3 Truthful Reasons Men Are Obsessed With Strip Clubs

It's more than just the dancing women.

By Melissa Noble
Last updated on Mar 23, 2024

Photo: Sophie07, StockSnap | Canva

Very intense looking man and a silhouette of a stripper

Strippers and strip clubs are one of those polarizing gender phenomena that divide men and women almost squarely down the middle. (We'd venture even more so than porn, actually.) Most men (at least once in their lives, stop lying fellas) have been to and thoroughly enjoyed their stay at a strip club. Perhaps even shelling out a wrinkled $20 or two for a lap dance (or four). No judgments here!

On the flip side, a lubed-up, g-string-dressed man asking a group of ladies to part with any of their cash so he can shake his butt in their faces is an excellent way to earn a laugh. Believe us, we know. Visual eye candy aside, what is it exactly that attracts men to strip clubs? Here we'll break down the single, straight guy, engaged gay guy, and married straight guy's responses.

Here are 3 truthful reasons men are obsessed with strip clubs:

1. The women (duh)

As single, straight guy Colin says: "For the ones who do enjoy an outing to the nearest nudie bar, it’s usually about the visual overload of the body parts we fantasize about all day long. Finally, we can be praised for overtly staring at a woman’s breasts. We might imagine what women around us look like without their clothes on and a strip club is an opportunity to live the dream." To Colin's credit, he admits not all men are regulars at the Bada Bing's free daily buffet. In fact, he says "more are kind of weirded out by them than you might think" and all men (deep down) know it isn't real. "Like a twelve-year-old who still plays into his parents leaving milk and cookies out for Santa Claus."

2. He gets hit on for once

As women, we sometimes forget men don't get catcalls and intimate offers just by leaving the house. Fending off unwanted attention is part of the female experience as PMS (if not more so — some women don't get PMS). As gay engaged Joel says: "Your average Joe is not the kind of guy at whom a gorgeous, scantily clad woman is likely to hurl herself. He’s just not attractive enough, or manly enough, or hot enough, or powerful enough, or whatever enough. But the moment he walks into a strip club, gorgeous, scantily clad women start hurling themselves at him — a thing that couldn’t happen unless he were incredibly attractive, manly, powerful, and whatever. In a way the excitement isn’t about the woman in front of him at all; it’s about how she allows him to see himself." This perfectly explains why happily married men may go to a strip club, get a few lapdances, and think it's ludicrous to consider it cheating. It's just a few hours out of his life where he can feel like David Beckham.

3. He gets an opportunity to not analyze a woman's emotions in relation to his body

Women are much more complicated when it comes to intimate times. Often a naked woman's body could quickly be clothed if the wrong move is played or words are said. While men must be respectful to ladies in a strip club, no worries about the strippers getting upset for being objectified and putting on a pair of pants in response. As married Matt says: "Do we believe that the strippers are enjoying themselves? I think it’s a suspension of disbelief while you’re on the premises. So no, most guys who are inside the strip club don’t care at that moment if the strippers are enjoying themselves and don’t allow themselves to think about it too much, or they’d lose their desire and head for the door."