Confessions of a male stripper: Detailing his experiences with women

UK: Whipping off your top to the sound of hundreds of women screaming is the kind of fantasy most men only dream of, but for Lotan Carter, from Essex, it’s a perk of the job.

As part of the UK Dreamboys, getting ladies (and some men) hot under the collar is what the 26-year-old does for a living. It was a perfect career choice for him, because Lotan needs little encouragement to get his kit off.

"I was always a bit of a nightmare – as soon as I had a drink I’d take my clothes off," says the trained ballet dancer. "I get a kick out of being on stage, so did jazz, tap, singing and acting classes at college. Then when the Dreamboys management saw me on TV on Pineapple Dance Studios and asked me to audition for the squad, I was in Amsterdam with them just a couple of days later."

The rest, as they say, is history. While Lotan doesn’t get totally naked in their current show, he has gone the Full Monty as a strippergram in the past. "Now I only go down to my underwear. If you tease, it gets people coming back. I’ve seen strippers practically having sex with the women, it’s disgusting. We give just enough to get a response."

A flash of the family jewels isn’t the only thing he avoids either. "As long as you’re making eye contact, you don’t need to be doing all this tacky licking your lips stuff. There are a few guys on the circuit who do it and it’s cringe," he says. "I’ve had to remove them from Facebook because of the photos they upload!"

So how does he make sure an excitable crowd doesn’t get carried away?

"Here’s the trick," he says. "When you go into a room and the women are all screaming, pick out the loudest one, put their hands on your chest and really look at them. They’ll get embarrassed and everyone else will calm down."

But with the heady mix of hormones and baby oil, a titillating performance isn’t enough for some. Morals, it seems, often go out the window.

"We have ladies coming to the show who are getting married the following week and they want to cheat on their other half," he says with disbelief. "They put their engagement ring in the middle of the table and they’re like 'Come back to the hotel with me and the bridesmaids!'"

Breaking the rules

Some strippers do take advantage of the attention, but Lotan denies he’s ever abused his position – the stakes are too high. "If anyone gets caught, they get sacked," he explains matter-of-factly. That’s not to say he hasn’t had plenty of opportunities.

Only a few weeks ago he was propositioned while hugging his girlfriend who had come to collect him after the show. "This woman put her number in my back pocket," he says. "I was like, 'Did that really happen? I’m in an embrace with my other half!'"

Luckily, his girlfriend isn’t the jealous type. She’s been to loads of his shows and doesn’t feel threatened or insecure because of his sex-symbol status. "She works in sales and she’s hotter than I am," says Lotan. His partner prefers to remain nameless so internet trolls can’t abuse her. "I don’t hide her away, but I don’t put her out there to be hounded."

Not a job for life

While his current squeeze finds the obsessive fans amusing, Lotan admits it’s not always easy to date a stripper, and other partners have struggled with it.

"You’re constantly justifying what you do for a living," he sighs. "You might be surrounded by women all the time, but it’s just a job. I don’t mean to be arrogant, but you do potentially have the pick, so why put yourself in a relationship if you want variety?"

It can be hard work keeping your body at ‘arrogant’ level. Lotan works out three times a week, and grooming his well-pumped bod is important too. Shunning the back, sack and crack wax, he reveals he’s more of a shaving man.

"I’d be lying if I said I could remember what my pubes looked like – everything is maintained so it’s clean and smooth,’"he laughs. "It’s not even for show purposes any more, it’s hygiene. The more hair you have, the more chance there is of you smelling. No foliage here!"

Despite being ‘paid a good salary’ and only having to work 11 days a month, Lotan is well aware that being a stripper isn’t a job for life. "I know guys who are nearly 50 and still doing it and they look amazing, but I don’t want to do that, I want to finish on a high." He hopes the West End will beckon when he hits 30.

Lotan doesn’t want his job to define him. "There’s a bit in Magic Mike where he’s trying to explain that what he does is just a job," he begins, "he’s his own man and he’s not just a stripper. If I had a pound for every time I’ve had that conversation! I love what I do, but it’s only one part of what I do. There’s much more to me than dancing with my clothes off."