A plus-sized stripper says curvy performers are often rejected by strip clubs – even though there's a demand for them.
Hannah Nicole Smith, from Melbourne, Australia has been dancing for a year now, starting when she was 26.
While it is hard for her to find strip clubs that will accept plus-sized employees, she said men absolutely love it when she works the pole.
The 27-year-old spoke exclusively to Daily Star about what it's like working in the industry.
“It's 90% positive with men, which is probably the same with any other girl at the club,” she explained.
“Sometimes I will see smaller girls approach a guy and get rejected then when I go over they will say things like ‘Oh my god I love a full figure girl, I’ve been waiting for a girl with big and natural t*ts and ass’.
“There is a market for every shape girl which may be hard for some to hear because I’m not your typical stripper. I have guys travel to my club because of how diverse it is.
“I’ve had curvy girls come into the club and tip me on stage and thank me for representing them in the industry so that always makes me happy.”
Hannah said she had always been curious about stripping and previously dabbled in things like camming and OnlyFans.
When she found out one of her friends was a stripper, she went to the club as she was curious about the industry.
She walked out with an interview organised for the following week.
Unfortunately, it has proven really difficult for Hannah to find strip clubs that will allow plus-sized women to perform.
The dancer added that the treatment of curvier women in the industry has a long way to go.
“It can be very very hard, there is probably just under 10 strip clubs in Melbourne and I would say probably only two would hire plus size girls, which is really sad as there is a market for every body type out there which means more money for the club,” she said.
“The treatment of plus-sized women can be horrible and unnecessary. At the end of the day, we are all people trying to make a living.
"People forget plus size doesn’t always equal unhealthy, you have to be fit to work multiple shifts dancing in seven-inch heels, I go to the gym and play sport outside of dancing, we are just built differently.
“Why go to a club with all skinny blondes when you could go to a club with all shapes and sizes? Once you find your tribe though, it's easy to block out the hate from the rest of the industry.”
Hannah said she also struggles with the fact that stripping is still so taboo.
While she's not trying to hide the work she does, she doesn't post about it all over her personal social media accounts.
She said: “If someone finds it I don’t care, it's a job, but I’ve had extended family members try and ‘out’ me to my parents who are fully supportive of me as long as I’m being safe, which is usually what they respond to people when they ask about it."
Despite all of this, Hannah loves the work that she does.
The 27-year-old says that being a stripper has made her a lot more confident in herself and she is surrounded by supportive people of all shapes and sizes.
Her work also has a lot of benefits, such as being able to choose her own hours, getting to dress up in cute outfits and the positive attention she receives.
Now Hannah wants to encourage other plus-sized women to love themselves and ignore the haters.
She explained that most people don’t like themselves so you shouldn’t care what other people think of you.
“It can be hard, I have days that are rough but you just have to own it and work with what you’ve got, embrace yourself because people do and will love you,” she said.
“It’s all about confidence. If a guy sees a woman with confidence that loves herself they will fall in love with you.
“If you’re going to stand out take advantage of that, the only thing stopping you is yourself. Who cares what people think, they’ll say you're fat? Cool, you already know that. Own it.”
Hannah also wants people to stop calling women in bigger bodies brave and to stop saying “I wish I had your confidence”, as she says it isn’t a compliment.
She explained: “There is nothing ‘brave’ about having a body and simply existing. Would you not be confident in my body? Why? Because you grew up believing having a bit more weight is bad? You can have all the confidence in the world, it’s all up to you.”
To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up for one of our newsletters here.
Source: Read Full Article