Other than your body, which we'll get into later, the tools of the trade are clothing, makeup, and shoes. In dancing, as with any other trade, it never pays to buy cheap tools - they don't work well, they break and you'll just have to replace them anyway. And just like any good tool, they tend to get stolen so keep all your clothing secure.

Heels are your first purchase. Minimum height is 3 inches- anything shorter and your gut will stick out and your legs will look like tree trunks. Look for a shoe with a plastic one-piece sole and heel. Shoes with the leather and wood heels are much more elegant but after the second night of dancing on them the heels tend to flex too much and put a lot of stress on your knees and back. Open toes tend to be more comfortable but if you're going to wear them you have to make sure your toenails are painted and trimmed. Putting no-slip rubber pads on the bottom of the shoe is a good idea - it can prevent embarrassing falls on slippery stages!

Girls who try dancing in street clothes, underwear or a swimsuit bottom always look tacky. Almost all clubs require thongs and matching bras. Thongs come in different varieties so you may choose them according to your tastes. Thongs with clips are best as there are more things you may do with them. For example, you can unhook one side, and re-attach it around the pole on stage to have simulated sex with the pole. Drives the guys wild.

Some clubs don't care what kind of clothes you wear - lots of girls wear neon spandex micro minis etc. Other clubs are called "gown clubs" and have more strict rules and generally require sort of slutty evening gowns. These gowns, like the bottoms need to be custom made or ordered - nothing from the department store will cut it.

NEVER ever wear an asymmetrical dress (hem cut at an angle or one shoulder strap). As most people know, men subconsciously look at certain physical attributes as signs of good genetics and a desirable partner -- boobs, hips etc. They also look for something anthropologists call "Bilateral Symmetry" which means that your arms and legs are the same length, your torso is straight etc. An asymmetrical dress throws this off. It may look nice, but you can actually chart the drop in earnings on a night to night basis.

Pubic hair has all got to go... Leave a little patch on top. This goes gor male dancers too. Even if you're only dancing topless you have to keep it pretty clear. It looks really gross when little strands of hair stick out from the side of your G-string. Most girls wax but if it's a real problem some girls get electrolysis (ouch either way). Some have had theirs done with a laser with good results and a lot of other girls are doing the same these days. Stubble is a definite no-no and shaving several days a week causes irritation and ingrown hair. So I'd stick with wax, laser or electrolysis.

Makeup is pretty easy - most girls already know how to do that. Some clubs have their own makeup artists and they generally do a good job but tend to make all the girls look the same. Eyes are very important. A vital tool of the trade is body makeup. This is used to cover those blemishes that you have on your body - we all have them!

What kind of shape you're in makes a bigger difference in your earnings than anything else. An hour of exercise a day can mean $200 more a night. Try to use your first set as a workout - swing, use the pole, do chin-ups and work your calves. You would be surprised how quickly the body tones up and you are getting paid to do it.

It's important that you understand that your body is how you earn a living, as such you have to take very good care of it. In the world of strip clubs the name of the game is low bodyfat. Sure, some men like extra padding but no one likes cheese. It's an unfortunate truth but the slimmer you are the more money you will make. You don't have to be fashion model skinny but you do have to be tight if you expect to make good money.

The most effective weight training exercises for woman are squats, lunges and stiff-leg or sumo deadlifts. None of these lifts should be done on machines - free weights only, as machines are no where near as effective. Train heavy and train hard.

I use the following:

• Squats 3 sets of 20 reps, 120 seconds rest between sets.
• Stiff-leg deadlifts 3 sets of 10 reps, 120 seconds rest between sets.
• Rest 5 minutes
• Dumbbell lunges 4 sets of 12 reps, 90 seconds rest between sets
• Hanging crunches 4 sets 90 seconds rest between sets

The squats should be done to failure, it should be VERY hard to hit 20. Squats will make a bigger change in your physique then anything else! When you do your running or roller blading in the morning do it on an empty stomach. If you have a real fat problem then an hour of running or jumping rope each day, before breakfast, with a low/no carb diet, can take of a lot of fat in a short period of time. Try it!

One of the problems with maintaining relatively low levels of body fat is that there is no way to have "spot" fat loss. It's all or nothing. As you lose the fat off your butt and thighs you also lose your breasts- often as much as a cup size. This is the reason that many dancers choose to have breast augmentation.

Unfortunately some people like to tut-tut and shake their heads at women who get implants and imply all sorts of nasty things about the morals of women who would actually care about the way they look. Implants should be a choice based on how you feel - not how other people feel about you having them. There are lots of men who laugh at implants, about how they don't like them or how they can always tell the difference. That's bullshit. The only time they can tell is if it really is a bad implant job, since they think the good jobs are real they assume that all implants look bad.

Most men will tell you they don't like implants but do not listen to them as in real life they like them a great deal. Some girls estimate it was an additional 20% in earnings after they got their augmentation and that most men seem to find them much, much, more attractive.

Of course you shouldn't just get implants just to make more money, you should get them if you need to feel good about yourself. Some people may say that's a bad way to feel good about yourself but you could be doing a whole lot worse and more harmful things. Is it "fair"? No, of course not, life's not fair. It's also not "fair" that women prefer muscular men to fat ones. In an ideal world we wouldn't care about that but the reality is that our society places a great deal of value in physical attractiveness. Having large breasts makes you feel sexy, attractive and desirable. If men could have an operation to do the same there would be a line going around the block and Medicare would cover it.

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