Stripper News’ Diney on Shadowbans, Social Media and Sex Workers Telling Their Own Stories

Words: Hanna Harris | Photography: Albert Hoang | Performers: @thehotsidekick @andreawerhun @dineydoeslife

How does one spin upside down on a stripper pole, conduct a professional interview, present informative research, and twerk on a puppet all at the same time? For the correspondents at Stripper News – which is exactly what it sounds like: a social platform where the news is presented by multi-talented strippers – the answer is: “Easily!” 

Sex workers have always been a canary in the coal mine for shifts in social and political realities, but Diney and the team at Stripper News noticed a discrepancy between those essential insights true to sex workers and the narratives about us being platformed. Through that frustration Stripper News was born. 

With an approachable sense of humour and an incisive attention to the complexities of her correspondents, Diney is making her dream of a world where strippers are recognised for their soft skills a reality. While many in the civilian world have been surprised by the intelligence of strippers on Stripper News, those within the community feel seen in highlighting the complementary nature of their brains and their sex appeal. At Stripper News our passion and humanity does not make us a contradiction, it makes us whole. 

In a time of increasing visibility running parallel to a snowballing of conservative attacks on strippers, Diney and the team at Stripper News have created a platform in which strippers can tell their own stories along with the stories that authentically matter to them. We spoke to Diney about the initiative, the skills involved, their big lesbian following, and more.

Polyester: Stripper News has such a keen awareness of how the realities of sex workers are intertwined with the struggles for collective liberation. You have done spots on indigenous land rights, tariffs, AI art, and Canadian election coverage. Has anything surprising come up for you in the reception of that? 

Diney: Yeah, and it’s funny too because there have actually been some pretty iconic Canadian journalists, political figures, activists, and even iconic VJs who’ve liked our content. Maybe they don’t follow us yet. I wonder if some people are hesitant to follow or share because it says "stripper." But I hope we get to a point where we’re generating so many important stories that people aren’t even thinking about the word. They’re just excited to share it, and I think that’s already happening.

“I hope we get to a point where we’re generating so many important stories that people aren’t even thinking about the word “stripper”. They’re just excited to share it, and I think that’s already happening.”

You mentioned that certain audiences became really attached to it. Can you talk more about those audiences? I assume dancers and former dancers, but are there others?

That’s been so exciting for me, seeing how dancers have connected with it. It makes me feel giddy. I've also connected with dancers in New York and met even more through the project. Everyone’s excited about telling stories, sharing stories, witnessing them unfold.

I love seeing dancers involved. We also have a male audience. Some are just spectators, but many are actually engaging with the content, which is great. Apparently, we have a big lesbian following.

I’m part of that lesbian following, so I’ll confirm that!

That’s perfect. A lot of us are queer, so I love that. There are also a lot of girly-pops, including people who don’t do sex work, who are still really invested in the stories, the people, and even the merch.

Shoutout to the girls’ girls. I also wanted to circle back to the word "stripper" leading in the title. That language is stigmatised, and even within sex work, people have different preferences about how they identify. Was it intentional for you to use "stripper"?

Yes, it absolutely was. It had to be Stripper News. It’s a bit complicated because we’re working around censorship and shadowbanning, and we’ve definitely run into issues. But part of this project is about reclaiming that word. There’s nothing explicit about saying you’re a stripper. It shouldn’t be censored. I want that word to be visible, bold, and owned.

That’s why we say it so often in the videos. It becomes a kind of jingle. People will DM me or come up to me in public and say, “Stripper News,” and I’ll say it back. By repeating it, we’re encouraging people to say it and feel more comfortable with it. If it becomes fun to say, maybe it also becomes easier to accept.

The skill set for dancers is huge. You have to be smart, charismatic, quick on your feet. Honestly, the skills required to be a news correspondent are really similar. Do you think people have been surprised by that?

I think so. Not the hoes – we’re not surprised. But some others definitely have been. That’s probably what catches people off guard. You mentioned how some people maintain a persona. I find that really interesting. Being a stripper or sex worker often involves a persona. Sometimes it's an exaggerated version of yourself. Sometimes it’s something entirely different.

What I love is watching us shift gears when needed. We can be playful and then switch into something more serious to make a point. You see it in the videos, and that mirrors what happens in the club – setting boundaries while still being ourselves.

People sometimes react like, “Wow, that was an amazing question,” or “That was real journalism.” And I’m like, of course. We think about these things all the time. We have opinions too.

That balance of persona and personal beliefs is real. Some people think we have to choose between the two. But we don’t. I can embrace my stripper self and still show up as my full self, without the glitter, with my fears, my sexuality, and my complexities. One doesn’t take away from the other.

“What I love is watching us shift gears when needed. We can be playful and then switch into something more serious to make a point. You see it in the videos, and that mirrors what happens in the club – setting boundaries while still being ourselves.”

I’ve also really enjoyed watching correspondents switch between those energies – turning it up to ten, then down to seven, then one. It’s so fast and sharp. Where do you see Stripper News fitting into that space between media and politics?

I think we’re right in the middle. On one side, there’s the Hollywood image of what’s sexy or glamorous. On the other, traditional media often frames us in negative or misinformed ways. Sometimes articles are written about us by people who don’t even know the community.

Stripper News exists between those two worlds. By pulling on both ends, we can disrupt both. We’ve seen stories like Anora. There are positives, but they’re not being told by sex workers, so there’s a lot missing. Audiences get attached to a limited narrative. We want to tell our own stories. We want access to the platforms where that happens. And we’re already being taken more seriously. Some of the girls have been invited to write traditional journalism articles or be interviewed about Stripper News. That’s what we want. The next time a story is told, it’s told by someone who knows what they’re talking about, not by someone with hidden biases. Our voice becomes the one that’s heard.

Speaking of that need for self-directed media, I wanted to ask about visibility and safety, especially with social media being so unpredictable. How are you approaching that?

It’s still evolving. We’re constantly checking in with how it feels and what safety looks like. One reason I love the idea of travelling and including different correspondents is that it spreads things out. No one person or place becomes the sole face of the project, and that helps with safety. Being in control of your own image and story builds power and, in turn, safety. That’s the goal.

Long-term, I hope we continue to build community networks, more visibility, and less stigma. I want people to stop seeing us as something to be afraid of or ashamed of. Eventually, I’d love for someone to be able to put “stripper” on their résumé and for an employer to say, “That’s a valuable skill set.” Not to hide it. Not to leave a blank.

The résumé point is so real. And the playfulness you bring into it: that’s safety too. It’s baked into what you’re doing. 

It all started from being constantly told we can’t be sexy and smart. 

One of the early catalysts was someone saying to me, “How do you expect people to take you seriously when you look like that?” I could have changed how I presented myself. Instead, I leaned in even harder. 

When you asked about the stories on Indigenous land rights, tariffs, and so on, yes, those stories come directly from the communities we’re connected to. That’s the kind of news I want to see and help produce. It’s real, passionate, and accessible. Dancers bring ideas, and I try to make them happen. That’s what I want Stripper News to be.

Toni Morrison once said, “The book I wanted to read didn’t exist, so I wrote that book.” That’s what you’re doing.

Frustration can be such a powerful catalyst. The beautiful thing about Stripper News is that it isn’t just my frustration – it’s all of ours. That energy builds momentum. We all have something to say. Someone said to me recently, “You made the show you wanted to see – and cast yourself and your friends in it.”