Objectification in the sex industry: how the lap dancing industry commodifies and dehumanises women
Is paying for a lap dance harmful? Violence: Research suggests that derogatory, dehumanising and abusive treatment towards women in the lap dancing industry from both punters and managers is extremely common. “If a customer tried to grope us or verbally attack us during a lap dance, which they quite often did, we would have to diffuse the situation ourselves” (Stripped: The Reality of Lap Dancing, 2011). “There was a very aggressive ‘pack mentality’ and they would often be grabbing, slapping and touching us... The overwhelming feeling that I got was that they really hated us...” (OBJECT interview, 2011).
Is paying for a lap dance harmful? Treated as commodities: Clubs’ marketing materials display photos of women as mere sexualized body parts. Websites offer a ‘range’ of women, emphasizing how men can pick a ‘girl’ or several to be at their service: ‘A beautiful selection of girls will entertain you’ (Socats); ‘Here, in comfort, you can chat to one, two or three of our girls. There is no limit, the choice is yours’ (White’s Gentlemen’s Club). Women are presented like items on a menu: ‘BraziIlian, European, Asian... all nationalities waiting to tantalise your needs’ (The Windmill). “Men would come in and ask the manager did she have any black girls and I would be wheeled over like a prize cow. [...] At the time this process seemed normal but with hindsight it is dehumanising and basically a form of cattle market” (OBJECT interview, 2011).
Is paying for a lap dance harmful? Exercise of power over women: “I don’t think that topless dancing is empowering for women it is empowering for men. And it's not just sexual – these men like being in an environment where women give them lavish attention, laugh at their jokes, flirt with them and ultimately get their tits out for them. Women in the ‘normal’ world are not usually so biddable” (Stripped: The Reality of Lap Dancing, 2011). “My fundamental belief about this, having worked in clubs, is that the reason why men want to pay for lap dances is not that they are visually titillated, but rather that paying a woman to take her clothes off is an act of power...” (OBJECT interview, 2011).
Is paying for a lap dance harmful? Inequality: “With us, [men] didn’t feel the need to pretend that we were ‘equal’. We were there to be used, and they carried on like to them it was obvious that women were inferior to men – discussion closed. [They acted like] we were all the same, easily interchangeable, one substituted for another in a blink of an eye and also a nuisance when we talked.” (‘Tatyana’, The Equality Illusion, 2010).
Is paying for a lap dance harmful? Pressure for women to offer further sexual services: More women dancers than male customers – women in direct competition with one another in order to try and attract customers to pay for a private dance. Women may feel they must try to ‘go further’ than the others in order to ensure the custom of clients. “The fact is that if you break the rules, you make more money. If one dancer starts breaking the rules then the pressure is on other dancers to do the same. Otherwise a bloke would think, ‘Well, that dancer charged me £20 and stayed three feet away, but that one charged me just the same and she put her breasts in my mouth and sat on my crotch...’.” (The Guardian interview, 2008).
Is paying for a lap dance harmful? Lap dancing clubs also normalise the practice of men paying women for sexual services, which has an impact on demand for other aspects of the sex industry. Indeed, research shows that, even if clubs enforce a ‘no touching’ rule, and even if there is no sexual contact between dancers and customers, the presence of strip clubs in a given area increases demand for nearby prostitution services (Coy et al, 2007).
Is paying for a lap dance harmful? Exploitative working conditions: Fees and fines: “It’s the only job I’ve ever had where some nights I could end up paying to be there.” No legal protections: “We have no rights to speak of. We can be fired for no reason. There is no sick pay or pension [...] We are the main attraction yet we’re treated worse than anyone in the business. In this hierarchy, female dancers are at the bottom of the food chain” (The Equality Illusion, 2010).
Is paying for a lap dance harmful? Threatening environment for local women: “I was frightened of the men who came out of that pub, especially the men in groups leering at women walking past... I was frightened of being followed into my flat because those men seemed to think that they had a right to do anything they liked.” Areas with a high concentration of lap dancing clubs can simply become ‘no-go’ areas for women and girls. The presence of strip clubs also sends damaging messages to children and young people in the surrounding area, given how they portray male and female roles and relations.
Current legal framework regulating lap dancing clubs
New 2009 licensing regime, requiring lap dancing clubs to be regulated by local councils as ‘sexual entertainment venues’ (SEVs). Prior to this, lap dancing clubs had been regulated by the 2003 Licensing Act, which categorised lap dancing clubs as ‘leisure venues’, rather than SEVs. Thanks to the new licensing regime, councils now have the power to impose crucial controls and conditions on licences. Importantly, it enables to consult with local communities and to limit the proliferation of clubs – including by setting a cap on the number (which can be zero).
How has this changed the situation? • Power to local authorities and residents by putting lap dancing clubs in the same category as sex shops and sex cinemas. • Allows better monitoring and regulation, making it possible for councils to take decisions relating to the distance between performers and customers; the presence of ‘private booths’ in clubs; and the number of clubs that may be licensed in a particular area. • Allows local people a greater say as they no longer have to tailor their objections to fit around the narrow set of criteria stipulated by the Licensing Act 2003. Nor do they have to live within 100-200m of a club to have a say in the licensing process. • Challenges the normalisation and mainstreaming of the sex industry, and send out a crucial message that buying a lap dance is not the same as buying a cappuccino. • Has already proved effective against the spread of the lap dancing industry, as caps have been set, greater restrictions on licences have been implemented, and communities have gained greater influence over the granting of licences. • Cities including Swansea, Slough, and Bedford, and London boroughs such as Enfield, Hounslow and Merton, have set caps of zero lap dancing clubs (also called a ‘nil limit’). In many other areas, very low caps have been set, or zero caps have been set for all new lap dancing club applications.
What are the shortcomings? 1) Adoption of the 2009 licensing regime is only optional for councils. While the majority of councils have adopted the new powers (approximately 87%, according to OBJECT’s research as of mid-2013), many still operate using the 2003 Licensing Act, which places very few restrictions on lap dancing clubs: venues simply apply for a standard ‘leisure venue’ licence. 2) The ‘frequency’ loophole. Clause 25 of the 2009 Act contains an exemption from SEV licensing as long as the events are held fewer than 12 times a year. This is alarming as it allows venues to hold sexual entertainment nights almost every month, completely unregulated. If policymakers acknowledge that sexual entertainment requires a specific kind of regulation, then it is inconsistent that they allow venues to hold unlicensed sexual entertainment events, ever. 3) Refusal to hear ‘moral’ objections (character of the area, proximity to sites of ‘sensitive use’, residents’ objections
What action can councils take to strengthen licensing? Propose and support a council resolution to adopt Schedule 3 to the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (LGMPA) 1982, as amended by the Policing and Crime Act 2009. Ensure licensing powers are fully used - Hold meaningful community consultations - Set a cap (ideally nil) - Be clear about reasons for rejecting licences – take social concerns like gender equality into account. Lap dancing may directly contravene Council’s equalities policy. - If not nil, set conditions - Monitor conditions - If nil, collect data on ‘temporary events’ being held without licences - Ensure conditions are set for ‘temporary events’ (including tours) - Contribute to national debates
Case studies
Camden Council: attempts to close Spearmint Rhino unsuccessful so far; Judicial Review. OBJECT protests. Hours reduced. Leeds: Lap dancing clubs closed due to ‘proximity to sensitive areas’. York and Cheltenham : revenues from businesses more important than strength of local objections?