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Mastering the Art of Stripper Finances with Luna Sofia Miranda
113 Plays10 months ago
SUMMARY
Welcome to another episode of Dirty Money with Bevin and Mike! In today's installment, Bevin and Mike sit down with the remarkable Luna Sofia Miranda to delve into the world of being a professional stripper and the finances. This episode is about Luna's journey from a 19-year-old dancer to a financially savvy entrepreneur. Luna shares her insights, lessons learned, and ambitious plans for the future. Get ready to be inspired as we uncover the secrets to success in this unique industry.
TOPICS
[1:30] All about Luna Sofia Miranda
[7:55] Dancing for the first time
[12:25] Behind the scenes at the club
[29:57] Luna’s other projects and future goals
[46:07] Figuring out the finances
[55:25] Final thoughts for the audience
RESOURCES & LINKS
Connect with Luna Sofia Miranda
Instagram: @luna_sofia_miranda
Email: [email protected]
Website: lunasophiamiranda.com
CONTACT INFO
Bevin Morgan:
Instagram: @bevinmorgan & @temple_eanna
Website: www.templeeanna.com & BevinMorgan.com
Mike Poulin:
Instagram: @mjpou56
Dirty Money Podcast:
Instagram: @dirtymoney_podcast
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Goals
00:00:10
Speaker
Welcome to Dirty Money with Bevin. And Mike. A space to talk about financial topics for folks who don't fit into traditional financial spaces. We believe money is a tool for everyone. Our mission is to provide a literal microphone and platform for queer, BIPOC, polyamorous, and sex-positive individuals. No topic is off the table here.
00:00:31
Speaker
That being said, one tiny little housekeeping note. For those listening who may have others with sensitive ears, the listener discretion is advised because we do not censor ourselves. That's right. You've been warned, but enough from us. Let's get this episode started.
Guest Introduction: Luna's Journey
00:00:53
Speaker
Hello, welcome back to the Dirty Money podcast. I am Bevin, one of your hosts, and with me as always is Mike. Hi, Mike. Hey, except when I'm sick, but yes, I am here.
00:01:07
Speaker
So sometimes I'm not here also. So with me, as usual, most times is Mike. But today we're so excited to introduce Luna. Luna, will you please introduce yourself? Because I don't want to like, I don't know how many names you give to the world and things like this. But who are you? What do you do? Tell us about yourself.
00:01:29
Speaker
I'm Luna Sophia Miranda, but just Luna is fine. I use she they pronouns. I'm a stripper. I'm an actress. I'm a producer and I'm a budding teacher as well. And I am based in Brooklyn, New York.
00:01:49
Speaker
That's so dope. And I'm just so excited to meet you, to talk to you, to learn just all the things. So let's start at the beginning. How did you get started and how long have you been a stripper? So it's been not a
00:02:08
Speaker
That's not how people speak English. So it's been an on and off kind of journey. In 2018, I was a freshman in college and my financial aid plan was taken away.
Financial Struggles and Dancing
00:02:25
Speaker
I never found out why, but I started dancing to try and pay tuition, and that was impossible. It was so hard. It was a disaster. I had just turned 19.
00:02:41
Speaker
And I really only lasted one semester and then I left the club and I also left my school. I had to move back in at home and live with my parents and go to a local college. And when I graduated in the middle of COVID, there were no jobs, no internships. Nobody would hire me, not even the deli on the street corner.
00:03:08
Speaker
And I was in some debt, not just educational, but medical, credit card. And also my unemployment was canceled and I had gotten used to pandemic unemployment insurance, which was nice. And I started dancing again and I expected to only be there long enough to pay off my debt, but
00:03:35
Speaker
I kept staying one more shift, one more week, one more month, and now it's my career now. I mean, as much as I hate that it kind of feels like it was born out of this moment of need, I do love that it feels like you found something that you're passionate about, that you enjoy. So that's cool. I like that part.
00:03:59
Speaker
I am curious though, why was it such a disaster the first time you went at bat? I think that dancing while you're a full-time student is really difficult because you're up at night and then you're going to class during the day. That being said,
00:04:22
Speaker
It's a privilege to even be a full-time student in the first place. Many dancers want to dance so that they can go to college one day. For me, doing both at the same time was not possible, and I had to take a step back.
00:04:42
Speaker
And it was also a disaster because I was 19 and I was dancing with a bunch of other 19 year olds and nobody told us what we were going to experience in the club.
00:04:59
Speaker
There was more than one, it was me and a group of friends and we went to more than one club at that time. They were seniors, I was a freshman and they knew I was having money problems and they were like,
00:05:13
Speaker
you're crazy, like come work in the club with us. We were in a burlesque, we were in a college burlesque troop together. I was doing drag and burlesque on my college campus and I really didn't want to have to drop out of that school because I felt like I had found such a special community and they sort of these older students kind of took me under their wing and brought me to the club but they were also like 21 and 22 and
00:05:40
Speaker
pretty new to the industry as well. And nobody prepared us for that. And also, I'd never seen that much money in my life. I did not know what to do with it. And so I ended up spending it on stupid shit. And I think that's also why I didn't last long, because I didn't know how to protect my reserves. Absolutely. Yeah, I feel like that's a tale as old as time. Like,
00:06:07
Speaker
I was young, I had money in my hand, and I had no idea what to do with it.
