US college grads becoming strippers to pay off bills

Dozens of professional women are earning more than 1,000 dollars a week lap dancing for finance guys in secret city venues.

Recent college grads are disrobing at Saint Venus Theater, an amateur strip club catering to young Wall Streeters, the New York Post reported.

While Saint Venus issues a mailing list for approved subscribers, anyone can find out party details through the club's MySpace blog, which lists the rotating roster of venues for the thrice-weekly events held Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the password: "Saint Venus Theater"

Events can last until 3 am, and a girl can expect to make up to 1,000 dollars a night in lap-dance money, before spilling back out into the street and her normal professional life.

So why would these "good girls," some of whom have college degrees, risk all that to moonlight as strippers?

For Christine, a 22-year-old who works full time at art gallery downtown Monday to Friday, its not enough to pay her bills.

While for Lisa, a 22-year-old graduate of a top design school who works unpaid at a fashion start-up, she wants more money to go shopping.

In fact, hundreds of girls apply to be strippers at Saint Venus every day via Craigslist, according to Lisa.

The real-girl appeal the dancers have occasionally been paid by customers to merely converse sets Saint Venus apart from its seedy counterparts.

They're also getting a more tactile experience when it comes to the lap dances.

While it's forbidden for customers to publicly touch a stripper at a professional club, here clients can fondle or kiss a woman on her mouth, face, even her breasts in full view of other patrons.

ALSO READ

Texting while driving?

Violence grips Bangladesh as Islamists demand stricter blasphemy law

David Cameron warned: 'Shed elitist image'

Prince William may give up his role as search and rescue pilot after becoming father