I’m not quite sure what it is about stripping that makes people become the morality police. Is it nudity that they find immoral? Is it the display of sexuality that they have a problem with? These both seem like perfectly natural things. I personally have no problem with strippers. Many of them have an obvious talent and enjoy their work. Male ballet dancers often prance around in equally revealing outfits and we call it high art.

You might call it exploitation, but don’t forget these people are up on that stage and down on that lap because they choose to be. I wouldn’t go so far as to say all strippers are artists, but it is a unique and inherently sexual form of expression and athleticism. How many people do you know who can shimmy up a 13-foot pole upside down while gyrating to music and wearing a thong? It’s an impressive feat considering some people can’t walk, talk and chew gum at the same time. It’s the suggestion of the sexual act that makes it so appealing. That and the fact that most good strippers and all great strippers will not only have the skill, grace and athleticism to make you forget that you’re in a strip club and not the bedroom, but they can also make you believe you’re the only one in the room when you’re obviously not.

Beyond that, it’s a celebration of the human body. Strip clubs allow customers to enjoy people the way nature created them: naked. And from time to time, they improve on nature with a sparkly thong or brassiere. I can’t imagine getting a tax write-off for lingerie as a “business expense,” but it doesn’t sound bad to me.

There are people in this world who enjoy taking it off and parading in front of strangers; if they didn’t, “Girls Gone Wild” wouldn’t exist. At least when working at a strip club they pay you to take it off. And the better a performer you are, the better you get paid. It’s not like we haven’t ever seen naked male or female bodies before. So if you’re going to shake yo’ money-maka’, you might as well get paid.