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Book: “Ivy League Stripper” by Heidi Mattson
Anyway, I’ve just finished “Ivy League Stripper”, and it’s affected me more than the others. At the first glance, it is what you’d expect it to be: a story of a girl who danced topless to make tuition in a fancy American college. But the point of view struck me. This was not a book written to titilate; there’s very little “I shook my sexy rear at him, revelling in my beauty”. The voice is – not cold, because Heidi comes across as a warm person, more so than many explicit bloggers I’ve read – but sort of detached from sex, looking instead at sexuality, sex work, what it does to people, what it did to her.
What it did was, basically, turn her from a hungry, uptight college kid into an interesting woman at peace with herself and the world. Her description of the road there absolutely sucked me in. I even took notes. I broke out a packet of Muji sticky bookmark strip thingies, and marked every single thing that resonated with me, and the book now has a colourfull, multi-tongued spine.
On the face of it, Heidi and I are starkly different. The main difference is in the attitude with which we went into sex-related occupations. She started dancing because she was run financially into the corner; she had tried everything, every other job, every other way, including taking time out to run her own cleaning business – just to keep her teeth sunk into the edge of her expensive degree. She had nowhere to go, and, going to the club in search of a job, she felt like she was descending into inferno. (She doesn’t say it in so many words, but it’s pretty obvious.)
Me, I started modelling because I love role-play, and playing in front of the camera added an extra kick to it. Of course, I had romantic notions about what would be involved; I still have, although I expect to discover various complications spanking-modelling life no doubt carries. But every vocation is filled with underwater stones and cold currents, and if you’re truly in love with what you do, nothing will overshadow the joy you get out of it. Yes, I’d been looking forward to the adventure when I started.
But then, Heidi and I have enough in common that the book has kept me riveted. I expect, there might be some Heidi-inspired posts in the coming weeks, as I process what I’ve just read.
Incidentally – aren’t tuition figures in the States crazy? I mean, $22K? A *year*? You could get three degrees for that in the UK. $22K a year? *shakes head in disbelief*
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10 Responses to “Book: “Ivy League Stripper” by Heidi Mattson”
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Honey, 22K is the low end believe me. Ivy league colleges are well into the 30s now.
Its our own American way of enforcing class boundaries. : I
Well, the author went to college a fair while ago… I guess the situation’s got even more stupid.
I’m surprised there aren’t more American students here in the UK. The fees for foreign students are generally higher, but they are still nothing *like* those crazy figures.
The precentage of sex workers among American college kids must be something crazy with expenses like those. :)
Our tuition at Vassar (Yale’s former sister school, now coed) reached the 40K mark last year.
-K
Highly entertaining blog, by the way.
Glad you’re entertained, K :)
(And I’m also glad I didn’t apply to any of the American schools I was considering, or I’d be in debt until retirement…)
i’m so glad you enjoyed the book! it sounds like you really ‘got it.’ i know your comments weren’t directed at me, but still, i must say Thank you!
You’re very welcome, and thank you for the excellent book; it’s given me hours of pleasure.
$22,000…State College perhaps.
David
As I said, all American college cuties should come to England instead. For their education, obviously.
Tuition at Vassar when I graduated was 9K. That was 1981. You’re right that it’s well over 40K now.
The best deal in the United States now is the pre-paid tuition programs at state universities. Some, such as California, Texas, and Florida, are equal in quality to the top private schools. In Florida, for example, a payment of $14,359 to the state treasury the upon the birth of a child will guarantee four years of college education.
Most states have similar programs. If a lump sum isn’t possible, monthy payments before the child reaches junior high or so are still affordable.
N.B.:
I don’t defend the U.S. university system. The obvious ctiticism is that these pre-paid programs, while affordable, curtail the right of choice. In their defence, most state governments allow more or less free transferability. The drawback is that if a choice is made to attend a private university, you just receive your money back with accrued interest. (Which is still an enforced method of saving).
I have to admit the U.K. system is, though somewhat socialized, superior. I’m a lawyer. The British system of “good tender for hire,” and private barristers who both prosecute and defend, and who don’t have a choice if a reasonable fee is paid by either client or Crown, again somewhat socialized, is better than our system of underpaid public defenders.
It is, I think, the best argument in defence of caning as a necessary right of passage, and a way of life, rather than apologetic paddling.