Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number
This topic has come up a few times over the last 2 weeks with some friends outside of the industry, so thought I’d write my thoughts on the elephant in the room, so to speak. My friend says, “So, how much longer are you going to do this for? What’s the length a girl can dance for? You can’t do this forever.” I burst out laughing, “WHYYYY NOT?! I can be the vintage stripper on the stage doing walker tricks and popping wheelies in my wheelchair when I’m 102!! My energy, my sparkle and my titties will always be fabulous! 😀
Then I proceed with my more serious tone, “I am the wrong person to ask that question to. Here I STILL am and going strong. Just when I think I’m ready to wind things down, settle my roots…my career gains more momentum and reaches even greater heights that I didn’t know were capable, like getting a US work visa and a solid touring schedule for 3 years. Plus, I’m still having a blast! I love performing and creating my new shows. I am still so passionate, I’m not over it, yet. I have had a loooong, very fulfilling and fruitful career that I am grateful for. I have everything I want, I am firmly established, so I’m good to hang up the stilletos at any point. This for me, is now the gravy train. When it’s time to move into fitness full time, I’m ready, but why would I when I am having so much consistent success and at a point where I am turning work away, not the other way around? Winning contests and titles, touring internationally, booked to headline events, high in demand, etc. This is my first week off in a year! And I am booked until the end of this year! I dance because I can and I love it, not because I need to.
And now that we are here, in this discussion, let’s open this can of worms right up! LOL Fuck the misogynist perception that a woman loses her sex appeal, sexuality and beauty once she hits 25 or 30. Screw that patriarchal and old way of thinking. From my experience, a woman’s sex appeal and sexuality only enhances with age…I know mine has!! Being tuned in, turned on and confident within yourself. Women should be celebrated in every phase of life and I am a leading example of that. Other OG features are following my lead and also killing it within the industry. One of my feature friends even came out of retirement! I am a feminine, athletic energy. I am waaay better now, in all areas, than I was when I was 20. 10-15 years ago, agents would put a dancer out to pasture once she moved beyond the 25-27 year old mark lol but back then girls would party a lot, do drugs and drink, not really take care of themselves. You can have longevity and sustainability if you take care of yourself from the inside-out. Even in some recent fitness competitions women who were masters (+35) were taking top placings in the open category against girls half their age! YES!!! Sex appeal is ageless and women of all shapes and sizes are sexy and beautiful. Good bye to the era that had women shamed for age, body type, ethnicity. This is a new era where women celebrate themselves and each other…..and men, too! Build each other up, not tear each other down. EmpowHer!!! As long as my audiences are coming out and enjoying my shows, I am not going anywhere until another venture sparks my soul.
I was working with these 2 dancers, who were upset because I was the feature and getting paid a much higher showprice than them. They would make age comments in the changeroom, to try and make me feel insecure, such a typical thing to do. At one point of the dancers came off stage and said, “Those guys weren’t tipping because they said I was old enough to be their mother. I don’t know how they’ll be with you.”
Well, I did lol I went on stage and they made it raaiiiinnn!! She made $6 I made $430. After my show, I came into the changerrom and she was SO angry! She yelled, “I don’t get it! I’m younger than you!”
That’s when I said, “YES..you ARE younger than me…but that’s it. Younger DOESN’T mean better. It only means, younger. It doesn’t mean: more talented, more beautiful, more sexy, more appealing, more fit….it ONLY means, younger. And if ‘Younger,’ is the only card you’ve got, you’ll be annihilated, because most of us OG features are playing with a full fucking deck. So, I suggest that instead of taking shots, you should be taking notes.”
And as fabulous karma would have it, that entertainer had to follow my shows all week LOL I’m the feature for a reason, people are coming in to see me and my shows. This was my audience. I will say, that I did work with these two entertainers again a few weeks later and they both apologized for their behavior. I personally, have never been hung up on age. It’s not something that I’ve ever been bothered by or worried about. I concern myself with being a great performer and maintaining total health and well being.
Baby Janine aka Wild Orchid lmao to current Janine Jericho
Breaking the Stereotypes
As many of you know, there is a stereotypical perception around exotic dancers and I feel like addressing that today. For the most part, I have been extremely fortunate to have been shielded from this stigma, I believe it’s because of how I conduct myself and my business, however, I haven’t been completely except and seeing that this is an ongoing issue that affects everyone in the biz, it’s time to share a little, uncover a few layers of the onion.
