Holy shit! Talk about catty movement right there. WOW! O.o Make sure you tell your teachers and friends about these rumors...tell them they are just that- RUMORS! They are not true words and those women who say that about you need to grow a set and quit playing 10 year old roles.

Personally I like "lady of the night" myself. ;-p

Well, I personally don't see anything wrong with strippers, I feel like they often get a bad wrap PARTICULARLY in the bellydance community...I digress.
but it still doesn't chane the fact that it sucks when people are so cunty and and that rumors are not nice. I go to a womens college so I know extra well first hand that having a lot of women together always creates some sort of false competition which assures the grand entrance of cattiness. Why can't people get over themselves? It makes me wonder how people can actually heal with bellydance with all this drama floating around. At least it helps you form a thick skin...
bleah.

it's cause you're one hot mama ;)

they're thinking, how can a body like that being going to waste under costuming? It must be revealed! It has to be!

;)

Maybe it's the only reason this person/people can come up with for anyone who leaves the area? :)
Someone's bored, so they're starting rumors. Don't let them fuel your anger otherwise they will most certainly feel accomplished.

That's the "worst" they can come up with? I've had several former strippers dance with me and you would never know it by watching them perform. They didn't blend the two professions and were always classy. So I say a big fat, "So what?" to people being a stripper and belly dancer or a former stripper.

Now, if they were trying to say that you were a stripping bellydancer, I think that just brings the whole profession down and is dumb on their part. What you do as a professional reflects on them because it creates public opinion.

The whole thing sounds like some really petty, not well-thought-out crap that I wouldn't worry too much about. I wouldn't want it happening to me either, but it's more of a reflection on how dumb and small they are.

Taaj
www.taaj.org

I agree with motherpuffer. I personally don't have a problem with strippers either. And I personally consider pole dancing to be an athletic art form, as I do for belly dance/raks sharki. That's discrimination, plain and simple. If you were a construction worker, or a truck driver, or a myriad of other things, is that a premise that decides whether you can dance or not? I'd like to hope they don't think that! I'm really sorry this has happened to you, maybe you should give those bitches a nice long talk about getting their heads stuck out of their asses.

Sometimes I think we could learn something from men (I know...hard to imagine but true). Men don't stand for this kind of non-professional bull sh*t. This is slander and illegal. Do what the men do...find out who is saying this and sue them. Someone doesn't let you dance because of these slanderous rumors, threaten legal action. I don' think that this has happened to me, but it's got to stop.

No - sueing isn't pretty, and no, some people will not agree...but why in the name of "being the bigger person" do we have to continually get "it" up the butt? People on the sueing end of the stick...just remeber, it's not personal, it's the law. Slander someone...and you'll meet the judge.

slan·der /ˈslændər/
–noun
1. defamation; calumny: rumors full of slander.
2. a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report: a slander against his good name.
3. Law. defamation by oral utterance rather than by writing, pictures, etc.
–verb (used with object)
4. to utter slander against; defame.
–verb (used without object)
5. to utter or circulate slander.

Women out there (who are probably not on this tribe and therefore not reading this), stop attacking your 'fellow' ladies. Just stop. It's just poison from within.

SUPPOSEDLY, two strippers walked into the dance store I used to work at. They saw a picture of me and said, "Oh wow, she is with us now." This came out of the managers mouth, who was also my roomate. So I asked her, "Did you tell them thats a lie???" She comes off as a kind little petite sweetheart, but proved otherwise when she allowed these girls to say this about me, and when the other employees started asking questions, she STILL did not take my back. She would answer them with, "I dont know."
So let me tell you the REAL reason why Im upset....
Not only did this screw up my chances of dancing in respectable events, but also got me fired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yep, I finally said it. They freakin fired me because they "didnt want a bad name"
Yes, this COULD go to court. Im just too stressed and tired and fear losing this battle, as the son of the man who fired me is a politician.
I am still upset over it, and thats why I came to NJ. To abandon all forms of hate that were persistant in my life. But turns out, it wants to follow me.

Sue!!!! LOL. Really CJ, you need to pusue this. I'll be behind you as well. There is no reason for Dancer to claim they "dont want a bad name". That is sickening! I cant believe you were compared to stupid non-dancing fools that have to hold onto a pole to keep thier balance! They do nothing but exploit women and you did not deserve to be a part of that! As for those who wont invite you into thier shows because of these rumors, FUCK THEM! They are the ones you should target.

Holy crap! All we dudes do is call each other assholes. Women can really do a number on each other-meow kitty!!!