Negotiating Racial Erotic Capital

Black women challenging inequalities across strip club cultures

In recent years, Black women have become increasingly visible in the world of strip clubs, with mainstream media and celebrity culture contributing to a shift in perception. Shows like P-Valley and high-profile figures like Cardi B, Nene Leakes, and Azealia Banks have brought the lives of Black dancers into the spotlight, portraying them as empowered, savvy businesswomen who take ownership of their bodies and their labor. But beneath the surface of this newfound visibility lies a complex reality where race, sexual stereotypes, and commodification continue to shape the often inequitable experiences of Black and other women of color dancers in these “desire industries”. From wage gaps to violence, to the ways that dancers are pigeonholed into specific roles based on their racialized erotic capital, the commodification of race and desire shape the experiences of Black women across these spaces.

Unfortunately, few people have critically examined how Black women navigate, resist, and negotiate the powerful forces at play in this sex industry space. In this episode, we dive deep into Dr. Siobhan Brooks' groundbreaking research exploring the intersection of race, sexuality, and labor in strip clubs across New York City and Oakland, California. Dr. Siobhan Brooks is a Professor of African American Studies at California State University- Fullerton whose research examines Black feminism, Sex Worker Studies and Black LGBT Identity formation. She is the author of Unequal Desires: Race and Erotic Capital in the Stripping Industry (SUNY Press, 2010), and Everyday Violence against Black and Latinx LGBT Communities (Lexington Press, 2020).

To learn more about Dr. Brooks, click here.

More Works by Dr. Brooks:

• Innocent white victims and fallen black girls: Race, sex work, and the limits of anti–sex trafficking laws

• Hypersexualization & the dark body: Race and inequality among black and Latina women in the exotic dance industry

• Sex work & feminism: Building alliances through a dialogue between Siobhan Brooks and Professor Angela Davis

• Exotic Dancing and Unionizing: The Challenges of Feminist and Antiracist Organizing at the Lusty Lady Theater

THIS PODCAST WILL BE AVAILABLE AUGUST 4, 2025.

Season 2 Episode 16

Running Time:  34 minutes