Questions and answers about exotic dancing - told by a real stripper! Hello. I'm Lia Fitze, a stripper in the Pacific Northwest, and I've started this series of articles to share advice on the profession.

Question: Do strippers and exotic dancers always earn lots of money?

Answer: No! It's possible to earn money as an exotic dancer. It's even possible to make a fortune. But girls who've been in the industry for a while understand what's called the 80/20 rule: In any given club, twenty percent of the dancers are making eighty percent of the money, while the other eighty percent are making twenty percent of the money.

News features will occasionally report on the few, elite Vegas strippers who have made millions, but saying exotic dancing is a high-income occupation is like saying you can make a lot of money as an actor or model. A few Hollywood stars will make millions, but not everyone can be those top few. Think practically, be wise, and save your income.

Question: Are strippers and exotic dancers paid by the clubs?

Answer: Occasionally a strip club will offer minimum wage or bonus pay as an incentive to traveling dancers, but most exotic dancers in most clubs are earning tips only, and usually must pay a "house fee" or "stage rent" to the club. If you want to make money as a stripper, think about this fee before totaling up your earnings at a particular club!

Question: Do strippers and exotic dancers engage in illegal activity?

Answer: Every city's scene has its underside, but for the most part, exotic dancers do not have sex for money. We are not drug dealers, either!

Question: I heard I can make a lot of money just by taking my clothes off. Is that true?

Answer: This may surprise anyone who's never been in a strip club - but the striptease itself is not the most important part of working as an exotic dancer.

More important than the dance itself: Making eye contact, smiling, learning the customer's name and using it, becoming genuinely affectionate to your customers! No one likes a dancer who is just trolling for money.

What really makes or breaks an evening in a strip club, for both the stripper and the customer, is the conversation and the feeling of flirty friendliness. If you want to be a stripper, you have to learn how to be outgoing and approach people.

Question: Do I have to be thin to work as an exotic dancer?

Answer: Both yes and no. Yes, you have to be in shape - it helps to have a narrow waist and wide bust/hips. No, you don't have to be a size two. The skinnier a dancer is, the more doors are open to her, but there are clubs that hire wide ranges of body types: you just have to find the right one.

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I'm Lia. I've been an exotic dancer for two years, and have decided to share the love with a series of webpages. Check back soon for beauty tips, safety tips and advice on working in strip clubs and at private parties.