In 1990, an exotic dancer approached me for professional headshots. When she described her job as “a fun and empowering way to make money,” I was struck by how her perspective defied the stereotypes I had unconsciously accepted. My curiosity led to a four-year photographic study documenting the lives of exotic dancers in Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. This work earned critical acclaim, including recognition as a top finalist for the Henri Cartier-Bresson Award in 1991. It has been exhibited in galleries nationwide and was the foundation for my master’s thesis, which I completed at Harvard University in 1996.
Themes of power, autonomy, and societal contradiction are at the core of this project. Stripping exists at the intersection of stigma and desire—where women defy expectations by embracing their agency. Witnessing these dancers challenge ingrained notions of femininity, control, and self-expression reshaped my understanding of these dynamics. Princess Cheyenne, a legendary Boston stripper, captured this paradox perfectly, describing stripping as one of the few professions where women wield undeniable control over men, reclaiming power in a society that often seeks to diminish it—a world that continually tries to dictate how women should think, feel, and behave. Given the ongoing cultural conversations around gender, power, and autonomy, this message remains as relevant as ever.
I am now working toward publishing this project as a book and plan to crowdsource funding for its release. If you want to follow its progress and support its publication, email me, at rynne.mk@gmail
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