Ever since one of our editors confessed that he feels "scared of strippers," we've been wondering if most guys are really as into strip clubs as they're supposed to be. Sure, everybody likes naked ladies, but do the artificial attraction, high prices and risk of injury outweigh even the appeal of bare boobs?

We polled Asylum contributors and found that while opinions varied, many guys shared the sentiment of contributor Joel, who says he hates strip clubs because "it's a sad transaction between a guy who needs either company or stimulation and a woman who sees nothing but a dollar sign when she plants herself in a guy's lap."

The transactional nature also bothered Dan, who says, "I'm not great at suspending my disbelief, so I think that I'd be very, very conscious of the fact that the young lady gyrating on my lap was more interested in my wallet."

And other dudes feel just plain awkward in the alter-world of the strip bar. Justin calls his two strip club experiences "awkward, impersonal and sleazy," adding, "A particularly crafty tiny dancer tricked me into getting more dances than I had bargained for. (Obviously it wasn't that hard to do.)"

And yet, some men manage to triumph over all these setbacks. Click through to read an impassioned defense of the strip club and let us know what you think on the issue.


Asylum contributor and apparent strip club lover Ian valiantly leapt to the defense of the go-go bar in the following:

"To start, I haven't been to a strip club in probably 10 years, so it's not like I'm married to the things. However, boobs are in abundance at strip clubs and therefore they are by definition pretty great. Now, a scuzzy strip club may scare away a dude, if the women look like they eat meth for breakfast. (Conversely, if they look like they eat a bucket of KFC and nicotine for breakfast, that's frightening as well.) But a classy joint with healthy-looking, non-knife-wielding strippers is, by and large, pleasant.

"You don't want to go to a strip club every day, because there are any number of things that prohibit that sort of thing. The cost is always a downer. It's an arm and a leg to spend an evening there, and maybe if you're an emo poet looking for love you'll say you don't like them because the women don't like you for you, you're just money. But it should be presupposed from the get-go that that is the case, and if you fall in love with a stripper you're an idiot and your opinion on this matter should not count.

"The cost of drinks at a strip club is a pain in the ass. No one likes paying a ton of cash for the same beer you can get half-price elsewhere. The constant harassment for private dances is, in theory, annoying as well, as are the assorted creeps who are 'regulars' and come in every day with flowers for their favorite girl. But all of that is also part of the charm of a strip club. That and boobs. It's like an ice cream sundae -- you can't have one every day, you'd get bored of it and it would barely qualify as a treat. But once in a while it's golden.

Anyone who says otherwise is socially maladjusted or a liar. That's a fact. You can look it up."

Do you really enjoy visiting strip clubs?
No, they make me feel awkward/weird/uncomfortable/poor. 552 (37.5%)
Yes, I love strip clubs like a red-blooded male should. 734 (49.9%)
No, but I pretend that I do.185 (12.6%)