Club Dynamics and Financial Literacy
00:06:15
Speaker
There's a saying, I think this is more for guys, but it's, you know, young, dumb, and full of cum, right? We're just gonna...
00:06:23
Speaker
just caution to the wind, right? Like, um, I mean, you know, that's what comes to mind, right? Yeah. Like what is, what is youth for? If not, you know, well it, and it's so funny to that, you know, from hearing that from your journey and your side, um, I've, uh, previously was in the military and I,
00:06:52
Speaker
enlisted when I was much older, but I had a lot of Marines that were, you know, 17, 18 years old coming in, and this is their first full-time paycheck. And like, they also didn't know what to do with that money, right? Like, they're just like, you know, I got a paycheck, I'm going to do it. So I think it kind of comes with the territory, regardless of, you know, your career path, that it's like, if you don't have a plan, if you don't have
00:07:23
Speaker
direction or you don't have assistance to kind of be like, hey, this is going to start coming in. These are the things you need to think about, right? You're just going to, it's that freedom, right? Like that's just, I think it's pretty, it's a human kind of behavior. So. Exactly. Exactly.
00:07:45
Speaker
Well, so I am curious, though, you mentioned you were 19, all of the other girls that you were dancing with were like 2021. And you said you none of you really knew what to expect when it came to like the club atmosphere and some of the challenges that you were going to face. What was it that
00:08:02
Speaker
you weren't like, what did you encounter? What happened? So the first club we went to, I won't name it because it's still there, but it was definitely a club for older, more experienced dancers. They were all done up like BBLs, boob jobs, like Botox, and I didn't sell any dances.
00:08:25
Speaker
and I thought that there was something wrong with me, but what I didn't realize is that the reason I wasn't selling dances was because people were selling blowjobs.
00:08:35
Speaker
in the back. And you know what? I respect that hustle. I have given extras before, but I just wish someone would have told me that that's what was going on so that I wouldn't have blamed it on myself. Right. It's like they're saving their money for other services. It's not you, I promise.
00:08:55
Speaker
And again, 100% down, but I was like, am I ugly? Am I stupid? Like, why am I not selling dances? And we were there like 19, 20, 21. And all these older dancers were kind of looking at us like,
00:09:12
Speaker
Like, oh my God, like these little girls. How cute. Well, they probably saw you as competition too, right? You're young, they're chasing after probably features and things that you have that they maybe don't. But what's funny is the whole bringing up the like, I don't know, I didn't know this was going on. I don't know why this popped in my head, but have either of you ever been to,
00:09:41
Speaker
in and out the burger restaurant yes so it's hyped up all the time they're like go in and out it's so great i finally went like last two years ago or something and i got it and i was like this was kind of meh and then people were like well didn't you order off the secret menu i'm like what there's a secret menu like
00:10:10
Speaker
I didn't know about animal style because no one said anything about it. I'm like, how am I supposed to know what I'm supposed to get or buy if no one tells me? So they're like, I didn't know what I was supposed to offer because no one told me what. Like there was a secret menu the whole time. Nobody was talking about it. Yeah. Right. Yeah. So I feel you on that. You know, In-N-Out Burger, The Stroke Club. Same, same, same.
00:10:37
Speaker
Yeah. Well, so that being said though, Mike, you brought up an interesting point. So there are these other women, older women, more seasoned and like they had a hustle going. Did you feel like they looked at you as competition or is there like a camaraderie? Like what was your experience there?
00:10:53
Speaker
So at this club, it was also my first night. It was a terrible night. It was pouring rain. There were not too many guys in the club. I honestly don't think any of these dancers viewed us as competition. They were all older.
00:11:08
Speaker
beautiful and extremely experienced. And I think they probably figured, you know, these girls are just ended up in the wrong, you know, like they're finding their way, you know, they're probably going to move on.
Public Perception and Club Culture
00:11:20
Speaker
And we did as a group go to another club that also had its challenges, but was a much better fit. Okay. Okay. Well, so I think a lot of the people listening to this episode probably
00:11:34
Speaker
have probably been to a strip club, but have probably never worked in a strip club. And I think, you know, there's kind of this mystery there. And we've all seen, I don't know, like showgirls or whatever, but like, I don't know what it's like, right? You're like, I don't know, I don't know if that's an accurate portrayal. Just can you give us kind of like a behind the scenes look? Like, what is it like to be a dancer?
00:11:59
Speaker
so there are different kinds of clubs it depends on the part of the country it depends whether you're in the suburbs or in the city but i would say in the i turned off my notifications but they still pop up okay what was i saying i'm gonna redo that
00:12:18
Speaker
there are different types of clubs and it depends on what part of the country we're in it depends on whether we're in rural city or urban environment i have only danced in the new york city tri-state area and there is an emphasis on what we call floor money so at clubs you have the stage
00:12:47
Speaker
You have the floor and you have VIP rooms. And floor money is where there's lap dances. Some people call them table dances. You might be doing bottle service, selling champagne, or sitting with the customers and getting tips in exchange for hanging out and talking. VIP rooms, which sometimes it's just private dances. Sometimes the customers want to purchase additional services from you.
