Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012, September 20, 1993, Page 24D, Image 105

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    BACK *
TO SCHOOL
SPECIAL
50t WASH!
2-6 pm
L, mmm
• Close to Campus
• Clean
• Handicap Accessible
Machines
• Serving the Area
for 18 years
240 E. 17th (between High & Pearl)
isiAfuRAi
FOODJ
5 OPE rmarket
♦ Eugene's Largest Selection of
Natural A Locally Produced Foods
♦ A Garden of Certified Organic
Fruits A Vegetables
♦ Over 400 Foods in Bulk
♦ Locally Raised Meats - Without
Hormones or Antibiotics
♦ Take-Out Delicatessen
♦ Recycled Paper Products &
Biodegradable Soaps
♦ Cruelty-Free Body Care Products &
Vitamins
: %
DANCERS
Continued from Page 20D
fie complete without the Oregon T t~ A Times, and
there is a rai k full of the magazine right next to the
door. I looked around for the man I was supposed
to interview
Kh k (ieoffroy and his wife him. both 14. opened
Lollipops a liltle more than a year ago. The target
was the 1H- to 21 -year-old crowd, kids too young
to get into liggles, but too old to spend their Friday
nights m a convenience store parking lot. The kids
could come to Lollipops and party, and maybe
even stay out of trouble on the streets.
Of c ourse. many parents and other concerned
groups did not see the juice bar in such a benign
light When it first opened, there were pic kets for
two straight weeks and threatening phone calls nil
dav. Certain church groups damned Geoffroy's
soul to hell The loc al government wasn't c razy
about Geoffroy's business either and wanted to
send it to hell along with his soul, but everything
about Lollipops is c ompietoly legal, and the city
had no c ase
Lollipops ac tually attracts more than just a
younger c rovvd During the summer, there are a lot
of middle-age people (the tranche on! set). On the
weekends during the school year, it is about HO
percent young people (late teens, early 20s) and 20
pen ent middle-age During the week, the split is
afiout 50-50.
"Who's exploiting who?" asked Juno, 22. sitting
in the dressing room.
Girls rushed in and out. some choc king their
appearance before their turn on stage, and others
packing up to go home. June was discussing the
commonly held perception that nude dancing
obiec lifies women June believes the roles an- actu
ally reversed, with the danc ers exploiting the cus
tomers
The < ustomers pay to get in, then pay even more
for "harmless visual stimuli." knowing they c an
never touch what they see before them Dancers
know whu h man in the audienc e has momn and
will lavish attention on him It's like an auc tion —
except that the highest bidder gets a pair of breasts
in Ins fac e instead of a Van (high
During the first dance, the tops come off. During
the sec cmd dance, if the money s good. the panties
i omc off II the tipping is weak, the panties stay
on, and the crowd starts whining
The dam ers come from diverse backgrounds
and are by no means a monolithic: group of aspir
ing porno stars
Ruby, 20, loves danc ing and has always fanta
sized doing it. hut she plans to go into real estate.
June is writing films, and l,exi. 20. goes to college
Some love danc ing, some just love money.
None of the dancer* I spoke with wen* ashamed
of what they do — it is society's attitude toward
what they do that is problematic Laxi believes
Dancers make very good
money, and although using
specific figures seemed to
touch a raw nerve with them,
I’ll say that the figures made
me wish I was a woman.
people are constantly judging her. and many
dancers have lost their share of friends because of
their occupation.
On the contrary, Ruby said most of her friends
and her parents support her and "think it's great."
|j*xi's parents have no idea, and June's parents are
"not happy."
The dancers generally gel along, although there
are o< < asional jealous st uffles over tips or "style
infringements" (one girl using the mannerisms and
dance moves of another). But all of the girls
believed Lollipops was extremely well run. very
clean, highly professional and is a caring atmos
phere to work in.
All dancers at Lollipops are independent con
tractors. meaning they receive no salary, only tips.
They are basically their own boss, although there
are still employee rules and regulations they must
follow.
This type of freelam ing allows them to perform
at other clubs, usually Jiggles or the Alaska Bush
Company, on a rotating schedule. (There are
roughly 1 (0 dancers between the three of them.)
Lollipops is a favorite for the many of dancers
under the age of 21 because it does not serve alco
hol. meaning that the girls are allowed out on the
floor to do table dances ($5 topless, $10 bottom
less) In plai es that serve alcohol, minor dancers
are only allowed to dance on stage
Dam ers make very good money, and although
using specific figures seemed to touch a raw nerve
with them, I'll say that the figures made me wish
I was a woman The dancers tip out the D|, the bar
tender and the doorman — 5 percent each — and
get to keep the rest
I left the dressing room and found my friend
with his eyes gleaming Rii k Geoffrey came up and
gave us two free Lollipops posters, which look like
the paper placemats you get at Long John Silver,
except there was a picture of bikini-clad girls oil a
speed boat instead of a fish These are available for
S3.
As we were leaving. I asked Geoffroy. "Why the
name Lollipops?"
"Because it sounds like young, festive and fun,"
he said
And depending on your disposition, it may be
all of these things, or none of them
BRAD'S
BODY & FENDER
8th & Grant 343-9283
You need Brad's bad —
For complete auto body work and paint jobs.
Foreign & domestic cars are our specialty.
Duck
Boosters
Since
1946!
At Brad's, we give you free estimates
and written guarantee of satisfaction.
We take insurance estimates gladly.
Over
45 Years
In Business!
Advertise in the ODE Classifieds today!