Editors Note: This piece contains references to assault.
“Ho ho! Hey hey! Strippers deserve fair pay!”
I’m twirling around a stripper pole, shaking my ass as a crowd of onlookers cheers and chants. Someone approaches me with two $5 notes, I know this tango well. I pause, holding out my underwear strap to collect the tips. Only I’m not in a strip club. It’s a sunny Sunday afternoon in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand). I’m pole dancing on parliament grounds in my Pleaser heels and stripper getup, protesting for stripper rights alongside a group of strippers known as Fired Up Stilettos. There’s a brass band playing live music while the general public holds signs that read “Tip them cash!” “Strippers deserve fair pay!” “Shame on you Calendar Girls!” A wave of emotions takes hold of me as I realise that I’m witnessing history in the making. But how did we get here?
The Origin Story
On January 31st, nineteen strippers contracted by Calendar Girls Wellington woke to the news that they had been fired. They discovered this via a FaceBook post, in which the owner of CG’s told them to clear out their lockers and collect their payout.
“I was definitely confused.” Says Margot Embargot, one of the nineteen fired dancers. “There was a lot of conversation in the group chat trying to figure out why we had been fired, or if we had been fired at all.”
One thing they all had in common was they had recently signed an email request asking for negotiations surrounding a new contract brought in by CG’s management. The contract in question had increased customer pricing, but with a reduced cut to the dancer. In the email, 35 dancers signed and agreed that this move did not reflect the current financial climate, and that it would put more financial pressure on the dancers, with the club profiting off such pressure. They also requested that dancers receive payslip receipts for tax purposes – showing the exact amount of money they would take home and what their total earnings for the week were. Calendar Girls had stopped providing these payslips, and many dancers began noticing missing money from their weekly envelopes.
The original signatures on this request was 42, however, seven dancers removed their signatures before it was emailed as they were afraid for their job security. Out of the 35 signatures, only 19 were fired.
“My brain was going round in circles trying to figure out what we all had in common.” Says Margot. “Some of us worked often, some very irregularly, some of us were high earners, some not, some of us had been there a really long time, some of us were older and more experienced, some of us were more outspoken. There were others who had signed the petition who weren’t fired. Once we realised what had happened, I was really angry. I also felt kind of embarrassed. I can’t even get into the psychoanalysis of that, but I think the stigma from society and abuse from within the industry plays a big part.”
Starting a Movement: 19 Fired Up Stilettos
The day after they were fired, the dancers sought help from community law. “I remember standing outside community law with Bambi and Melody, talking about how everyone who takes the clubs to court settles, signs an NDA, and is never heard of again. The industry never changes, and the barriers that dancers face when trying to access legal justice never change. We wanted to do something bigger, something that would really impact the industry and enable dancers to seek justice more easily.”
They all gathered to discuss what action they needed to take to ensure positive change could take place for Aotearoa strippers. They realised that between them, they all possessed a variety of skills and resources they could combine. Two of the fired dancers Blake and Bambi came up with the name 19 Fired Up Stilettos. From this, they created an Instagram, Twitter and Facebook page under this name, and introduced themselves to the world by picketing outside of Calendar Girls.
“When Blake first suggested we picket outside CG’s it sounded completely inconceivable,” Margot tells me, “but within a week we were outside CG’s with a pole and a megaphone. It was all on from there really, we realised that we could just do stuff. We had several news stories published, our social media was going wild, we were raising money. Since then the ideas keep coming and we keep acting on them. There’s a lot of consideration that goes into how we present ourselves to the public, but there's also a lot of fun in our discussions of what we could do next. We all hate how the industry operates, we all want to see it change. That’s really all that's keeping us going.”
Strippers at Parliament: Political Support
Blake and Bambi approached Jan Logie, an MP from Green Political Party of Aotearoa. Logie has been extremely public in her support of stripper rights, recognizing this as a contractor's rights issue that impacts women and marginalised genders. As a result of this collaboration, 19 Fired Up Stilettos were offered a chance to speak at parliament.