I’ve ALWAYS prided myself in my showgirl status, performing elite shows with huge, exquisite costumes combined with many specialty skills such as fire, aerials, pole and showmanship; like something you’d think you see in Las Vegas. I LOVE entertaining and connecting with audiences and have always gravitated towards creative facets, such as music-having my own band which I managed and was a singer/songwriter for, acting and stunting in the film industry, writing, personal training (inspiring and designing programs for people to help them reach their goals) and of course, dancing.
What I LOVE about my showgirl career, let me count the ways lol: Embodying feminine energy and confidence and exuberating that energy on stage through the art of creating an erotic journey, the athletics I demonstrate with pole fitness, dance ability and circus skills, creating characters that audiences with love and connect with, designing the music that takes my audience through a playful and entertaining experience, developing shows that are creative with props and special effects that people want to come back in to be a part of the experience, that ‘Sweet Spot’ when I am completely connected to the audience, being able to fill a room and most importantly INSPIRE people around the globe through my own story and performances!
See, so far there’s more than meets the eye, even in the driving motivations behind creating the shows. I am an empowered woman who is tapped into her sensuality, sexuality, feminity and have chosen the stage as my platform and playground to demonstrate that. I am not some dysfunctional party girl, using drugs and alcohol, being promiscuous and that has daddy issues LOL I come from a loving and supportive family, I am a national level, natural athlete, I have excelled in 2 other careers and have a long list of accolades. I am a business woman first, creative artist second. And I’m not the only one! Many girls in this industry have interesting stories to share.
What had prompted me to write this blog was a random comment made from someone in regards to being a high priced escort from having a wishlist and receiving gifts from customers…at first I completely dismissed this because it was SO stupid and ignorant I didn’t think people actually would believe that. I mean, dancing on stage in an glamorous, expensive costume, performing acrobatics and high energy dance routines where NO ONE can touch you is completely different from having sex with strangers for money and gifts…Not to mention if I or any other elite, headlining, showgirl had that reputation you would NOT be booked. Venues do not want that behavior attached to their name. It is frowned upon. CLEARLY people understand the EPIC difference…I mean, I make more than enough money to buy my own damn gifts! And I do! But in this biz your fans sometimes want to express their appreciation, so it is common to receive things as well but without any intention whatsoever in the sex department.
But nope, this person in the beginning really did question that. I guess the being naked part equalled being openly sexual, too lol quite honestly, I VALUE myself, I have deep self-worth and self-love and am traditional in the intimacy department. I DON’T believe in just giving yourself to anyone. I don’t believe that sex is just sex. I believe in honouring yourself and sharing yourself with someone you have mutual feelings for. Meaningful sex only. So yes, provocative on stage, more traditional in my private life.
What’s also interesting is that I have more female followers than I do male. And many of these young girls and women are inspired by the energy I project, for I think they feel their own sensuality, desire and feminine energy heighten from my reflection, I have explained this before. I had a full front row of screaming ladies (not uncommon for me) and a male customer made a comment about how all the women were lesbians. “Maybe a few!, “ I replied with a giggle, “But the majority, nope, just women out showing their appreciation for anot
her woman’s sexiness and sensuality. It is a girl power era! I love it! It definitely helps break down that stigma over dancers because women can come into clubs and see for themselves what goes on.
I have never felt the need to hide what I do. In certain situations I may be more discreet but for the most part, I am proud of my accomplishments and what this career has done for me. Being authentic doesn’t come from what you do, it comes from who you are and when you are being true to yourself, you are being authentic, and when you are being authentic, you will flow that into what you do. So many people talk about taking the road less traveled, be yourself, follow your heart but many of those same people are the first to judge you when you do. I personally don’t care, I am a self-made woman and a successful one at that. I wouldn’t be here if I listened to other people’s judgments and opinions. Their opinions of me are none of my business. It’s their issue, not mine and I don’t make it mine.
When I conceived my son at a young age everyone said that if I kept him, I wouldn’t make it, I’d become another welfare statistic and my modelling career would be over…I owned my first house and vehicle by the time I was 21, traveled the world, had tons of modelling jobs and a successful band but most importantly, he was the BEST thing that has ever happened to me and he makes me proud everyday. We DID make it, above and beyond what even I thought I could do.
