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The More You Know

Houston Chronicle Wrong To Fire Part-Time Stripper

6:15 pm, March 30th | by Laura Donovan


I don’t know how familiar you are with journalism, but it’s a well known fact that the profession doesn’t lend itself to large paychecks. It’s a worthwhile sacrifice for me because I do what I enjoy most all day, but salaries in this industry can be difficult to survive on. That’s why I don’t understand why Sarah Tressler, a 29-year-old society columnist for the Houston Chronicle, is receiving backlash and lost her job for holding a side gig as a stripper.

In an article published earlier this week in the Houston Press, Richard Connelly outed her as a reporter by day, “stripper by night.” Connelly discovered her social media accounts that chronicle her nightly stripper activities and reveal that several people at her publication are “[f]urious because she barely bothers to conceal her identity” and “‘flaunts’ her ‘stripper money’ around the office in the form of expensive designer clothes and handbags.” And other people — like those with wealthy parents and/or spouses — aren’t sometimes showy also?

Though it would have demonstrated good form on Tressler’s part to notify the Chron of her other work, if anything to give higher-ups a sense of her availability and schedule, the other staffers have no business expressing outrage over another employee’s side gig. She’s clearly trying to earn more money, and, as Connelly suggested, perhaps score a book deal of some sort. But Jezebel nicely points out that this is a major goal of most scribes, particularly those in nonfiction writing.

No matter Tressler’s justification for working in adult entertainment and documenting it on the Internet under a pseudonym, she should not be looked down upon for dancing the night away at clubs. There’s a misguided notion that certain professions aren’t “respectable,” and while many would argue that writing is much more socially acceptable than taking one’s clothes off for pay, Tressler doesn’t deserve to be reprimanded for hustling to make a living. According to Connelly’s piece, Tressler is an adjunct professor at the University of Houston, a stripper, and a freelancer for the Chron and Us Weekly, so if anything, we can learn a thing or two from her about time management and work ethic. Do I envy women who have the Benjamins to walk around in Louboutins and pricey attire? Absolutely, but I have a lot more respect for the folks who fund that wardrobe themselves than with the help of their mother and father or spouse.

More than anything else, there’s nothing wrong with being a stripper. For the most part, we live in a pro-women society — particularly with regards to the workforce — yet not all female-oriented jobs are viewed equally. We’re supposed to idolize the Meg Whitmans and Marissa Mayers of the world, and rightfully so, but told strippers are lesser members of society whose career path is frowned upon, even though many of these women are just trying to care for themselves and their families. Supporting oneself — regardless of means (unless illegal) — should never be a source of shame.

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  • Rconnelly

    Connelly writes for the Houston Post, the alt-weekly that competes with the daily Chronicle. The Chronicle did not out Tressler; it has had no stories nor no comment on the Tressler business. The Press outed Tressler, and has taken a lot of heat for slut-shaming her. Get your facts straight before assessing blame.

  • http://twitter.com/LauraDonovanUA Laura Donovan

    Fixed it, thanks for pointing that out.

  • Anonymous

    We would have to look at the Chronicle’s employee handbook. Tressler could have been let go for cause like maybe bringing up the strip-joint web site on a company computer.  If the money is good, she can now exercise her feminist side and strip full-time. Some of us have been looking for work in our fields for years.

  • Rev. Gloves Donahue

    Or, should the strip joint have fired her for being a journalist?

  • Anonymous

    hah! love it…

  • Anonymous

    seconded!

  • http://twitter.com/Darr247 Darr Darr

    Sounds like chron.com’s run by some GCB’s.  How timely.

    Going by the picture chosen for this article, you seem to be unclear on the difference between waitresses and strippers, though.

    You’re not the type that calls women working at Hooters strippers, are ya? 

  • Anonymous

    Bathe her,,,,,and bring her to me

  • Tim Howe

    Laura – hows about if she got a night time job as a waitress or a bartender – like my sister did when she was first entering news broadcasting – instead of a dignity free job that enables the objectification of all women?

    Hmmm?

  • Anonymous

    This is the Houston Chronicle, a newspaper in the RED state of Texas, where the TEA-GOP-Republican run everything. The uppity management of the Chronicle is following the code of the Evangelicals who control the state. Firing this woman was to comply with the standards of the Legislature who are backed by the TEA-GOP-Republican party. The same one-party controlled state will make examples of those they want without recourse. It’s a sad commentary of those who say outside influences do not effect the “Free Press”.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/33E63EUBD3DBAAHC47FTI4JF4Y george

       To be blunt maybe she likes money after all being a stripper is a much more dignified job than Banker, Investment Counselor, Wall Street Broker,Corporate Lawyer, Lobbyist, GOP Politician, etc. so there are much worse things she could be doing.

  • http://twitter.com/LauraDonovanUA Laura Donovan

    Who are you to call it a “dignity free” job?? 

  • http://www.facebook.com/rodneysleon Rodney Shaddai Leon

    Sounds like basic jealousy to me.
    Mybe he approached her and she turned him down so he outed her.
    It did say he was looking thru her profiles online – was he doing that with every other woman on the floor?
    “Richard Connelly outed her as a reporter by day, “stripper by night.” Connelly discovered her social media accounts that chronicle her nightly stripper activities and reveal that several people at her publication are “[f]urious because she barely bothers to conceal her identity” and “‘flaunts’ her ‘stripper money’ around the office in the form of expensive designer clothes and handbags.” And other people — like those with wealthy parents and/or spouses — aren’t sometimes showy also?”
    reads like jealousy or the actions of somebody who was spurned to me.

  • 12voltman1

    The picture in the story brought me here. My only complaint…Where’s the video clip?

  • http://conurls.com/ Chris Jones

    I agree

  • http://twitter.com/grimcity Neal Boyd

    I concur. We really need more data so we can flesh out an opinion on this.

    (please)

  • Texas Girl

     Wow. You really don’t like Texans much, huh? Shame, because it seems to have blocked out your capacity for logic. Of our 48 governors, 39 have been Democrats. 6 have been Republicans. Terminating Sarah Tressler was wrong on the Chronicle’s part and the Press was messed up, too, but why would you blame it on our government? There have been crappy governments in every state and country. How would you like it if I judged you on them?

  • http://vita-ganieda.livejournal.com/ Ganieda

    I don’t know who Mr. Connelly talked to to get his input from Ms. Tressler’s colleagues, but the Press is not exactly a bastion of fine journalism, and they’re known for taking occasionally-malicious potshots at the more mainstream Chronicle. In other words, I would not put a whole lot of faith in his reading of the Chronicle newsroom.

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