They invited me to join them, which I was honoured to accept, and on March 13th we gathered at parliament to demand justice for strippers. 10 of us presented a speech (you can watch the full speeches via Fired Up Stiletto’s YouTube), each focusing on a particular topic that covered a variety of issues strippers of Aoteaora experience. From management bullying and exploitation, negative stigma from society, legal injustices, and more, it was an empowering moment I will never forget. To look out and see a group of Politicians not only listen to our stories, but actually care for and want to help us create change, is an experience I didn’t think possible for strippers.
In 2003, The Prostitution Reform Bill decriminalised sex work in Aotearoa. This was due to the work of Aotearoa’s Sex Worker’s Collective (formerly known as New Zealand’s Prostitutes Collective). Sex worker, activist, politician and the world's first openly trans member of parliament Georgina Beyer (who sadly passed away in March of this year), presented a powerful speech at parliament about the time she was raped at knife point while working as a street worker. She told parliament that she was unable to seek legal justice due to her job being criminalised. The decriminalisation of sex work for citizens of Aotearoa (unfortunately, migrant sex work is still criminalised), has resulted in positive change for the overall safety and wellbeing for sex workers of Aotearoa.
“The movement initiated by Fired Up Stilettos demonstrates both that the decriminalisation of sex work has been an overwhelming success, and it also reveals how much further we have to go.” Says Bianca Beebe, a sex worker, public health researcher, and co-chair of the Oregon Sex Workers’ Committee. She noted that Aotearoa set the standard for sex worker labor rights 20 years ago, and now it’s time for Aotearoa’s politicians to lead the way for stripper rights.
“I feel the urgency of this situation not just because my comrades in Aotearoa deserve to work free of exploitation, but because I know first-hand the profound global impacts we’ll see if we get this right.” Bebee says. “We have been contacted by dancers in clubs throughout Australia, the US, and the UK, who are experiencing the exact same struggles with management, and waiting to see how New Zealand, the decrim country, will respond … I implore members of Parliament to once again rise to the occasion, and show the world how it’s done.”
Fired Up Stilettos concluded the speeches by presenting their petition which requests:
- Compel adult entertainment venues to cease all practices which violate our independent contractor status, which includes control of our working hours, control over the services we provide and how we provide them, and an end to any non-competition clauses in our contracts
- Remove the implementation or threat of all fines and/or bonds in adult entertainment
- Implement a fair share of profits: a limit of 35% in total that can be taken from the contractor’s booked services in adult entertainment venues, and a 20% limit on tips.
If the requests of this petition are implemented, it would be a massive win not just for strippers, but for independent contractors all across the country. Bebee made this clear during her speech where she powerfully asked “Will our Parliament kick the can of independent contractors’ labour rights down the road, or will it do its job and pass innovative legislation that solves contemporary problems?”
Kicking Up A FUS - Pole Dancing On Parliament Grounds
On April 16th, Fired Up Stilettos and I once again returned to parliament. Only this time, we invited the general public to join us for a stripper spectacle. With a pole set up and Brass Razoo Solidarity Band creating the atmosphere, we each took turns pole dancing in between presenting speeches. Around 200 people turned up including members of the general public, Wellington Pride (NZ’s longest running pride festival), and Green MP Jan Logie, who took a photo with the pole. By posing next to a stripper pole, and then posting it to her socials for her supporters to see, Logie is helping to destigmatize our industry.
“I didn’t consider the historical significance at all during the day really.” Margot reflects on how she felt after the protest. “I didn’t even consider the success of the protest until I wandered around afterwards talking to people. But looking back, I think it’s pretty fucking cool. It’s hard though, because I think sometimes the most important things aren’t the ones that are able to be recorded in history, only analysed afterwards. The most important thing is that we were actually allowed to put a pole up at parliament, and the societal change that indicates. Strippers and Sex Workers still face unacceptable stigma and discrimination, but our pole at parliament isn’t an action against that. I think it’s a sign of what is already changing. That makes me very hopeful.”
