How come "dating a stripper" doesn't hold the same card-carrying membership for women as it does for men? Case in point: I went out a couple of times with a guy named Derek. He was really pretty, as in, 1. he'd look much better than me in makeup, and 2. he was way out of my league. I was bewitched, bedazzled, etc. until I found out he was doing Chippendales to put himself through college. Instead of hitting star status with my friends, it promptly hit the skids when I happened to let it slip that my new guy likes to dance in a thong and bowtie. I was annoyed and frustrated - female strippers get a lot more respect, not to mention money, I argued, and when female strippers put themselves through school they make a movie or write a book, not get invited to Mrs. Kerbapple's 50th birthday party. But at the same time...I was kinda horrified at the ridiculous cheesiness of it all, and ended up having to call it off. Also, not to mention the two words my friends gleefully shared as the natural next step to a budding career in the male striptease profession: gay porn.