Reykjavík Grapevine - 21.05.2010, Blaðsíða 37

THE STRIPPING DEBATE CONTINUES! We still wish the Feminist Association of Iceland was
more willing to engage in discourse on the subject. Their missive in last issue was kind of drab,
and conversation-ending. Get on it, association!
Interview | Stripping
In March, the Icelandic parliament voted
in favour of the so-called “strip law” ban-
ning “naked exhibitions as a profession.”
Wondering how employees in those
“restaurants” feel about this, I set off to
a strip club, Óðal, to interview the staff
there. In a completely empty bar (it was
a week-day) that—except for the stage—
could have been any ordinary nightclub,
I met an opinionated bartender and a
charming girl in a skimpy outfit who both
agreed to talk to me.
What struck me the most is that
nobody seems to know what the law
means. So far, girls are not allowed to
strip completely naked, so the law would
technically not change anything unless
the parliament invents a new defini-
tion of nudity. That also means nobody
knows what is going to happen when the
law comes into effect. The employees of
Iceland’s strip bars might be thrown out
at a moment’s notice or they might just
continue dancing, stripping down to
their undies and serving their costumers’
needs.
Asked what he thinks about the new
law, the Eastern-European bartender
said it made him feel like back in the
old communist days of his home coun-
try, where “people were drowning in all
kinds of useless rules and regulations.”
He went on to wonder whether shut-
ting down Iceland’s four strip clubs (yes,
there are four of them) was as crucial as
people are trying to make it out to be,
and whether there weren’t other, more
pertinent problems in Iceland at the mo-
ment.
Talking to the admittedly charming
stripper with her sweet smile (who also
hails from Eastern Europe), the answers
I got were about as uninformative as they
could get. The following is a transcript of
our non-conversation:
How long have you been in Iceland?
5 or 6 months.
Why did you come here?
I just came here to work. My friends are
working here and I wanted to join them.
Do you like it?
Yes, I like Iceland.
And how is working here?
Good. It depends on the days. When
there is a lot of customers, it’s fun. Oth-
erwise it can get a bit boring.
So you like your work?
Yes.
Have you worked as a stripper be-
fore, in your home country?
No, this is my first job as a stripper. At
home, I worked in an office.
Did you get bored with that?
No, I just wanted to change and improve
my English.
Why did you decide to do stripping?
Because my friends have been working
with this job for a long time. And when
I came here, I didn’t speak very good
English and I just knew a few words. And
now every day, I can practice my English
when I speak to the costumers. For this
job, I need English. If I just sit here with a
stupid smile, I don’t make money. Also, I
just like dancing.
How are the customers? Are they
mostly Icelanders or tourists?
Mostly foreigners. Sometimes, Iceland-
ers come here. But in a normal week,
there are more tourists. During the
weekend, we get some Icelanders as
well.
Are the costumers nice?
Not like that. Sometimes, some nice cus-
tomers come around, but not every day.
but they’re not rude or anything?
No, they’re not.
How long are you planning to work
here?
I don’t know. Just for a while.
Do you work every night?
Usually, yes. It’s very short working
hours; I’m off the whole day.
Does someone tell you how to dance
and talk to the customers? Are there
rules for that?
My friends taught me how to do this, the
dancing and stuff. And when it comes
to talking to customers, it’s different ev-
ery time. Some customers have a lot of
questions; some just want to talk about
their lives.
Are there sometimes problems with
customers?
The other day, some drunken customer
came here. We have security for that.
The customers can’t ever touch you. This
is just a normal job, nothing bad or nasty
about it, you know.
How many girls work here?
3 to 6.
Have you heard about the new law in
Iceland that will ban strip clubs?
Yes, this is a stupid thing. If they close the
strip clubs I’ll just go to another country.
I don’t wanna go back to my home coun-
try, though.
You would go to another European
country?
Yes, but only if the strip clubs close. My
Icelandic isn’t good enough for a normal
day job. And I don’t want to work at Bó-
nus or something like that.
Why do you think the law is stupid?
Because in a normal week, every normal
club here is closed. And then, the tour-
ists come here just to have a drink or
listen to music, not necessarily to check
out the girls.
but there are other pubs that are
open during the week.
(Shrugs)
So you don’t think stripping is some-
thing bad?
No, not at all. For example, when guys
buy a private dance, they just sit in a sofa
and the girl is dancing, that’s all. There’s
no prostitution or anything like that.
Are you against prostitution?
Yes, definitely.
So you think this is just dancing?
Yeah, that’s all.
When you give private dances,
you’re never naked?
No, not here. But in other countries, of
course private dancers can get naked.
Would you be okay with getting na-
ked?
Yes, because the customer can’t touch
me. So if he likes me, why shouldn’t he
look at me? I’m just dancing.
SOpHIA VAN TREEcK
JuLIA STApLES
“Just Dancing”
An attempted interview in one of Iceland’s dens of inequity
25
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 06 — 2010
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