A Phoenix-based nightclub dancer posted a video claiming that she does like many of her customers.
On Jan. 21, Violet Stormi (@violet.stormi) posted a video sharing her thoughts as a “skripper.” The video has amassed over 10,000 views as of this writing.
“You know what makes me sad as a skripper?” she asks.
What Insight Does the Dancer Share?
Stormi mentions that there is a common joke that dancers are lying when they tell customers they love them. “You guys want to know a secret about me, at least?” she asks. “I can’t speak for any other girlies in the club, but for me, there are some customers that I genuinely like.”
She adds that she is likely to like a customer if they put in the effort. “If the vibe is right, you’re treating me nicely, you’re tipping me well, and you’re being respectful, [then] I actually like you, and I actually mean it when I say I’m having such a good time with you,” she adds.
She explains that many customers do not believe her when she says it. “And sometimes I am lying,” she admits. “But most of the time, if I say it, I actually, genuinely mean it.”
Many of the comments came from women who worked similar jobs and echoed her sentiment. “Dude there are customers I MISS when I don’t see them for a while!” wrote one commenter. “It’s like having a reg at any other job.”
“Same,” added another. “I had some of the same regulars for yearssss and I genuinely cared about their wellbeing!”
“No seriously and there’s some that I really care about and then they don’t think I care about them and it’s sad,” wrote a third.
Where Does This Stigma Come From?
Research into dancer-client dynamics shows that the patterns people joke about about dancers never really meaning it when they say “I love you” to a regular don’t come out of thin air.
Research shows that dancers often engage in smiling, flirting, and attentive conversation to make clients feel seen and appreciated. This can lead to increased tips and repeat business. Early studies call this dynamic “counterfeit intimacy,” which is a kind of in-the-moment closeness that’s part of the job, not necessarily an authentic personal relationship in the usual sense.
Anthropologist Katherine Frank’s ethnography, G-Strings and Sympathy, highlights how regulars seek not just entertainment but emotional affirmation and social connection through repeat visits and interactions with dancers. Some men treat those relationships as if the dancer were a girlfriend, even within the regulated setting of a club.
The jokes and stigmas about dancers “not meaning it” when they say they like a customer spring in part from these commercialized emotional exchanges being interpreted through moralizing cultural views of sex work and gendered labor. Because the work is sexualized and dancers are often stereotyped as merely performing for money, audiences assume any expressed affection is fake, even when dancers genuinely enjoy certain patrons.
AllHipHop has reached out to Stormi for comment via TikTok direct message and comment.
@violet.stormi random skripper thoughts of the day 🖤 #midnightballerina #skripper #facetimecall #thoughts #starbucks ♬ Shadow Glow – NathSoulz
Related