00:13:16
Speaker
And then there's stage money. And in New York City, you don't have to be a great pole dancer because most of the money is coming from floor and from room. I have heard that in other parts of the country, especially the southeast and the west coast, there's a much bigger emphasis on pole dancing and on the performative aspect. You know, the poles are like 25 feet high
00:13:46
Speaker
In my experience in New York City, you don't need to be such a skilled dancer in order to be really successful at your job at being a stripper. Interesting. Interesting. Well, so what are the skills that you feel like the most successful stripper? So again, I don't want to like downplay dancing and performing and entertaining because I do think that's a big part of it. But for me personally, especially since I have an injury, it's been sales.
00:14:16
Speaker
It's been like using or actually harnessing my intuition like using my intuition. Oh my God. I don't know why I'm like losing my train of thoughts. I feel like you develop an intuition when you've been doing this a certain amount of time and sort of your sales strategy. I actually give a class on sales strategy.
00:14:39
Speaker
But I think that that is, I mean, in New York City, there's increasingly more lap dance parties and lap dance clubs where there's no poles. And you're not allowed to, quote unquote, dress like a stripper, but you're still selling lap dances and VIP rooms. And I feel like that really honing your sales technique. That's a big, I mean, that's like a very, it's going to increase your income by so much. That is very interesting.
00:15:10
Speaker
One thing that I am kind of curious about, if you don't mind me kind of digging into this for the, we're going to call them a la carte services. Do you, is there like protocol? Is there like, how do you approach those with like consent and things like that? What are your as, you know, I know you can't speak to
00:15:37
Speaker
other performers, other workers, but for you, if you partake in those VIP, a la carte things, what has your journey been with that in terms of how you approach those situations? For the past two years, I've been working at a club that does not have VIP rooms. So if I've been
00:16:06
Speaker
selling additional services to clients, it's only been stuff that's okay to do out in the open. And some clients like to be slapped, some clients like to be bitten, some of them want to do stuff with your feet.
00:16:24
Speaker
For the more spicy stuff, I actually have not had the opportunity to do that since 2018 because I've found my home at a place where they don't have private rooms. I'm not an expert simply because at the time that I was doing this, I told you I was so young.
00:16:43
Speaker
I was selling VIP rooms and then customers would be like, hey, can you do this and I'll give you an extra 100 or an extra 200? And I didn't even know I could say no. I was just like, oh, I would basically say yes and just be happy that I was getting money for it.
00:17:06
Speaker
but that was very short lived and I feel like I never harnessed that hustle, but it's definitely something I'm interested in learning from other dancers because now that I have an injury in my back, I, you know,
00:17:22
Speaker
a hand job is so much like I can make the same amount of money in like five minutes than I could make in like half an hour, which is a half an hour of consecutive lap dances is like on the floor.
Consent, Services, and Club Management
00:17:36
Speaker
That can be very painful if you have an injury. Yeah, I can imagine. I am I was curious because I have a good friend that lives in Boston who I'm not sure if he still does this.
00:17:50
Speaker
But, and I don't even know if the site still exists, but RentBoy. So like, be like an online site where escorts can put like, their, what they're okay with doing and people sign up for those like specific services. And it was just wild because we went to hang out one time.
00:18:11
Speaker
And he's like, Hey, I have a client. So can you like, can we meet at this time? And I was like, sure. And I was like client. I was like, you work in it. Um, and then we went out to dinner and I was like, what did you mean by client? He's like, Oh, well I'm on, I'm on rent boy. And this guy is like a huge fan of my, cause he also was in the no longer in the porn industry, but was at one point
00:18:36
Speaker
And so this guy who was visiting Boston for some sort of conference saw him on there and is like a huge fan of his and literally just wanted him to, and also NIT. So literally didn't actually do anything like with him, just wanted him in his hotel room speaking like nerd while he like, he pleasured himself and
00:19:01
Speaker
My friend got like $600 from that hour long. He's like, this is the easiest money I've ever made and I didn't even have to touch anybody. Where are the rest of these specific clients? How do I target this market? Right. I wanted to bring that in in terms of if you did have experience with that, I was wondering if there was any niches or things that you enjoyed doing.
00:19:31
Speaker
or were able to, because I'm assuming that first club that you were talking about where the more experienced dancers were, they probably all kind of have their niche, like the clientele, no, hey, if I want this, I'm going to go to whoever, or that sort of thing once you become established. So I was kind of curious on your
00:19:52
Speaker
journey with that but also that's nice not having to necessarily do VIP rooms if you don't want to do them. I have nothing against VIP rooms or extra services and I think that for dancers that look down on other dancers for offering different services it's such a privilege you know to be able to like kind of pick and choose what you do
00:20:18
Speaker
And I support all hustles. I'm never bothered by what's going on. I'm bothered by how it's going on. And I'm bothered by how clubs are sort of pushing girls who might not be ready or who might not want to provide additional services. And also, it's your right to pick and choose who your clients are. I'm comfortable doing things with this guy, because I've known him for two years. But that guy, who gives me bad vibes,
00:20:47
Speaker
I don't want a floor host coming up to me and trying to sort of hustle me into a VIP room with someone that I don't know. And clubs have been known to fire dancers for not complying. And they also take enormous cuts and expect tips. And if I get it, like the club gets a price for the room, but if you're getting an extra 500 because you're offering an additional service, I don't think the club has a right to take any more money than they're already taking from
Financial Dynamics in Strip Clubs
00:21:17
Speaker
you.
00:21:17
Speaker
That's what bothers me. Well, and so can you speak to that a little bit more? Because again, I think most of the folks listening to this don't really understand
00:21:28
Speaker
how the club works and how they make their money. So, you know, are dancers employees? Are they contractors? You know, how does the tip out work? What has your experience with that? So, please stop me if I say something that doesn't make sense. But in the United States, you can be classified as an employee or as an independent contractor. And I don't remember the exact language, but basically there is a checklist
00:21:57
Speaker
And if you're providing a service that is...
00:22:02
Speaker
sort of like endemic to the space where you're working, you're technically supposed to be an employee. So if you work at a restaurant and you're a chef, you're an employee. If you work in a strip club and you're a stripper, logic says you should be an employee. The plumber who, you know, will come, and this is not my example, I'm taking this, I heard it from another dancer, actually I think on a podcast, but you know, the plumber who will come fix the toilet at the strip club,
00:22:31
Speaker
a plumber is not like you wouldn't expect a plumber to be at a strip club you would expect a stripper to be at a strip club so many dancers have gone down that checklist and are like hey strippers are supposed to be employees but
00:22:45
Speaker
at the vast majority of clubs, strippers are independent contractors. And that means that you're kind of freelance. That's not like the best word. I'm using it for lack of a better term. But the difference is that when you're an independent contractor, you make your own schedule and you're not making like an hourly wage.
00:23:12
Speaker
at some, I guess you know, some freelance people do make an hourly wage, not dancers. When you go to the club, the only way you make money is if you go out and like hustle it for yourself. And clubs, I guess like maybe in the early, like mid 90s, late 90s, I don't know when it was exactly, started charging dancers house fees, which is basically you are paying to work. And
00:23:43
Speaker
It's like annoying, but to a certain degree, I'm like, okay, like I'm renting the space from them so that I can perform a service. It's like, you know, if someone who cuts hair rents a chair in a salon.
00:24:00
Speaker
Now what's crazy is, you know, for the salon to take 25% or 30% or 50% of your earnings. And so on top of house fees, a lot of times a percentage of your lap dances or of your room sales, the club will take that. And then there's tip outs. And tip outs are actually, I believe that they're illegal, actually.
00:24:30
Speaker
but dancers a lot of times are expected to tip the security guards and the bouncers, the DJs, the bartenders, the bottle girls, the floor hosts, the managers and the house mom. And if someone gets you into a room with a client, they are expecting a kickback. And it is when you do the math,
00:24:59
Speaker
It's insane. And all of that to say that independent contractors are supposed to pay 30% of their income in taxes. So I hope all of that made sense, but that is in a nutshell. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's that I was actually going to ask about how the tips worked. So I appreciate you kind of answering my question before I even got to ask it.
00:25:29
Speaker
That's wild. I think this episode is going to air before our other episode. But we've also talked with a go-go dancer in New York City. And they talked about how typically there's a base rate. So if there's an event or
00:25:57
Speaker
a club is like, hey, I want you to come dance, you know, this night. They talked about your base rate and then plus tips. The difference with that is I feel like with go-go is they're not expected to tip out. They're not, they're not being, they're actually getting a base rate to come and, and work the event. So regardless of what your tips are, because, you know,
00:26:26
Speaker
An event could be a total bust, right? Like it could be raining. It could be, you know, the weekend after New York, New Year's Eve, right? Like people dry January, right? So like, it's, it's really interesting that the, I know that go-go's aren't necessarily providing the same services as strippers are, but they're still out there performing, but they're, they're
00:26:51
Speaker
It's such an interesting difference in structure. And I'm almost wondering if there's something in there that is potentially the patriarchy, but I don't know if this is the episode to talk about that. So I feel like go-gos tend to be men. And there are female go-go dancers. I have seen them. They're incredible.
00:27:17
Speaker
But I think that just kind of the history is strippers are women, go-go dancers are men. Why is there such a difference in pay structure? Interesting. Well, so with all of the, because to your point, it sounds like you pay for the privilege of being in the building. Hopefully you make a certain amount of money, and then of that money, you have to kick back so much of it.
00:27:47
Speaker
Have you found that it's still worth it financially for you to go through all of the physical and mental and emotional and whatever challenge of this job with all of that financial stuff going on? I'm really lucky with the club that I found two years ago. I honestly feel like it found me.
00:28:08
Speaker
because there's no house fee and there's no tip outs. What they do is they take a percentage of your sales, but the owner of the club has been very kind in letting me charge my own prices and still only taking a fixed amount.
00:28:33
Speaker
And it's written on the wall. There's like an official rule board. These things should be written down. When they're not written down, that's where we get into trouble.
Diverse Career Pursuits
00:28:44
Speaker
Because if you're working at a club where I work at a small club and it's like three managers and I know all of them, I see all of them all the time. There's big clubs where there's like
00:28:56
Speaker
15 different floor managers and Steve wants $100 tip but Jake wants an $80 tip and this other person doesn't ask for tips at all and this stuff isn't written down anywhere so I've been really lucky about I've been really lucky with my club I've done the math I've done the math and the amount of money that they have made off of me is
00:29:24
Speaker
It is absolutely ridiculous how much money has passed through my hands and gone to them, but it's still worth it because when I look at how much has ended up in my pocket and how much I've gained from this, I'm like, okay, I'm not gonna find another job where I can make this money right now. And so I stay. Okay, all right. Well, so switching it up just a little bit, I know that you are
00:29:55
Speaker
more than a dancer. You love dance, but you're also an actress and you're a teacher. So what else are you working on right now bringing into your world, your career? What's so exciting for you these days? Let me redo that.