When I decided to put a band together, everyone sa
id that it was a cut throat industry, you’ll never make it, why don’t you get a ‘real’ job…. a year later we sang for Jay Leno on the Tonight Show, were on the front page of the newspaper, appeared on E.TV, Global Television, Shaw TV, Online TV and had several publications. When I decided to work in a gym I was told it was a man’s industry, don’t bother trying to move up….within 3 months I was the top producer in the company and in 6 months I moved into management.
When I decided to compete in a fitness competition, everyone said I wouldn’t win, it’s political, you need to pay your dues….and I won my first show. When I was going down to the States to compete in dancing contests everyone said they will never let a Canadian win one of their contests, I not only won 2 big titles, one of them being Miss Nude USA (yes, this Canadian girl won a US title…clearly it wasn’t political LMAO I just did the biggest show, a show that couldn’t lose) but also a slew of mini titles!!
These are just a few examples of where I’ve been and what I’ve done. There are so many more lol but I’ll share these ones with you for now. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that happiness is an inside job. You cannot make anyone else happy or accept you for who you are…and that’s OK. It’s not about making everyone else happy it’s about making yourself happy. And when you are in alignment with your passions and journey, your happiness with be felt by those around you and though they still might not love your choices, they might not battle with you on them because they like how they feel when they around your positive, authentic vibes. And for those who don’t, it’s their loss, not yours.
ahhh delving deep! And there are other ladies with stories just as thick, if not more. Never judge a book by it’s cover, you just might miss how interesting the story really is.
Road to the World’s
Road to the World’s and Exotic Universe 2016
I have been invited to compete in Exotic Nude Universe and Miss Nude World this year and am seriously considering it, I think I have one more contest in me. I have evolved my shows quite a bit over the last 2 years and I think it’d be a great way to end my final year in the dancing industry.
To help cover the expenses of the travel and competing, I’ve decided to sell my promo for a minimum donation of $20 or more, which all will go towards my, ‘Road to The Worlds’ cause. I also think this will be a fun and interactive journey to take with all of my supporters. I will post video clips of my contest prep and give you all an inside look at how I’m getting ready for the contest 😀
As many of you know, 2016 has not been the easiest year for me. I was faced with many challenges and heart aches along the way. It definitely has been a year of endings, personal growth, new chapters…dealt with a few heavy hearted betrayals
, my family losing a lot in a forest fire and the trauma that went along with that devastation and the financial loss, my car becoming a money pit…one of those year’s that really tested me on every level to the limit buuuut I not only moved forward keeping the vision of my dreams clear but moved through it all with epic it grace, tenacity and ‘balls to the wall’ determination, not allowing the negative situations to have any power over me and my dreams.
I’m happy to say that I’m now feeling on top of the world these days and things have been moving in an AMAZING direction for me. I’ve let go of a lot of crap, my mind and heart are clear and I have a renewed sense of passion and inspiration, I’d like to just go for it!! In everything! End the year 2016 on a victorious note, both on the inside and the outside. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s to always see the brightside, that things WILL always get better but how fast is really up to you. You can waver in feeling down and out which will just attract more negative experiences when hovering it that energy or let go and move on. Moving forward is freedom. And letting go isn’t giving up, it’s understanding that the best is yet to come
Last time I did the World’s, I didn’t even make podium. Every girl brought her A game and the competition was not only fierce but SO close. There was no clear front runner, which is common in a lot of contests, as each contestant was GREAT. It came down to mistakes…with a contest so close it only took one mistake to knock you out of placing and that’s what happened with me. My first show for the World’s was excellent, nailed it with a lot of perfect scores, it actually won me 2nd place in Exotic Nude Universe. But my second show bombed with a few mistakes that happened with the stage crew and it bumped me right out of placing. That year Isabelle Deltoire won, Layla Dash took second and Justice took third…and she was crippled! LOL YES, my bestie made podium one handed, she killed it! BUT in the end, all had consistently great back to back shows and deserved their placings fair and square.
If I do it this year, I have learned from my previous mistakes and am hoping to nail my shows with the same consistenc
y and greatness those girls maintained.
So let’s do this peeps!! Join me on this journey! If you’d like to buy a poster or magnets you can send me an etransfer to jerichog@live.com, use PayPal or my GoFundMe page. Send me a message or email with your mailing address and I’ll send a piece of promo out to you. Onward and upward!!
NOW….WHAT shows should I perform???
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