Honest to god, the men are the performers. The women are the audience, it’s [the men’s] show that I’m going to see, it’s not mine. I’m getting paid for being in the audience—it’s audience participation.

In an era where women’s rights can never be taken for granted, this incredible body of work acts as a metaphor for the strength and fragility of women around the world. These remarkable images epitomize the societal tensions women face every day. This body of work remains a tour de force.

What I saw from inside was that the girls pictured themselves differently. Stripping was an opportunity for many of them. I felt a tension between how they perceived themselves and how society was looking at them—not just the men but the women’s liberation movement.

Over the years, I had forgotten my first chance encounter with a stripper in the carnival bathroom in 1972. Meeting that dark-haired woman led to a journey of many returns. It compelled me to meet and speak to the women who participated in the girl shows.

I was filled with questions like any woman of that time about women's liberation. I was wondering who I was in relation to these working women with the privileges I had. It was a really intense set of questions that I think I've carried with me through my life.