00:30:12
Speaker
Last year I was in a movie, we shot the movie, I had a supporting role, and it's coming out this year. I thought I was allowed to talk about it, but it has to remain a secret for now. But you guys will be the first to know. I'm super excited about it, and it was an opportunity that I got via sex work.
00:30:36
Speaker
And once I have freedom to speak about that, I will speak about it. And I also do burlesque.
00:30:47
Speaker
I've been producing my own show for two years and I would not have been able to do burlesque without the money from the strip club. I'm taking a step back right now because burlesque is a hobby. It doesn't really make money. And I sort of switched gears into teaching. I want to coach
00:31:07
Speaker
baby strippers and seasoned strippers on how to enter the industry safely and also refine their hustle and, you know, sales, sales, sales. Make that money. I love that so much. And I know, I think you've got a course that's called, I'm going to get the name wrong, but I know it's something about like making the rent.
00:31:29
Speaker
Will you tell me about that? What is that? Okay. Make the Rent is a sales strategy course. I feel that I have so much to learn from other dancers and I, you know, I want to expand because I've really been limited to New York and the tri-state area, but I feel that I have really refined my sales skills and my ability to sell dances.
00:31:58
Speaker
and score really big tips. And even with the recession and the bad weather, I'm still able to provide for myself and do really well in this industry. And I want to share my tips with other folks because I believe that there's enough for everybody to go around. And I make the most money when other people are also making a lot of money. That's so beautiful. I love that.
00:32:25
Speaker
And so, okay. So we talked about acting burlesque and your teaching, which is so cool. And I'm so excited. And after this conversation, you and I are going to talk cause I'm like, we need to work together. It sounds dope. I love that. Well, so what, like, what feedback have you been getting from the people who've been using your course so far? Uh, what like challenges are folks having and stuff like that next weekend. It's going to be my first. Yeah.
00:32:52
Speaker
It's gonna be my first first. And the reason why I decided to do this is because I've coached a lot of people for free, and I've had them come back and say, whoa, I didn't think that was gonna work, but it worked. And I'm like, okay, I wanna keep these affordable, but I also, I have been through a lot in order to gain this information and experience, and it's also a way for me to start making money outside the industry.
Personal Challenges and Aspirations
00:33:22
Speaker
And I don't wanna quit. Absolutely, yeah. But being adjacent. Yeah, it's still being adjacent to the industry without having to necessarily put your physical body that is healing through night to the club, right? I don't wanna quit dancing. I just realized that I thought I was gonna be able to
00:33:49
Speaker
dance forever and use the money to fuel my dreams and my aspirations and I realize that that's just not possible. The money I'm making at the club needs to be reinvested in my health and in my well-being and honestly I'm like
00:34:07
Speaker
I'm a happy camper most of the time. I have frustrations, but people are always asking me like, what are you going to do after you're a stripper? And I'm like, I'm not like, this is horrible. I want to get out. I have frustrations, but I'm really grateful. I'm really grateful to be a dancer.
00:34:26
Speaker
So you said, money to fuel your dreams and aspirations. What are those dreams and aspirations? Sorry, Bevan, I took your... No, I love that. For Lesk shows, I also love to write and I would love to write movies and be in them. That's what I went to school for. It's just so, being an artist is so hard and so expensive. I've accepted that it's not going to be my full time. It's going to be something I do.
00:34:55
Speaker
like on the quote unquote weekends, you know, with my friends. I also want to travel. I want to travel around the world, around the country, and I want a cat and a dog. And that's not cheap, apparently. No, it's not. $200 a month, at least, is what we used to tell people. Yep. Yeah. It's true.
00:35:19
Speaker
Would you travel with dance? Is that something that you're interested in? I always wanted to do it, but I gave up on it because I hurt my back and I can't wear the big high heels anymore. I'm wearing like little kitten heels and I thought like, oh, like most clubs wouldn't want me. But other people have brought to my attention that like, no, like you can wear the Cinderella slippers.
00:35:42
Speaker
you know, like Pleasers has a line of like kitten heels. And I'm like, I feel like a world of possibility has been open to me. And my partner, my boyfriend, I always say partner on the internet because I don't want my fans to know that I have a boyfriend because it makes a difference. If you say partner and they think you're in a queer relationship, they're like, she's available. But if you say boyfriend,
00:36:12
Speaker
your fans might be less generous with you. Do you want to be putting that on the internet? And the clients that are super close to me, they know I have a boyfriend.
00:36:30
Speaker
What was I gonna say? My boyfriend is really good. He's a carpenter. He's really good with outdoor stuff. He's like, let's get a van and build it up and I'll drive you around the country, because I don't drive, because I'm a New Yorker. He's like, I will drive you around the country and you can dance at all these different strip clubs and we can see the country.
