A performer dances with a woman in the male striptease club Little Red Riding Hood in central Moscow December 21, 2007. (Photo : REUTERS/Thomas Peter)
New findings establish that men venture into stripping to boost their ego whereas women are driven by the desire for money.
The difference in motivation for stripping depends on gender. Based on a new study led by Dr. Maren Scull of the University of Colorado, it takes a specific personality for an individual to strip for money. Women do exotic dancing motivated by cash or getting paid, and at times, a diminished sense of self-worth. On the other hand, males strip to improve their egos, The Telegraph reported.
In the study, Dr. Scull worked for approximately two years to establish the motivation behind stripping among American men and women. In her findings, the two genders have a different perspective to the negative stereotype that the society attaches to public stripping.
"Since stripping is a stigmatizing profession, there is a high possibility of exotic dancers developing a negative self-image," Dr. Scull said. "I explored what drives men to go on stripping and determined that the experience led to perceptions of mattering, mastery, and improved self-esteem."
In her research, Dr. Scull established that women who strip for men initially will develop high self-esteem. However, continued exotic dancing made these women to suffer from diminished self-perception, The Sidney Morning Herald reported.
The difference, according to Dr. Scull, could be because of the diversity in reactions between men and women experience associated with objectification. Whereas women experience objectification more occasionally than men and are, therefore, more probable to understand it as negative, men see the practice as a fascinating novelty.
