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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To say he can't go to stag do if there are going to be strippers?

695 replies

DelphineD · 09/02/2013 23:10

I'm sorry if this ends up being long; I will try to keep it as concise as possible.

Last year DP went to a stag do (first one that has come up whilst we have been together). It was one of his closest friends, and one that I previously liked and respected. They were away for 2 nights. I had wondered if some sort of strip thing might be involved but I thought probably not as the friend was not that kind of man and DP assured me when he got back that there was nothing of the kind. I later found out (through my scarily good investigation and interrogation!!) that this was not the case. On the first night they had been to a strip club and on the second night there were topless waitresses at their apartment for about 3 hours. This info came out bit by bit. Each time DP would insist there was nothing more to tell, then I found out something else. Eventually I think I got a full confession out of him but it was difficult to be sure as he had lied so many times about it. I also got out of him that there had been topless waitresses at a work party he had attended some time before (I had suspected something wrong and he had always denied it before.) He claimed all this was not of his doing, it was not really of interest to him and he just went along with it because they were in a group and he didn't want to make a fuss etc etc. If he had had a lap dance, I would have broken up with him (friend had a lap dance and the man has gone down a lot in my estimation.) As it was I nearly broke up with him anyway. He knew how much I hated strippers and how I would feel about it, and he did it anyway. But I think the most damaging thing was the lying. I trusted him before, and he had destroyed all that.

We got over it and agreed that if there was anything like this again he would tell me the truth and face the music. He understands how much more damaging it was that he lied about it. Since then, I have been to a work party where there was a male stripper. I didn't know in advance but I did know once I got there and I could have come home. It seemed a bit hypocritical, but I went anyway. I just sat at the back, while some of the married women in my group, went up on stage, straddled the stripper, took their wedding rings off, etc etc. That made me think that I wasn't so worried about DP being present in a large room where women were stripping, it was how he behaved and the interaction that would bother me. Hence why I was more upset about the topless women in the apartment than the ones in the strip club. FWIW I believe he would have behaved in a similar way to me in his situation. But his friend having that lap dance upset me, and made me think you can't trust any man, even the ones who seem nice and like they really love their partners.

Now he has his DB's stag party coming up. It's in the city where we live, but some people will be coming from elsewhere so there will be an apartment rented again. He has said he will tell the truth about it this time. He has admitted that the best man is planning something to do with strippers but nothing is booked in yet. I'm already feeling upset about it already and I just don't want him to be around strippers at all. WIBU to say, if that is happening, I don't want you to go at all?

OP posts:
jellybeannie · 10/02/2013 17:49

A question to those women that are fine about their husband/partner going to these places. Don't you mind that he is most probably getting turned on by another woman? I accept maybe not all, but I'm sure a good percentage of those men that are 'bored' are anything but. It is human nature, we are programmed to look around and want what we don't have. Is this not playing with fire then? I accept it is highly unlikely that he would cheat on you with a stripper, I'm not suggesting that.

Most of our partners are good, honest men. BUT good people do make mistakes and I can't help but think that going to these places brings out the animalistic nature that most men will kick to the back of their head when they get married. Is it not a slippery slope then to other things?

This is one of the reasons I don't want DH to go to these places. He has never been, has never been invited to and would automatically say no because he knows how I feel. Is he curious? I'm sure. Would he get turned on? Possibly, probably, that's what they are there for.

If he thinks I am beautiful and sexy, everything he could possibly want then why introduce doubt into his mind?

badinage · 10/02/2013 17:51

When last spotted Bela, the OP appeared to have been bludgeoned into agreeing that she was being unfair to this husband who lied to her and who was planning to go on yet another sex-industry stag party where an apartment was being booked 'for people who lived far away'......

I hope she read on.

BoneyBackJefferson · 10/02/2013 17:51

ledkr
"Well it's better than your boney because its come from real people and my husband whom weirdly I trust despite not wishing him to go to lap dancing clubs.
Your assumptions are from where? Your head."

how many people on here know you or your husband?
I could equally say that your DH's experiences are from your head.
It could be that you are infact a 50 yr old man.

On here we are all anonimous and whether you like it or not everyone's experiences are equal and everyone's evidence is equal.

annodotal is defined as "Not necessarily true or reliable, because based on personal accounts rather than facts or research."

seeker · 10/02/2013 18:00

Two things.

  1. Those of you who are happy for people to use LDCs and strippers, do you care at all about the women offering these services, and the conditions they work in?
  1. Would you be happy for your daughters to do the same work?
Trazzletoes · 10/02/2013 18:00

FOR. FUCK'S. SAKE.

WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT WOMEN WHO DON'T CARE IF THEIR OH GOES TO A STRIP CLUB TRYING TO BE COOL.

WE ARE NOT TRYING TO BE FUCKING COOL.

WE HONESTLY DON'T CARE!

For the hundredth time.

MarmaladeTwatkins · 10/02/2013 18:03

If you don't care that's worse.

You're all so cringey that it hurts, to be perfectly fucking honest.

badinage · 10/02/2013 18:07

What is this 'OH' thing? Other Halves?

