A recent college graduate is thinking of hanging up her “midnight ballerina” hat and putting her passion for serving to good use. This comes after working at the nighttime club, which led to her being mentally and emotionally drained.
In a TikTok, Heather (@basicallyheatherr), who moved to Austin, Texas, six months ago and is pursuing her master’s, vents about her bartending job at a “midnight ballerina club.” She says the grueling shifts have left her exhausted. As someone who “likes bartending but loves serving,” she has sent over 100 applications trying to land a gig as a server.
What’s A ‘Midnight Ballerina’?
A midnight ballerina is a spicy club dancer. The euphemism became popularized on TikTok after speculations about a contestant on “Love Island USA” season 7 went viral.
According to Distractify, the term likely “originated from Cori Williams’s 2014 novel Midnight Ballerina, and based on the context of the book, it may just be the inspiration behind how the phrase is being used today.”
Heather, who bartends at a “midnight ballerina” club, shares her desire to leave in a TikTok before a job interview. She says she hopes her next job has a more “respectable clientele.”
“Working at the club has been mentally and emotionally draining for me,” Heather shares. “Just dealing with the type of people that come in there.”
While Heather admits that she “knew that going in,” the experience has still been overwhelming. She cites clients flirting and being inappropriate and attempting to touch her as reasons she goes home exhausted after every shift.
“I think I just want to serve people their dinner, lunch, or whatever,” Heather says, before promising to update viewers on how the interview goes.
At the end of the clip, she reveals that the interview went well, and she has a three-hour staging shift on Monday to see if she’s a good fit. For the unfamiliar, a staging shift is usually an unpaid training that servers do to see if they can handle being in that restaurant. She once again lets viewers know she will share an update after her staging shift.
The Toll A ‘Midnight Ballerina’ Job Takes On People
Despite Heather being a bartender at the club and not a dancer, her concerns come as no surprise. Workers in general have been complaining about the industry for years. While the rise of online platforms for such workers has shifted the power dynamics, albeit slightly, women still reside in a patriarchal society that leads to the issues Heather highlighted.
One study revealed how dancers “expressed health concerns associated with: the effects of costuming and appearance requirements; dirty work environments; problems due to stigmatization, sexual harassment and assault; and police disinterest or victim blaming.”
However, there are some positive effects for many women. As one NeuroLaunch article shared, there’s a boost in self-esteem and body image. There is also the added financial empowerment. Still, the most worrisome psychological effect is objectification.
“When your job involves being viewed primarily as a sexual object, it can be challenging to maintain a sense of self-worth that extends beyond your physical appearance,” the article stated. “This constant objectification can lead to a disconnection from one’s own body and sexuality, a phenomenon some researchers have termed ‘body alienation.’”
In an r/AskMeAnythingIAnswer post on Reddit, a dancer of 10 years invited users to ask their most pressing questions. In one comment where a user asked about the trauma that may have led the user to dancing, they answered:
“The club taught me how to gain confidence in being myself, not only through the job itself but the community of girls and mangers and djs I worked with. My life leading up to the club had been a very lonely one, with no positive outside influences. When I went into the club, I was eventually the girl that was friends with every single person… it blew my mind.”
Did Heather Get The Job?
While the Redditor and several others have found confidence in the work Heather was eager to settle into a serving job. She shared in an update that she ended up landing the job at a well-known smokehouse in Austin.
“I’m just so excited to get back to serving,” Heather says. “I like bartending, but I love serving.”
She revealed that she was paid for her stage, which was a surprise in the industry.
“What the manager said to me was, ‘We don’t believe in working for free,’” Heather shares. “And I’m 100% on board with that.”
@basicallyheatherr Just a working girl #atx #austin #restaurant #server #bartender
BroBible reached out to Heather via TikTok comment.