Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Bachelorette

"Alright everyone, show me your sexy stripper walk! Toe to heel, swing those hips, chest out, butt out!" The zaftig woman in black leggings and tight black T-shirt bellowed directions over loud clubby music as a dozen thirty-something women paraded in a circle around a dance studio filled with brass stripper poles. "Okay now, start crossing one foot in front of the other as you walk!" shouted the instructress.

My brain overloaded as I tried to obey all the directions while keeping up with the woman in front of me. I stumbled and almost fell over. I was not wearing 4-inch heels. I was walking in stocking feet on a level floor. I felt neither graceful nor coordinated as I wobble-waved my arms just to stay standing.

This was my Saturday. A bachelorette party for a girlfriend. Four of her grad-school lady-buddies had cooked up an entire day's schedule of supposedly raunchy fun. So I found myself in an intro to pole- and lap-dancing class with ten women I'd never met before. When we were asked to partner up, I introduced myself to Helen. Within five minutes we were practicing lap dances on each other. If you think this was a sexy experience, you'd be dead wrong. The proper word to describe it was AWKWARD, like that, in all caps. Hello shy person I've just met, don't mind if I sit on your lap. And sure, feel free to shake your boobs in my face, I guess. Are we done yet?

The pole dancing part was more fun. We learned how to twirl around the pole with both feet off the floor. It's easier than it looks. Wheeee! :-)

At the end of the class we retired to Lindsey's apartment, where she lives with an adorable little dog called Leo. I swear, he was the sweetest little fellow. He wandered quietly around during the ensuing debauchery stopping under various chairs to work on his chew toys. When I leaned down at one point and said "Kisses!" he politely licked my chin. I swear, that dog had better breath than some people I know. Does he brush his own teeth? I wouldn't be surprised.

Drinks were offered, and we broke out a game of "Pervert!". Basically, questions are asked about one's sexual past and predilections. If you answer "Yes" to a question, you get to move forward once space. If you don't understand the question, move back. The questions ranged from "Have you ever had sex with a corpse?" (EW!) to "Have you ever told a vulgar joke to a person of the opposite sex." There was only one person in the room who was more prudish than I, according to the final results. What can I say, I'm conservative.

Next on the agenda was a sex toy party, which is akin to a Tupperware party, except with erotic products. A saleswoman showed up with a kit full of everything from edible massage cream to gear requiring batteries. The rule for sampling the lotions and potions was Left is for Licking; i.e. if it was something we were supposed to taste she would stick it on our left arm. Non-edible products were tested on the right. By the time we were done my arms smelled like a candy store. It reminded me more of buying penny candy at Becker's than anything that might happen in a bedroom.

The weirdest product was a peppermint gel called D'Licktious. We were asked to take a half-teaspoon, stick it halfway back on our tongues, and then swallow it. It was like gulping down a serving of toothpaste. Five minutes later we were asked to stick our fingers down our throats to test the desired result of a reduced gag reflex. I can't say that I noticed a difference, but truthfully I didn't put my all into the testing process. Sticking a finger down my throat is not an activity I enjoy by myself, let alone in a room full of relative strangers. For the record one of the women said it made "a world of difference".

The whole show-and-tell took around two hours. After those who were ordering had their order sheets in and we had said goodbye to the saleswoman, it was time for the next game: Pin the Mister on the Man. Check the Man out here. He ended up with Misters taped all over him, including one over his nose. All good, clean fun.

All in all it was a super-fun day, much more so that I expected. Yes, there were a few nervous-sweat-inducing moments, but the women I met were a great bunch: smart, funny, friendly, and charming. By the end of the evening I felt as though I'd known them for much longer than one day. There was a lot of laughing and surprisingly little drinking.

At 10:00 pm when I decided that I was done for the day the group had started in on a second round of "Pervert!", using the questions as jumping off points for scandalous personal anecdotes. It wouldn't be long before they set out to their last destination: a drag club, to view a drag fashion show. If I had more stamina I would have gone, but I didn't want to test my limits. So I thanked everyone and left, a mauve plastic phallic drinking straw in my bag as a memento of a fine, fine day.




13 comments:

Warped Mind of Ron said...

LOL... sounds fun. Nothing like a group of women giving lab dances to each other ;-)

Trying to think of the male equivelant to this sort of gathering, but I don't think there is one.....

DarcsFalcon said...

ROFLMAO! You're a brave soul. :) There's a difference between prude and private. Glad you had a fun and interesting time. :) And congratulations to the bachelorette!

Jameil said...

LOLOL. The lap dances sound horrid! I really don't want me and another woman shaking our naughty bits at each other no matter how much I know her! Let alone a stranger! Good gracious! Dead @ "a world of difference." iCan't!!! I've not only been to a toy party but knew a girl who sold them and had BINS full of catalogs and products. I will never be ready for the things I saw. Ever. You can go ahead and leave me OUT of those parties henceforth! S'il vous plait et merci!

Do you speak French? I wanted to play a game called Query a Canuck on my blog where we all asked you a ton of questions. LOLOL This was my brainchild months ago. Would you be down?

G. B. Miller said...

Never really heard what goes on at most bachelorette parties other than hearing the participants say how crazy everyone got during the party, so this was quite interesting.

Unknown said...

Stripper classes, sex toy exhibitions, Pervert, drag fashion show?

I went to the Markham Fair, saw pigs and cows and stuff. I had a very good time.

Kate said...

I wouldn't have been able to take it. Seriously. I about had a panic attack at the adult store just LOOKING at stuff.

Sparkling Red said...

Ron: I would love it if men gave each other lap dances at bachelor parties. That would be perfect!

DarcsFalcon: I have no objection to other people talking about their sex lives in any degree of detail. It doesn't bother me at all. But I do like to keep my own stories to myself.

Jameil: Bien sur, je parle Francais. I would be happy to play this intriguing game. Feel free to e-mail me when you're planning to post it and I'll make a point of getting online that day to participate.

G: There was surprisingly little drinking going on, at least while I was there, so I wouldn't call it "crazy" so much as "silly". What happened after 10 pm when I left, however, is not known to me. Maybe things did get crazy.

WIGSF: That's wholesome. I've been to the Markham fair before. It was fun, except that Ken was violently allergic to everything there. (animals, hay, and dust)

Sparkling Red said...

Kate: When you're in a comfortable living room, surrounded by women who are playing with the electric things like they were grade schoolers with a new pack of Transformers toys, it's hard to get intimidated. :-)

Anonymous said...

Gosh, what's not to love about a lap dance from a same-sex stranger and gagging oneself? Sounds like a whale of a time to me.

;) (J/K)

Glad you met nice people and had fun.

Just Plain Tired said...

You know, as long as you had fun, it's all good in my opinion.

LL Cool Joe said...

OMG that day sounds like torture!!

I'm glad you had fun though!

Jenski said...

I never would have imagined numbing peppermint gel for a sex toy party. Sounds like an educational night!

kenju said...

Sounds very interesting - all in the name of research, of course...
LOL

Thanks for the visit to my blog. I'll be back!