Last time I looked, I was a whole person Wink

MechanicalTheatre · 10/02/2013 18:08

TrazzleToes people are entitled to their opinion. They'll probably take yours more seriously if you explain yourself calmly rather than stamping your feet like a toddler and caps-typing.

When you do that, it sort of tends to make you look like you don't really have an argument.

garlicblocks · 10/02/2013 18:08

I reckon empirical, verified studies of sex industry workers can probably be relied on to tell us that trafficking is now a massive problem, dancers are often coerced into providing extras by their management and strong efforts are made by managements to get dancers addicted to drugs which will intensify their need to make money. The police have confirmed that the rates of sexual assault and rape go up after a lapdancing club has opened in a district.

Much better than anecdotes. You won't find many real-world, verified studies to show that strippers are all art students, doing a bit of no-contact showing off for fun and pin money.

For the record: If I got into a relationship with a man who used sex industry products & services quite ignorantly innocently, I would share this information and expect him to give it up pronto. That isn't going to happen at my age - unless I unexpectedly have an affair with a 20-year-old, heh - but it's what I should have done when younger. I'd advise any younger woman to do the same now.

quoteunquote · 10/02/2013 18:08

Trazzletoes do you have daughters?

Would you care if they strip for a living?

ledkr · 10/02/2013 18:08

Ok then boney why discuss anything on mumsnet then because we are all mostly anonymous so any opinions would be anecdotal in fact this discussion should only be taking place if it involved people who had been to strip or lap dancing clubs regularly as most if us are discussing it but haven't been there.
Of course as you point out my opinions are second hand and told to me by a third party but your disbelief of what I said is based purely on your opinion nothing more.
The arrests in cheltenham every march are not anecdotal btw so feel free to check up on that if you wish to.
I'm not quite sure how we got here but as I said I have reason to believe that more than a bit if harmless fun goes on in some of these clubs and you don't agree. So that's it really.

seeker · 10/02/2013 18:11

Trazzletoes- could you answer my questions, please? They aren't about what your husband does- they are about your attitudes to sex workers.

ledkr · 10/02/2013 18:18

garlic funnily enough my dh was largely on the fence about it all. He'd never been to one but only because it hadn't particularly interested him.
Fast forward six years and two dds and he stil doesn't have strong opinions but would never go because he knows that I do and he admits he wouldn't want his dds to do it so feels that is another reason he wouldn't go. He was asked on a stag when dd would be about 5weeks old. He declined because he felt he didn't want to be away when she was so little. The pressure he was under from his mates to go was incredible, the stag do seems to bring out the make silverback in human males.

BoneyBackJefferson · 10/02/2013 18:21

ledkr

My point isn't that we shouldn't discuss things but that everyone's experiences are as valid as everyone else's (whether we agree with them or not).

ledkr + Garlic
My stance on this is that objectification of either sex is a bad thing.
and that the empirical data shows this.

MarmaladeTwatkins · 10/02/2013 18:22

God, I am so glad that my DH isn't one of these weak-willed man-children that so many of you seem lumbered with.

ledkr · 10/02/2013 18:24

Yes trazzketoes you seem ahem........happy with your choices and bit at all defensive Hmm

ledkr · 10/02/2013 18:24

boney well we agree on that at least Wink

GirlOutNumbered · 10/02/2013 18:27

oh please Marmalade tell us about your wonderful husband......

MarmaladeTwatkins · 10/02/2013 18:28

He's a real, proper grown-up. One that doesn't really like objectifying women, much less paying for it.

That's a start.

countrykitten · 10/02/2013 18:34

I too am amazed that all these grown up women put up with such appalling sounding men. I actually think that deep down these men are frightened of women which is why they seek out ones who are not strong willed enough to call them on their poor behaviour. And might explain why they like to look at semi clad women from afar and fantasise as these inaccessible women will never expect anything of them in a sexual way.

limitedperiodonly · 10/02/2013 18:37

Be cool Trazzletoes Grin

MarmaladeTwatkins · 10/02/2013 18:41

I agree, countrykitten.

They're inadequate men and a woman with a fully-formed sense of worth and good self-esteem wouldn't tolerate their juvenile behaviour. So they hone in on weak women.

BelaLugosisShed · 10/02/2013 18:45

Mine's a real, proper grown up who views women as equals too Marmalade, I wouldn't have been married to him for almost 30 years if he wasn't.

He was at 18 and in the military ( where there was/is real male peer pressure and misogyny) and he is now, a few years ago he refused to take prospective customers into a strip club , he doesn't need me to stand behind him informing him of the harms of the sex industry, his own feelings of it being exploitative and disrespectful were there long before it ever being on my radar .
I would hate to be married to a sheep.

Eebahgum · 10/02/2013 18:52

Although I suspect she's run away & is never coming back after some of the responses she got, I just wanted to give princess a quick high five. It takes a lot of guts for us women with less than perfect bodies to do that kind of thing for our partners. Just because you disagree with her opinions about strip clubs doesn't mean you need to question her relationship (which sounds pretty healthy & solid imo). X

MarmaladeTwatkins · 10/02/2013 18:53

Oh God, me too Bela.

A man who bows to the pressure of his mates is pretty unattractive. Shows a real lack of character.