00:36:59
Speaker
And we'll adopt a dog and take it with us. And so that's kind of our like, that's our dream right now. So the Luna World Tour. I better do this soon because if Trump wins the next selection, I don't know how safe I would feel driving through middle America on a strip club tour.
Cultural Perception of Strip Clubs
00:37:23
Speaker
Sad fact.
00:37:24
Speaker
Ooh, that's very scary. That's why I said world tour. We're going to have to think bigger than we have to think. There are strip clubs in other countries.
00:37:36
Speaker
and I've had people sign up for my class from other countries, but I also know that the strip club is a very American phenomenon, and a lot of tourists who come here don't know how to behave, they're very confused. They think it's, you know, I'm Latin American, my family's from Latin America, and we don't have strip clubs, we have brothels, and...
00:38:03
Speaker
you know the discussions that we're having here about like patriarchy and violence are you know it's different in other countries and so i i want to go around the world and dance but i also know that like you know we're very privileged in the u.s that a lot you know we have a long way to go but like a lot of the discussions that are happening here are not happening in other countries
00:38:32
Speaker
That's so interesting. I never considered that, but I guess you're right. I haven't traveled so extensively, but also I've been to enough other places. And no, there aren't really strip clubs in any of the other countries that I've been to. And I never thought of it. I guess it really is kind of an American thing. That's so funny. And I'm in Atlanta, so it's definitely an Atlanta thing.
00:39:00
Speaker
It's more American than the hot dog. It's more American than the hot dog. It is. Absolutely. You can put that on merch. There's a lot of stigma here. I'm sorry. That's yours. Take it. You can have it. I was going to say there's so much stigma against strippers and sex workers in the US, but I think
00:39:22
Speaker
A certain degree of the general population can acknowledge that stripping is a career for some people here and it's a legitimate choice. Like I said, we have a long way to go. But I mean, I've been to countries where I was traveling alone and they were so confused. They were like, your husband let you travel by yourself.
00:39:50
Speaker
I'm specifically talking about Italy. And Italy is a white country. It's a first world country. But they are behind several decades on women's lib and many other things. And I've been there by myself. And I was warned by some older women, listen, a lot of men are going to think.
00:40:12
Speaker
you're a prostitute because you're traveling by yourself without a man. And effectively that is what men think about you in a lot of countries when you're traveling by yourself or that you're just a slut and that you're sexually available. And I don't use the word prostitute, but I'm using it now because that is the word that a lot of people still use sort of outside of the community. Right.
00:40:42
Speaker
Well, you know, it's, it's interesting because you've mentioned privilege a few times. And, um, I know, you know, you're, so you're Latin American. You've had these other experiences in other countries and in the club.
00:40:58
Speaker
I would imagine that there's probably, I don't know, like hierarchy or something like that. Have you had any experiences like that? I think I've been privileged to work at any club that I wanted to because I'm, I mean, I identify as Latina because that is how I was raised, but my dad is white. I'm half white. I have white skin. I, you know, I have white privilege. I have not been subject to the racist hiring practices of club management.
00:41:27
Speaker
I also feel like when you are white or fair-skinned, you're everybody's type versus if you're Black or Asian or Indigenous or even outwardly queer.
00:41:42
Speaker
you're somebody's fetish. And I don't, you know, I'm not like, I don't identify as BIPOC because I look white. So I can't speak for other people's experiences, but I have noticed that
00:41:59
Speaker
you know, there are certain clients that like have a type and they always go for a certain type of dancer versus it seems like white dancers kind of have this like flexibility where they can float around among many different clients. I don't know. Someone might listen to this and be like, she doesn't know what she's talking about. But from an outsider perspective, that is what I've seen.
00:42:25
Speaker
However, in the clubs, I've experienced so much like ethnic fetishism. It's so disgusting.
00:42:33
Speaker
I think people like, my whole life I felt like, oh, people probably don't know I'm Hispanic. They don't know I'm Latina. At the club for some reason, they're able to like pin me down right away. And the things they say, I'm just like, like, you're an executive. I know you'd be fired from your job if you were like caught saying these things to me or to, you know, to someone else. Or also just like,
00:43:03
Speaker
management, you know, if there's a client that only speaks Spanish, management is like, can you go talk to him? And my answer is no, because if he only speaks Spanish, chances are he doesn't have too much experiences with strip clubs. And that's just always a bad time. Yeah. You did, you did bring something up about talking about here in the US, where people, the stigma is right. And I think it's important
00:43:33
Speaker
to kind of understand that, you know, dancing, stripping, it's an art form. It is a type of art, right?
