COVER STORY
The Amish Girl Turned Stripper
From bonnets to G-strings and back again
Naomi Swartzentruber left her Amish community when she was a teenager to become an exotic dancer. Now a content creator and published author, Swartzentruber has grown a significant online fanbase by sharing her life story and details of her Amish roots on social media. Her dancing years might be behind her, but Swartzentruber hasn’t really hung up her stripper heels — or her “English” ways — just yet.
I was 17 when I ran away from my Amish community and family. All I had was $60, a watch and a plastic grocery bag. I knew I wanted to get a job, a car and a place to live — I just didn’t know how it was going to happen.
My siblings and I — seven boys and five girls — were raised in the Swartzentruber Amish community, one of the most conservative subgroups of Old Order Amish. Our childhood was centered around obedience. Us girls wore long, dark-colored dresses down to our ankles and couldn’t roll up our sleeves past our elbows. We had to wear bonnets all the time and couldn’t have any hair showing. We weren’t allowed to have a lot of games or toys with batteries.
That said, I was really happy as a little Amish girl, and I was proud to be Amish. But when I was around seven or eight, my dad took me with him to our English neighbors — we called anyone who wasn’t Amish “English” — to make a phone call, and he warned me against looking at their TV. When I got there, the TV was on, and I remember trying to look out of the corner of my eye, but also feeling horrible for doing so because I thought I was sinning. That was the first time I became curious about the outside world.
When I was 15, my cousins and I started hanging out with this old “English” couple — they’d secretly come pick us up and take us to their house on Sundays. We’d watch country music videos, drink beer and smoke cigarettes. One time us girls let our hair down and painted our nails red. I felt so fancy. I was like, “Oh my gosh, I’m so English.”
When I was 16 or 17, I snuck out and lost my virginity to a non-Amish boy in the snow by a cornfield. I felt some guilt, but it also felt so good to be rebellious. I just wanted to do it more and more. In my community, young people never learned about sex. It was taboo to even talk about it.
In my community, young people never learned about sex. It was taboo to even talk about it.
I kept sneaking out with boys, and one night I got caught. That’s what really put me over the edge and made me realize I wanted to run away. With the help of a log delivery man and his wife, who offered me a temporary place to stay, one night I climbed out the window while my siblings were sleeping, jumped to the ground and took off running in the fields barefoot.
Pretty soon, I got a job at Burger King, before moving to Minnesota and starting to work at a factory making a little over $7 an hour. Then I got a job at IBM, where I made almost $10 an hour. Six months later, I started dancing. Living in my own apartment, my rent was $420 a month, and I worried about how I was going to make ends meet. A friend took me to a strip club, and before I knew it, I was up on stage.
I remember my first night as a stripper so well: I was on stage half-naked, feeling sure I was going to cry. I thought what I was doing was a sin, and if my family knew, they’d never forgive me. But amazingly, I didn’t shed a tear. Instead, I felt empowered. Afterwards, I gathered the money from the stage — I made $55 — and the manager told me I could start my first shift the following night.
Eventually, I moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan and started dancing there as well. The Michigan girls did a lot of pole dancing, and I was blown away — I didn’t know anything like that even existed. During the day, I’d go on stage with the girls to learn how to pole dance. Thanks to working on the farm, I was very athletic, so I quickly learned how to do it and felt so strong.
The first outfit I ever bought for dancing was a tiny pink one-piece swimsuit with a thong bottom and a thin strip that barely covered my boobs. I had never worn anything remotely like it before, and it felt so good. Being in that environment around strong women who were proud of what they did helped me realize I used to be so judgmental. And, for the first time, I understood that sex could be more than an act of rebellion — it could simply be about pleasure.
For the first time, I understood that sex could be more than an act of rebellion — it could simply be about pleasure.
After many ups and downs, I moved to Las Vegas and began working longer hours as a stripper and sex worker to make enough money to buy myself a house. The next year, I moved to L.A. with the guy I was dating and started going to school for my phlebotomy and X-ray technician licenses. Still, while I was in school, every couple months I’d return to Vegas to dance. Eventually, I got a job as a phlebotomist, but I was only making $11 an hour. So I kept dancing.
When I met my current partner, we decided to move to Phoenix. I danced there until the pandemic hit, the clubs shut down and I got pregnant. I haven’t danced since, even though I miss going on stage and miss the rush I’d get right before my routine.
During all this time, I slowly rebuilt my relationship with my family. Today, I visit my parents and my siblings when I can. Even though my parents don’t accept my “English” partner, I’m grateful they love my daughter and that she loves them. Sometimes I miss the simplicity of living an Amish life, but I’m thankful I now have the freedom I was so desperate to find when I first jumped out that window and ran through the fields 29 years ago.
When we first met, my partner told me I should share my life story on social media. I decided to give it a try, and now that’s how I make a living — by sharing details about my life and my Amish background and culture. I try to be a resource for all those who are curious to learn more about the Amish way of life and answer any of the questions they have — sometimes while wearing traditional Amish clothing, bonnet and all. In 2023, I also published my memoir, The Amazing Adventures of An Amish Stripper.
I do miss being on stage, though. Truth be told, I’m going to get a stripper pole installed in my house soon. But now I’m dancing just for me.
MONEY TROUBLES
Sex Workers on Whether or Not There Will Be A Recession
Forget NASDAQ, let’s check the Stripper Index
“There’s a saying in our line of work,” says GoGo Zombi, a U.S. porn performer and producer. “If the strip club’s slow, the economy’s worse.”
Finance bros haven’t usually looked to sex workers for financial advice, but that started to change in 2022, when a stripper named @botticellibimbocorrectly predicted that year’s market crash. “Historically, adult entertainment has been an early indicator of economic downturns,” Zombi explains. “We see behavioral shifts before they hit the data.”
Now, it’s a bona-fide formula: The Stripper Index. When a recession creeps in, we obviously prioritize the basics, like food and housing, meaning we have less cash to spend on luxuries like an OnlyFans subscription or a lap dance.
And so, with the American economy teetering, it felt like the perfect time to ask Zombi and other sex workers what economists and everyone else is worried about: Is the U.S. headed for a recession?
GoGo Zombi: My honest answer is yes, many of us in the industry are already feeling it. Over the past few months, we’ve seen a rise in canceled subs, slower upsell conversions and more hesitant buyers — even from longtime clients. That’s usually the first sign of broader economic contraction.
Tips are slowing down across the board, high-spending clients are fewer and gift-giving (a big indicator of emotional and financial abundance) is significantly down. When even your top-tier fans start budgeting, it’s a red flag.
Meanwhile, I have close friends in the club circuit from Vegas to Atlanta to NYC, and they’re all reporting fewer clients, smaller tabs and shorter VIP sessions. That mirrors what we saw before the 2008 crash. Dancers were among the first to feel the slowdown, while the media and Wall Street were still optimistic.
Kasey Kei: We all crave intimacy, and the exhilarating rush of sexual satisfaction, but sex work — especially the online adult industry — is hitting an all-time level of over-saturation. I’ve absolutely seen a downturn in people being able to pay for porn. The fans aren’t going away, but they’re becoming ever selective about where their money goes.
Frenchy Morgan: I strip three to four days a week, and personally, this summer has been really good. I don’t think we’re headed for a recession, but I do think strippers should choose clubs wisely.
I’m over 40, and a lot of my big-spending clients are in their 20s and 30s; the younger guys love older women. I danced for a 24-year-old who spent more than $10,000 in one night last month. On a busy night, you can make $200 on a stage show, so that adds up when you factor in the VIP room and lap dances. It’s also true that if the club isn’t busy, it’s a lot lower — you might make $10 to $25 on a stage show. The key is to never give up, stay until the club closes and pick a club you feel comfortable in.
Wisconsin Tiff: I don’t know if there’ll be a recession, but if there is, I don’t think it’ll interfere with sex work — guys always go to porn when things aren’t going well. As a sex worker, though, you always need a back-up plan and a strategy for marketing yourself.
I’m doing well, but it took several years and lots of trial and error to figure out what works for me. This work isn’t always booming for everyone. It depends on how much you want it to work, and whether you can keep up with trends. I might not be the industry’s top earner, but I make enough to live comfortably — so, if times get hard, it wouldn’t affect me hugely.
Elaina St. James: I’m not sure if we’re in a recession, but I’m hearing more financial fears and concerns from fans, more so than I ever have since joining OnlyFans in 2021. They’re scared to spend extra money, and not just on my content — they mention vacations and new vehicles being put on the back-burner, too. Financial uncertainty is prevalent.
Eva Maxim: You can definitely feel a shift. Clients who used to spend freely are pulling back. Everyone I know in the industry is saying the same thing. In the clubs, weekends that used to be guaranteed money-makers are hit or miss now. Online traffic might still be decent, but tips and subscriptions are way down. Even my regulars say they’re cutting back, or they’ve disappeared entirely.
At the same time, there are way more people entering the industry — especially online — which means more competition and lower prices across the board. That’s usually a red flag. The rich clients are still around, but the middle-tier guys, who used to have steady jobs and spend modestly, are vanishing.
So yeah, if you ask me whether a recession is coming? It feels like it already has for us. — Jake Hall
good vibrations
The Weird and Wonderful Promises of Vintage Vibrator Ads
They’ll do wonders for your complexion
When vibrators began trickling into American homes at the start of the 20th century, they were advertised as massage guns, beauty tools and gleaming beacons of health, happiness and weight loss.
But despite such marketing claims, it’s safe to assume that women were mostly using them for just one thing: sexual release.
Naturally, then, these ads are pretty hilarious when viewed through a modern-day lens. So let’s journey through vibrator history and see just how far they’ve come (cum?).
“Give It to Her”
This cordless, pocket-sized beauty promises “fast, penetrating comfort” for women on the go. There’s a version of this vibrator for men too, but it inexplicably costs a dollar extra. Maybe it comes with a flared base?
“Vibratory Massage for Every Member of the Family”
This isn’t just any vibrator, it’s the American Vibrator! Apparently, using such a lightweight vibrator brings about “that delightful sensation of renewed energy that is necessary for an active, useful, happy life.”
Better still, you don’t pay for your purchase until you’ve completed a 15-day trial. Presumably, they got a few returns in questionable condition.
“Revitalize and Streamline Your Figure!”
Sure, masturbating burns calories — albeit veryfew — but that’s probably not what advertisers meant when they promised that this vibrator would lead to weight loss. It looks a bit like a hand blender without the attachments, and you can “strap it to the area to be massaged, relax and let this marvelous Normalizer do the work!”
“Here’s Health, Strength, Beauty”
This ad gives a glimpse into presumed male attitudes of the time. The copy indicates that it wasn’t uncommon for men to say they “don't care for such things,” but the real comedic gem is the claim that the Premier Vibrator delivers “both pounding and rotary strokes.”
“Summer Complexions Require Home Electric Massage!”
The painted woman in this ad is a vision of aesthetic perfection, and the vibrator is her secret weapon. There are some pretty bold claims here — can a scalp massage really ward off rheumatism? — but apparently your favorite Hollywood starlets were vibrator enthusiasts, too.
“Great Vibes!”
The copy for this vibrator ad reads like it was written by a dog in heat. The capitalization of “NINE INCHES LONG”? The invitation to rub it down your partner’s back? The assertion that it’s “great for getting places you couldn’t reach before”? The other ads are suggestive at best, but this is hands-down the horniest of them all. — Jake Hall
use your other head
Riddle Us This
“I go in hard, come out soft, and I’m never the same again. What am I?”
Scroll all the way to the bottom for the answer.
female perversions
Who Decided Women Supposedly Have Lower Sex Drives Than Men?
The ‘spit on that thang’ woman begs to differ
There’s no shortage of vocally horny women in pop culture right now. From Bonnie Blue and her thousand-dude sex-a-thon to Hawk Tuah’s “spit on that thang” viral moment, it’s pretty clear that at least some women have sky-high sex drives.
But there’s still a common perception that women have lower sex drives than men. So, I asked sexologists: Does it hold up?
Rethinking Horniness
Michelle Smith is a licensed clinical mental health therapist, and she’s met plenty of couples navigating their wildly different sex drives. “The short answer is no,” she tells me. “It’s a myth that women have lower sex drives than men,” one rooted in “misinformation around women’s health.”
Basically, there are two main kinds of sexual desire:
- Spontaneous Desire: The burnin’ loin, heart-throbbing, underwear-dampening response to laying eyes on someone you can’t help but lust over.
- Responsive Desire: A type of passion that requires feelings of safety and intimacy to flourish.
According to Smith, women are more likely to experience the latter. It might be because they’re juggling an endless to-do list as well as the burden of managing a household, or they may feel underappreciated and overstimulated.
As Smith summarizes: “Who has time to stop and be sexy?”
That’s why Smith finds herself working with couples to reframe desire. Forget newfangled dildos, a previously checked-out husband stepping up his household responsibilities might be the world’s greatest aphrodisiac to a “responsive desire” woman.
Also, Lesbians Exist
There’s nothing less sexy than being viewed as a baby-making machine, but that’s often been the case for women throughout history. And unsurprisingly, research increasingly shows that viewing sex as solely reproductive is pretty unsexy.
Dr. Holly Wood, a certified sex educator, points to a growing body of research that indicates “in same-sex relationships among women, many women report higher levels of intimacy and desire than they did with male partners.” In Wood’s eyes, the low sex drive myth is “rooted more in cultural bias than biology,” and she reiterates that “sex drive is deeply individual,” and influenced by factors as wide-ranging as “hormonal shifts, caregiving roles, relationship dynamics and the division of labor at home.”
Thirsty or Thirsty?
Wood adds that terms like “sex drive” can be misleading. Researchers increasingly view sex as an “incentive motivation system, not a ‘drive’ like hunger or thirst,” she explains. There’s this idea that we’re all horny, carnal animals on the prowl for our next orgasm, and while that may feel true to some, Wood says it’s also worth viewing sex as “seeking out pleasurable or emotionally meaningful experiences.”
Wood concludes with a handy tip: “If you’re waiting to feel ‘in the mood’ before initiating sex, you might miss opportunities for connection.”
So, forget the old-school myth that women are inherently sexless, or harder to arouse than their rabid, testosterone-fueled counterparts. Maybe just do the laundry for her next time. — Jake Hall
that’s definitely not what it looks like
Get Your Mind Out of the Gutter
rhythm of the night
The Last Word
I don’t need music to make love. I am the rhythm. In those moments, the melody will be your breath trembling, your heartbeat racing — and the sound of you surrendering to me.
— Kitana Montana on the best music (or not) to play during sex
our favorite twitter bops
Tease Frame
Credit: @meatballworld on Twitter and OF
Answer to the Riddle Above: Chewing gum.
Closing CREDITs
The XXXtra Spicy newsletter is edited, written and curated by Serena Tara, with contributions from Jake Hall.