Eyepatch Rogue’s Eyepatch – Illusions
Necklace GBW Crest Necklace Black – Gabriel
Poses are all [LAP]
6 Comments(+Add)
I quite happily dance at Twisted Orchid while creating and designing for my store : Kissed by Lithium. Granted, most of the people I work with don’t realize this (try reading a profile sometime, huh?) and I bet most of the people who shop at my store don’t know. Oh well, different worlds and all that.
Feel free to list me as one of the escort/dancers turned fashionistas, YAY!
I was not only a stripper but also an escort in my n00b days :D Never been ashamed of it. And I made quite a pretty penny back then too :P
After observing the culture of SL for some time now, and seeing some pretty reprehensible behavior, I’m absolutely baffled as to why anyone makes that kind of judgment about a person in the dancer/stripper/escort trade. Is it just something conventional that is brought over from RL [where, in fact, the sex trade is an entirely different creature]? Why on earth shouldn’t two (or more) people make an honest exchange of value for value? I’m not sure it gets much more moral than that on the grid.
I applaud this post. I danced in my noobie days, and it taught me quite a few valuable lessons.
I started as a dancer too. It was a great way to get started. I still do hosting and I model as well to fund my shopping. But it was my time as a dancer that I made my closest friendships.