We were honoured to be joined by a member of LA based stripper’s Stripper Strike NoHo and Stripper’s United. Dancers at Star Garden recently made history by becoming the only Unionised strippers in the US, and Fired Up Stiletto’s is massively inspired by their tremendous efforts.
“Stripper Strike NoHo are a huge inspiration.” Says Margot. “When I read what other stripper movements internationally are saying, the thing I find the most striking is that we are all talking about the same things, even though we have formed in very different circumstances.
Sitting down with FUS (Fired Up Stilettos) and realising how the abuse and stigma and exploitation all link together, it's such an effective and sinister system that it almost feels like it couldn’t be real. But then you see that strippers all over the world have come to the same conclusions independently, it's incredibly validating.”
For one of the speeches, one of the 19 fired dancers, Melody (also known as Stripper Daughter) directed her speech at members of Aotearoa’s parliament: "Sex workers are keepers of a menagerie of secrets. We value discretion - so we don't name names - but we know just how many members of this Parliament and other government officials from across the political spectrum frequent our establishments … So, dear MPs, to know your colleagues are accessing our services and then to turn around and act as if this has nothing to do with you is both wildly hypocritical and deeply irresponsible." Mic drop!
The Impact of Fired Up Stilettos
Since the infamous day 19 strippers were unfairly fired four months ago, I have watched as those dancers have passionately and fiercely kicked up a fuss. And fortunately, many NZ media outlets have been a massive tool in helping them raise hell. They have had a TVNZ documentary feature, telling their story and shedding light on the abuse and often illegal practices transpiring in NZ strip clubs. They have been interviewed for articles and podcasts, have appeared on the news multiple times, and have hosted three very successful peaceful protests. But first and foremost, it is due to their efforts that they have achieved so much. Their passion, drive and dedication should not only be noted, but applauded.I am in awe of what Fired Up Stilettos has achieved in the span of four months. And to think, all of this happened because 19 fired strippers gathered in a living room and decided enough is enough.
“When I started stripping I did not expect it to lead to activism, but here we are.” Says Margot. “I am incredibly proud to be a part of the Fired Up Stilettos. This action is well overdue, and I really feel that if they hadn’t fired 19 of us at once it wouldn’t have happened. I think the most comforting thing to me is knowing that little decisions made for no real reason can lead to places you actually could not imagine. I started stripping when I was studying … I’ve always been happy with that decision, but I never expected where it would lead. Pole dancing on parliament grounds? Walking into the Beehive in my dressing gown? Stomping through town in my underwear shouting through a megaphone? A friend recently said to me ‘your future is slapping you in the race right now’ and it really feels like it is.”
When walking through the streets of Wellington, I overhear conversations from civilians saying “Did you hear about what happened at Calendar Girls?” I see posters throughout the city talking about Fired Up Stilettos. I am seeing the significant impact this movement has had. We still have a long way to go in terms of rights for strippers. But after hearing the news of dancers of The Star Garden becoming the US’s first strippers union, and seeing the tremendous strength of Fired Up Stilettos, I feel hopeful for the future.
What’s Next?
Fired Up Stilettos are extremely grateful for all the support they have received. The fight is far from over, but there are many exciting things in the works, including more public protests and fundraisers. But first and foremost, the petition is their next biggest goal to achieve.
You can follow Fired Up Stilettos via their socials to keep up to date with what’s going on and ways you can help.
To any stripper reading this who resonates with Fired Up Stilettos story and may feel inspired to start your own movement, Margot has this to say:
“Follow your wild ideas, respect each other's opinions, dream really, really big. Recognise the strengths within your group and your members, use them. Recognise the weaknesses within your group, support each other. Remember what draws you together, focus on that. Be honest, learn how to set your ego to the side. Be comfortable with being wrong, and knowing when you are right. Understand that it’s impossible to be this perfect of a person, and forgive yourself and others when you fail. You do not have to be perfect, you just have to do something.”
