Behind the Scenes - THE LIFE OF MY STRIPPER FRIEND Belle

Hello dear Steemians,

I believe that #Steemit is a fabulous place to not only share our own stories but also the stories of people that inspire us, teach us or that we admire. I would like to share with you elements of the precious conversations I had with my friend Belle. She is a Stripper at the Windmill Club in Soho, London.

Belle and I met at a party. I was in the middle of my Documentary MA in the UK and started to capture her life on camera. Every day I filmed with her, I got more and more part of her life and I want to share some of the impressions with you guys.
Belle grew up in a community of Roma-Gypsies in France.

She told me that her father turned her childhood into hell, so in the second she was allowed to drive a van, she ran away from home. She toured entire Europe until she arrived in London: Totally broke and with no place to stay she wondered through the streets around Piccadilly Circus and discovered the Windmill Club.

"I knocked at the door of the Windmill Club and a very stressed out man let me in. "What do you want?", he asked me. "A job", I said shrugging my shoulders. "Take of your clothes." So I took off my clothes with all the men around me doing construction work at the stage of the club. He walked up to me, gave me a slap on the bum and said: "You've got the job. See you tonight. 8pm." And I have been here almost every night since then."

"On some nights I earn £1000 - on others only £30. Every night is different. But I clearly make the most money when I'm on my period."

Every morning Belle lays out her cards in order to see what the future will bring. The card that found its way into her hands today mean: MONEY. With a laughter she kisses the card and starts to brew up some peppermint tea.

"I really do like my job. But my life would be a hell of a lot easier if people would understand the difference between Stripping and Prostitution."

"I like it because I can make the men dream. We both know that I'm not a girl for them but I let them dream for a little while. And I love the fact, that I have this power."

"In the Windmill it's not the girls that dance who make a lot of money. It's the girls who talk. We call them the Sharks. They rarely even take off their clothes but they never walk out of the Club with less than £2000 in their pockets."

I spent many hours backstage with Belle and I saw many girls who absolutely hated their job. But not her. She told me how girls often get robbed when they walk out of the club at 5:30 in the morning with stacks of cash in their pockets. But she doesn't feel like a victim or even in danger. She hates when people become patronising once she tells them about her profession.

"I'm a performer. Nobody is allowed to touch me and I never sold my body for sex. You can just watch me. And don't even try to ask me for a blowjob. I'm a dancer."

"I get to be so many characters, I live so many of my different personalities. I believe that many women would enjoy to have this chance in their everyday life.."

I hope you enjoyed my little photo reportage about my friend Belle's life.
Let me know if you would like me to introduce a couple of more outstanding and fascinating London personalities.

Thank you for reading and have a great evening!

Yours,
Elena