#21 ·
Olivia Chase2;12708641 said:George Smith2 said:What part of this is unrealistic?
It’s not exactly rocket science—you're talking about working as a waitress at a Go-go club...
Everything else I wrote follows that logic: if you just have the willpower to open up and lean into the moment, the nature of the job practically forces you to.
Once you realize that your tips depend entirely on how many teeth you show—I mean a grin from ear to ear—and you accept that you aren't some high-flying CEO, but rather a WAITRESS whose sole mission is to push drinks, rake in the cash, and send a customer home happy regardless of whether they sent you back to the bar fifteen times for some trivial nonsense... well, you just leave that stuff at the door and treat the rest as entertainment. Whatever goes wrong is just part of the gig; whatever goes right is just a bonus.
That’s precisely why it’s a decent gig—it isn't some soul-crushing office job where the highlight of your day is someone messing up two numbers on a spreadsheet while you perform repetitive, robotic tasks all day long.
But even then, you need to have some backbone—don't walk in with these ridiculous expectations only to act shocked every time something minor goes sideways. We create our own circumstances; the environment is just the springboard. 👍
What kind of "professional maneuvering" are you talking about?
You should just be satisfied with what you do, because you’ve convinced yourself that this is something you’ll be doing for years... months, weeks... and being nothing more than relaxed, normal, and approachable in front of a guest isn't "maneuvering"—it's just being a decent server. When a customer sees that you aren't afraid to run over to grab something or provide a service they ask for... they'll give you a tip out of pure gratitude and enjoyment.
It's those tiny, trivial things that actually kept me entertained, because "the more tasks and chaos, the less time I have to overthink." I did things I would have loved if I were the one sitting in the guest chair. Nothing more, nothing less.
In such an environment.... Which one?
If you have a backbone and you know who you are and what you're doing, an environment that doesn't shake you emotionally is nothing more than an opportunity.
So, comparing three naked women on a pole to five guys treating those same women to cocktails without any physical contact—saying that's worse than her constantly fearing a drunk father—how does that even make sense?!
I always had the impression that these places were vulgar and disgusting. I never stepped foot in a place like that in my entire life.
Now, my perspective has shifted. People go there—couples, guys with girls... honestly, I wouldn't even mind if someone asked me out there now. It's not that bad.
A truly terrible environment would be your average disco in a small US town when you step outside, where you're stuck in a crowd of a million drunk hicks grabbing at your backside and shouting things like, "Hey baby, come on, I know you want it!"
That kind of environment... is definitely much better than serving drinks in some local dive bar where nobody is stripping on a pole, leaving you as the sole target or object of desire.
And now...
Regarding the whole ego thing.
Do I really need to lecture a girl who is already dealing with anxiety, teetering on the edge of self-harm, and struggling with an eating disorder because she hates herself for overeating?
First off—no matter how much we keep quiet about it—this is physical labor. You'll build muscle, you can eat all you want, and I guarantee you won't regret it afterward. Not to mention how your attitude toward body image will totally shift when you see a stripper with a bit of extra weight, completely unmade-up, showing up to work, and realizing through her own intuition that everyone is still drooling over her once she gets dolled up or takes her clothes off. Believe me!
All in all, I took the job strictly for the chance to live in a different city and for the night shifts.
I never even dreamed it could turn out this well.
I was also a complete mess during my first week, until one stripper told me: "Don't regret anything you do; you can find something good in everything, and by waitressing in a place like this, you'll learn how to read people!"
And that’s just the plain truth.
Look, I wouldn't say I'm walking on sunshine right now—everyone carries their own set of burdens, let's be real—but compared to how things used to be? I feel like an absolute queen. Why? Because I know I'm damn good at what I do. I know I can make it anywhere, even in those "toxic" environments that are definitely not my scene. I’ve got a better physique than most, I’ve got backbone, I can read people like a book, and I walked out of that whole mess with my head held high. Even the people from that circle respect me because I don't fall for the petty, mindless nonsense that most of those immature punks do.
Life moves you past stuff like that. It forces you to learn who you actually are.
In the end, you emerge as a completely different person.
In my case, I came out better, stronger, and more capable. And honestly? I think she could really use that kind of transformation too.
A change of scenery changes everything.
If you play tennis and you need a shake-up, don't just switch over to badminton—that's just the same crap under a different name. Go hit a boxing gym for a while. That’s a real change. That’s exactly what I did.
You get what I'm saying?