the ''gentlemen'' in the club: a typology of strip club patrons

Author(s): Tewksbury, R.

Journal/Book: Deviant Behav. 2000; 21: 1900 Frost Road, Suite 101, Bristol, PA 19007-1598, USA. Hemisphere Publ Corp. 271-293.

Abstract: Research on professional stripping and strippers has traditionally focused on characteristics of strippers, interactional strategies, and normative processes of the stripping environment. Essentially, no previous research has addressed the characteristics or roles of patrons in strip clubs. Drawing on data collected via covert participant observations in two ''gentlemen's clubs'' in a major Midwestern city, this analysis addresses this gap in the literature. Using dramaturgical analysis, strip clubs and their patrons are assessed with an emphasis on identifying interactional patterns of patrons. Based on patrons' individual actions and interactions with dancers, the present study supports the construction of a six-category typology of patrons. Discussion includes analysis of how the homosocial, ultra-masculine context of the setting affects and illuminates patrons' motives for frequenting strip clubs, the social commodities provided by strip clubs, and relative power within strip clubs.

Note: Article Tewksbury R, Univ Louisville, Dept Justice Adm, Louisville,KY 40292 USA

Keyword(s): DEVIANT OCCUPATION; DANCER

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