Short and Out of Shape

From Eddie M.

Dion,
Have questions for you about male stripping, im currently 22 years of age and after watching Magic Mike, i dont know why but it inspired me to  become a stripperz,i guess becomes i always been a ladies man, sometimes give lap dances to my girl friends at partys/clubs, not to sound cocky but im attractive, my concerns are im short 5'4, out of shape, so my questions are is there a certain height requirement? What type of body do you have to have to be considered to be hireable by an agent/company's  or get gigs

Eddie

Eddie,

Being a male stripper has many perks--the limelight, the women, the fun, and easy money--and I can see why the job is appealing to you. However, you have several issues that will prevent you from getting a job.

Problem #1: Your cocky attitude as demonstrated in this quote "not to sound cocky, but I'm attractive... I always been a ladies' man..."  Confidence is a good thing to have, but arrogance will ruin you in this job unless you have a really great look backed up by a deep pool of talent. Many women will seize that arrogance as a chance to verbally pounce on you and bring your ego down several notches. As a common rule, you let the women determine if you're attractive, not the other way around.

Problem #2: You sound like you want this job to satisfy your own pleasure rather than what the customers want. Most companies will get that vibe from you. You need to understand that girls pay a lot of money for a male stripper, so they expect their money's worth of entertainment. If you cannot provide that, then you'll face a roomful of jeering girls. The scenes in Magic Mike sound like fun, but those girls aren't going to fall into the palm of your hand for nothing.

Problem #3: Your age. Most agencies prefer guys who are 25 years or older due to their more mature nature. Younger guys tend to be more unreliable, irresponsible, and cause more problems in general. That's not always the case, of course. I started this job when I was 21.

Problem #4: Your appearance. Wear your hat straight or lose it. Having it tilted to the side looks ridiculous, not tough. That style may work with your circle of friends or at a local high school, but most female customers have professional jobs (or husbands/boyfriends who are very well established) and will view you like an insecure boy.

Out of shape? No problem! Your competition isn't.

Problem #5: As you've claimed, you're out of shape. If you're doing a male revue, imagine being out of shape and standing next to three muscular studs. The girls are flocking to them and ignoring you. Sounds pretty demoralizing, doesn't it? It is. I've seen it happen, and I cringed out of sympathy. You don't want to be THAT guy. You better hit the gym if you're seriously considering this job.

Now everything above is fixable. You can change your appearance, attitude, your muscularity, and you'll eventually mature (hopefully). You cannot fix your next problem...

Problem #6: Height. At 5'4", you'll be shorter than most girls. When you pose for pictures, they will tower over you. In fact, height is the number one complaint against a male stripper (besides punctuality). Just as guys don't want to see a 400 lbs. female stripper, girls don't want to hire a manlet, unless it's a midget stripper per special requests, which you're too tall to be in this case. Also, you won't be able to do any large male revue acts, since they often have a minimum height requirement of 5'10" to 6'0".

Don't let your height discourage you though. I have actually met a male stripper who was 5'4", but he had a hulking bodybuilder physique, a good face, and a soft-spoken personality that appealed to quieter girls. Therefore, his strengths compensated for his flaw.

If you think I'm being rough, then understand that I'm giving you realistic answers. Agents and customers alike will notice these issues with you and address them in a much ruder way. Some women will outright insult you. Popularity with a few ladies in your social circle doesn't equate to universal appeal across the spectrum. The last thing you want to do is go out there and embarrass yourself.

As of right now you don't have a shot, at least when it comes to stripping for women. You might think you do, otherwise you wouldn't have e-mailed me, but you really don't. Work on those problems I listed and then try again. Take all of this criticism as a means to improve yourself.