The Corrupted Life of a Stripper-Rose

Quick Overview

The subject, Rose, currently 33 and living in Los Angeles, shares harrowing details of her past, including her mother's drug use from a young age, an instance where her father was arrested for drug possession, and later being kidnapped and assaulted at 18, which profoundly shaped her life and led her to her current work as a dancer, emphasizing that her greatest strength is her kindness despite these traumas.

Key Points: Rose struggled from a young age due to her mother's drug use and discovered her father was involved in drug possession when he was arrested. At age 18, Rose was kidnapped and assaulted, an event that broke her heart and profoundly impacted her life path. She grew up in Idaho near the mountains with a large family of nine siblings, plus parents, but did not live with all of them. Currently working as a stripper in clubs in Portland, Seattle, and occasionally Los Angeles, she notes that Portland is significantly cheaper for dancers. She regrets not pursuing a career path or education earlier, like getting her GED, because she followed her father's path of drug use and subsequent negative consequences. Rose identifies her greatest strength as her kindness, believing that kindness is the currency for the next life and spiritual wealth. She is currently clean from most drugs, only occasionally using cocaine or acid for spiritual reasons, and is focused on getting her driver's license and living authentically.

Context: This video features an interview with Rose, a 33-year-old woman from Los Angeles, as part of the 'Soft White Underbelly' series by Mark Laita, which documents the lives of individuals often on the margins of society. Rose recounts a difficult upbringing marked by parental struggles with addiction, a traumatic assault at age 18, and her current profession as a dancer, while reflecting on her personal growth and spiritual beliefs.

Detailed Analysis

Rose, 33, recounts a deeply traumatic childhood and young adulthood, beginning with her mother using drugs when she was very young; she was unaware of her father's drug use until he was arrested for possession after she found a crack pipe in his RV, an event that broke her heart. She grew up in Idaho near the mountains with nine siblings and parents who stayed together, though she wasn't raised with all her siblings. A major turning point was being kidnapped and assaulted at 18, after which she started following her father's path, leading to her dropping out of school despite trying to get her GED. She is currently clean from most drugs, though she admits to occasionally using cocaine or acid for spiritual purposes, noting that she doesn't do many drugs anymore. Rose currently works as a dancer in clubs, noting that Portland is much cheaper than Seattle for dancers, and she values not having to do extra services for money. She expresses regret for not pursuing a career or education earlier and for following her father's path, but she asserts that her greatest strength is her kindness, which she believes is spiritual currency. She has a sister who was attacked and pushed out of her wheelchair, and she worries about her mother's poor health and her own financial stability. She concludes by emphasizing the importance of not following destructive paths she witnessed and striving to be authentic.