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The Lusty Lady
When Erika Langley approached the female management of Seattle's Lusty Lady she was told that to photograph the peep show dancers she would have to become one. Through photos and texts that are both candid and affectionate, humanizing and humorous, readers see behind the impenetrable armor of naked dancers, documented by one of their own. Complete with extensive interviews which allow the people to speak for themselves, Langley's work juxtaposes stage personas with real people, showing the love, humor and boredom behind the scenes, and the humanity behind the stigma and shame. 180 photos.
254 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 26, 2016
"I really hate the stereotypes about sex workers, it burns my ass all the time. I was not abused as a child. I have a great family. Of course, it's not the fashion to despise working girls anymore. We're going to pity them now, poor things. They were abused. They're deluded. That kind of thinking keeps women in line.
-Marcella, peep show dancing girl, telling her own story in The Lusty Lady p. 124
In the early 1990s, fledgling photographer Erika Langley found it hard-going breaking into the business. News editors and photo agencies told her her work was competent but lacked edginess. In response, she came up with the idea of photographing the girls and milieu of The Lusty Lady peep show establishment in Seattle; the results of which constitute this book. The management told her, OK, but you have to work here yourself as a dancer to really understand the subject. It turned out to be a good arrangement for the photographer. For one thing, the pay was good and she desperately needed the money. For another, she soon came to realize that earning the trust of the girls by being a working comrade resulted in a much richer portfolio. Additionally, working there gave her new perspectives on working women, on sexuality, on feminism and more.
I've read several books on strip clubs and similar establishments--even though I've never been to any or wanted to--and this one covers familiar ground in terms of the issues, but a peep show is quite a different brand of sex work compared to stripping and this book--though choppy sometimes in its narrative--brings that world, its denizens, workers and issues to vivid life. The photography is good and plentiful but I would have liked for there to have been more views of the club that took in wider angles of the stage and the peep windows from the dancers' perspectives.
Sometimes there are mixed messages, as Langley (who worked for several years at the establishment under the stage name, Virginia) tries to deal with the inherent confusions that can arise from seeing men jack off in front of you through a glass window all day. For much of the book, Langley (who is either straight or fair-weather bisexual; it's not thoroughly made clear) seems to have mostly contempt and disgust for the male patrons, yet by page 126 seems to have developed a sympathy for them and starts to believe herself to be some kind of therapeutic Mother Teresa of sex.
The Lusty Lady, which is apparently now closed and gutted, was considered one of the more enlightened and safer peep clubs at which to work; it was run by women and the sense of familial intimacy among co-workers was encouraged. Still, it was a workplace and conflicts among co-workers and with management were inevitable, and are examined.
The camaraderie Langley developed with her naked co-workers is often touchingly conveyed. She came at this project as a project and ended up finding a new calling, in a sense.
The book--part photo essay, part personal memoir and part oral history--is not great but is a fairly enlightening addition to the lay-level sex-work lit, in addition to being an invaluable document of a unique time and place that no longer exists. And you'll probably not soon forget some of the more twisted clientele, eg., the Fucky Fucky Man or the Baby Man.
-Marcella, peep show dancing girl, telling her own story in The Lusty Lady p. 124
In the early 1990s, fledgling photographer Erika Langley found it hard-going breaking into the business. News editors and photo agencies told her her work was competent but lacked edginess. In response, she came up with the idea of photographing the girls and milieu of The Lusty Lady peep show establishment in Seattle; the results of which constitute this book. The management told her, OK, but you have to work here yourself as a dancer to really understand the subject. It turned out to be a good arrangement for the photographer. For one thing, the pay was good and she desperately needed the money. For another, she soon came to realize that earning the trust of the girls by being a working comrade resulted in a much richer portfolio. Additionally, working there gave her new perspectives on working women, on sexuality, on feminism and more.
I've read several books on strip clubs and similar establishments--even though I've never been to any or wanted to--and this one covers familiar ground in terms of the issues, but a peep show is quite a different brand of sex work compared to stripping and this book--though choppy sometimes in its narrative--brings that world, its denizens, workers and issues to vivid life. The photography is good and plentiful but I would have liked for there to have been more views of the club that took in wider angles of the stage and the peep windows from the dancers' perspectives.
Sometimes there are mixed messages, as Langley (who worked for several years at the establishment under the stage name, Virginia) tries to deal with the inherent confusions that can arise from seeing men jack off in front of you through a glass window all day. For much of the book, Langley (who is either straight or fair-weather bisexual; it's not thoroughly made clear) seems to have mostly contempt and disgust for the male patrons, yet by page 126 seems to have developed a sympathy for them and starts to believe herself to be some kind of therapeutic Mother Teresa of sex.
The Lusty Lady, which is apparently now closed and gutted, was considered one of the more enlightened and safer peep clubs at which to work; it was run by women and the sense of familial intimacy among co-workers was encouraged. Still, it was a workplace and conflicts among co-workers and with management were inevitable, and are examined.
The camaraderie Langley developed with her naked co-workers is often touchingly conveyed. She came at this project as a project and ended up finding a new calling, in a sense.
The book--part photo essay, part personal memoir and part oral history--is not great but is a fairly enlightening addition to the lay-level sex-work lit, in addition to being an invaluable document of a unique time and place that no longer exists. And you'll probably not soon forget some of the more twisted clientele, eg., the Fucky Fucky Man or the Baby Man.
May 20, 2011
I can let you read my copy for a quarter a minute. Sadly, the Lusty Lady sets across from the Seattle Art Museum; empty, sterilized and gutted.
If one stands by the door at night, faint whispering and crying can still be heard.
If one stands by the door at night, faint whispering and crying can still be heard.
August 20, 2020
Great edition to your Seattle history books. Wish the LL still existed.
November 28, 2007
wonderful pictures!
August 21, 2020
I had the pleasure of meeting the author of this book at the Lusty Lady closing party, it made her story even more touching to see her years later still connected to the place.
February 11, 2008
unfortunately i believe this book is now out of print. true story of a photographer who was hired to take photographs of dancers at the lusty lady-seattle for seven years under the condition that if she were to do so she had to dance as well. pretty interesting glimpse into the lifestyle of people who do this for a living.
Want to read
March 26, 2011trade paperback
acc to Worldcat not in any Oregon library, it is in many CA and WA libraries
acc to Worldcat not in any Oregon library, it is in many CA and WA libraries
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews