From the D

Now this is a thesis:

For some members of the class of 2003, a senior thesis has meant weeks of toil among dusty volumes in Baker library. For seniors like Jillian Powers ’03, however, the path to an honors degree has been considerably more exhilarating.

“I did my research on stigma management of a deviant occupation,” Powers said. “Basically, I studied strippers.”

Powers, Brian Bollinger ’03 and Ingrid Biedron ’03 are among the over 200 undergraduates who have spent the last several months at work on a senior honors project.

Powers said her thesis focused how rural strippers reconcile their professional lives with their standing as part of a close-knit community. She noted that exotic dancers in rural areas are not able to “blend into the atmosphere,” as in urban areas.

“Everyone knows you’re a stripper,” Powers said.

Powers documented a number of different mechanisms by which rural strippers coped with stigma. Many women chose to live far from their workplace, traveling for as long as two hours to get to work each morning. Some strippers with shorter commutes simply made friends with other exotic dancers.

“If all of your friends are strippers, then it really isn’t that bad,” Powers said.

The sociology major expressed great satisfaction with her thesis and research.

“My feeling with writing a thesis was that I didn’t want something that would bore me,” Powers said, “and it worked out really great.”

Wonder if she used this classic Review article for her research.