Financial Planning and Viability of Stripping
00:43:45
Speaker
Like you are doing things to your body. People are paying to watch you. It is an experience. It is something to be celebrated. And I think a lot of the stigma
00:43:59
Speaker
comes from for us our society just has this shame around sex and sex positivity and I do think that and I don't know your experience of working in if you've worked in any sort of like queer spaces in your journey but I feel that like the
00:44:23
Speaker
further away you get from like cis heteronormative spaces, the more inclusive, regardless of who you are or what type of art you provide. And I just wish that that would be a little bit more mainstream. But I do think that a lot of the stigmas that are around
00:44:52
Speaker
dancers and strippers and sex workers is the shame that we collectively as a society, you know, and you even said it, you're like, this person's the CEO, this person's this, it's like these people living like double lives, like enjoying this thing, but then going and voting, you know, for whatever
00:45:11
Speaker
you know, whoever, right? Like we don't need to get down that path, but like, you know, it's like, though that, why is there such that, why does it need to be that way, right? What is the cause of that? And I firmly believe that a lot of it comes from the shame and people not just embracing their sexuality or their just sex positivity,
00:45:38
Speaker
and feeling like I have to keep it hidden. So we're going to hide it with shame and that sort of stuff. Well, so we've been talking for a while, but I want to make sure that we talk about one more thing, and it's the money of it all. So I know that we did talk about hype and all this kind of stuff, but
00:46:08
Speaker
Where was it? Let me think. A lot. The money. No, it's coming. But with that said, you mentioned that for you at least, like you've done the math and you realized it's still worth it financially. And also when you were a baby stripper, you were like, I've got all this money. Whee, I'm going to spend it.
00:46:32
Speaker
What have you learned over time around how to make the finances of it work? Presumably, you're not making the exact same amount of money every month. Things change. There's seasons, all this kind of stuff. How does that work for you and for the people that you work for? When I decided to stick with this as a career, I started tracking my income.
00:46:54
Speaker
And the first year is hard because in the spring, you're making a fuck ton of money. And then come the summer, you're like, what the fuck? Like, have I lost my charm? Like, has this industry gone to shit? But once you come back around year two, year three, you're like, okay, there's a pattern here and I can predict.
00:47:18
Speaker
And it gets to a point where it's so minute that I know if I've made $300 by midnight, the other 700 plus is going to come in before four o'clock in the morning. You'd sort of like develop this, like,
00:47:37
Speaker
You just, it's something, it's knowledge, I don't even know what to call it, but yes. And I've been able to do that by tracking my income on a spreadsheet very carefully and seeing the patterns and like predicting what time of year, like what certain dates are better or worse. Don't work election day. We already know that.
00:48:04
Speaker
Don't do it. No one's going to come to the club. So there's actually, there are also like tip tracking apps now too. My ex-husband is a bartender and uses a, I forget what the name of the app is, but it's a little bit more user-friendly than a spreadsheet.
00:48:32
Speaker
if our listeners are like, ah, spreadsheets scare me, there's an app for it. And hopefully we'll find that information and put that in the show.
00:48:41
Speaker
Well, so with that said, though, are you an employee or a contractor? I think there's a divide in the community, employee versus contractor. But as someone said this in a book that I have, and I'm not remembering what their name is, but I'm taking their quote, whether you're an employee or a contractor,
00:49:02
Speaker
Whether or not you're oppressed or abused at work has to do with who your boss is. Employees get abused all the time. Contractors get abused all the time. I personally like being a contractor. It works for me, but I think that it works for me.
00:49:20
Speaker
How do I say this? Like contracting works for people who already had privilege to start with. I think employment status would benefit a lot of folks who are not coming from the same kind of privilege as many people who like, I don't know, okay, wait, can I re-say that? I...
00:49:42
Speaker
contracting works for me but I've also had many privileges and I think contracting works for folks who already had a leg up. I can see how employment status would be preferred for folks who have been like systemically denied housing, health care,
00:50:04
Speaker
employment opportunities and you know ultimately I want I think everyone has the right to like find a situation that works for them.
Navigating Industry Privileges and Skills
00:50:16
Speaker
I like that. Well so I'm just I'm like what are the privileges that you feel like you've had that make it easier for you? I think that so I was born and raised in New York and I've been able to live with my family so I don't have to worry so much
00:50:34
Speaker
That has changed. My mom died. And I'm now responsible for a lot of things and people. And I feel a little bit like I'm swimming to keep my neck above the water. But before that happened, you know, my bills were lower. I didn't have to worry about being homeless or being evicted because I was living with my family. I don't have children.
00:51:01
Speaker
I don't have children. And I'm also, I'm college educated. And even though I couldn't find a job in my field, having a degree makes a big difference. I can go get a master's if I want to. Worst comes to worst, like I can find some like shitty remote job, like grading papers, but it's still something. And also I'm, while I have pain, I'm not chronically ill. And I think that for folks that
00:51:31
Speaker
have chronic pain or chronic illness, the employment status would help because it would ensure healthcare. I'm not 26 yet, so I'm still on my dad's plan. That's also
00:51:47
Speaker
gonna change. And I grew up as a kid, upper middle class. 2008 wrecked my family. We have never recovered. We are like in a sinkhole right now as a family. I have faith that we'll get out of it. But me, personal,
00:52:04
Speaker
my you know my personal finances are okay and I feel like having grown up upper middle class like I know how to make rich people think that I'm like one of them you know what I'm saying like that's that's a privilege I feel like I went on a whole like tangent right now no honestly like yeah I appreciate it you also give me you give me a
00:52:32
Speaker
One of my favorite shows on Netflix was Inventing Anna. I don't know if you ever saw it. It's giving them that they don't know. I'm just gonna I'm gonna trick all of them and give have them give me all their money. I mean, you know, honestly, I feel like, oh, gosh, so messy. So, so fun to watch, though, but so messy.
00:52:56
Speaker
But I feel like that is such an interesting point that you brought up and something that a lot of people do not talk about as pertains to privilege is the idea that just being able to like speak the language or kind of like move in a certain way or you know speak to certain topics or even to be able to be like oh when I was in Italy you know like that's that gives you entree like that really can help along and so yeah I think that's important to bring up.
00:53:27
Speaker
I feel like even just mentioning that you were in college too, or you, I feel like you're in an age where you can still maybe get away with pretending to be in college for your work in terms of like your clientele, the like, do blower than that, and I don't need to pretend.
00:53:51
Speaker
People will do 80% of the work for you. They will project whatever they want to project onto you. Well, and that's also an important thing to understand as a performer is like when to know to lean into what the person is projecting onto you, right? And like, but also like, are you okay with it?
00:54:20
Speaker
Sure. Like I'm going to lean into this or, Hey, no, this is, I'm not, that's not something I'm okay with. Like, you know, that's a really important thing. I think as it's an important skill, it really is being able to understand when that person that you're.
00:54:36
Speaker
your client is projecting a certain mood or scenario in their head, that's part of it, I feel like. As someone who has never done it and has no knowledge, I feel like that that's actually a really important thing to have and to understand.
Balancing Personal Life and Career
00:54:55
Speaker
I definitely like, I wouldn't be surprised.
00:55:01
Speaker
That's fair. I feel like that tracks. I feel like that track. Why am I not in that life right now? Well, they're still it's not like, they're still fine. There is, there is. But yeah, I didn't like that, though, because I feel like it's about knowing your boundaries and knowing your audience, right? So it's like, what do they want? But also how far am I willing to go? So I love that.
00:55:21
Speaker
Well, so last thing, and we'll wrap this up, but what is something that you would like to share with the audience? And it can be literally anything, whether it's somebody who's listening and maybe wants to become a dancer, wants to move on from becoming a dancer, or literally anything. It can be whatever you want. What do you want the people to know? Well, first of all,
00:55:48
Speaker
I think the way that I present myself on social media is kind of like this pink glitter money spoiled brat aesthetic. And I wouldn't be surprised if people think I'm like rolling in money and like living a luxurious life. But I want people to know that I live with my grandparents. I support my grandma. I help support my dad and my brother.
Solidarity and Legitimacy in Sex Work
00:56:18
Speaker
in addition to myself and I have a new injury that has changed the amount of hours I can work in a week and that I'm going through a period of a lot of anxiety and insecurity and sort of like the honeymoon of being a dancer is over and I just want people to know that, that I am not like a perfect person that has
00:56:42
Speaker
all their shit figured out. Like I'm, you know, I'm also still figuring my shit out. And what I would say to prospective and current dancers is don't be ashamed of being ashamed. I've chosen this as my career. I'm open about it. And I still feel shame sometimes, particularly when a customer crosses a line.
00:57:10
Speaker
And something that helps me is to look around and know that I'm not alone. That there are millions of other people in the world who are doing sex work in order to survive and to support themselves that I'm part of a timeless tribe of individuals who have like fucking grit and guts. And that makes the shame go away. That was beautiful. I'm like,
00:57:36
Speaker
I'm feeling feelings. I love this idea of a timeless tribe of badass human beings out here like making this happen. All right, count that note. As to misquote Liza Minelli, sex work is work. She didn't say that. Somebody read it, but we'll give it to Liza.
00:58:05
Speaker
Uh, anyone's drag race fans, it's, it's a quote from, from drag race, not the sex work is work, but to misquote like all of this and insert random quote.
Conclusion and Audience Engagement
00:58:17
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Perfect. Well, so Luna last, last, last question for real, where can people find you? How can they find your course on Instagram?
00:58:27
Speaker
at Luna underscore Sophia underscore Miranda. My website is www dot LunaSophiaMiranda.com and those are pretty much my two platforms and you can
00:58:43
Speaker
you can find me there and all the information on my classes is there. You can DM me, you can email me luna at drexluna.com. I'm like pretty good about answering because when I'm not working, I'm like still up until four o'clock in the morning because I'm nocturnal, I'm a vampire.
00:59:07
Speaker
Well, perfect. So this has been amazing. Thank you so much for just being so open and candid and brave and just like positive champion for the people. So dope. And for everybody who's watching, if you have any questions for Luna, if you want to bring her back, or if you want to, I don't know, partner with her, partner with us, come on the show, do whatever you want to do, reach out, find us on Instagram and we will make the shit happen.
00:59:37
Speaker
That's it. I'm glad that you brought that up, Evan, because we are already waitlisting people for season three, which is wild. It's starting to happen. Yeah, it's a very big milestone this week. That's great. Yes, Luna, thank you so much for sharing your journey, being just completely open with us. I really, really appreciate your
01:00:04
Speaker
Thank you so much. This is my first podcast. It's been my dream to be on a podcast that I never had the opportunity, and I appreciate you both so much, and the work you're doing is so amazing. Well, thank you. Thank you. You are amazing. This is your first podcast, many, and I cannot wait to work with you because... Yes.
01:00:30
Speaker
I think there's some cool stuff going on here. So anyways, thanks everybody. We'll talk to you soon. Bye. Until next time. Bye. If you've enjoyed today's episode, please don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. That's the easiest way to support our show.
01:01:00
Speaker
We hope you took away a new nugget of information or perspective today, and we're grateful you took the time to listen to us. Until next time, bye. Bye.