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‘People are forgetting how dangerous it can be’: TikTok showing tribute to dead dancer sparks debate about workplace safety

‘I wasn’t expecting this amount of stories in the comments’

Photo of Tricia Crimmins

Tricia Crimmins

In a TikTok, a stripper and dancer said that the worst part of her job is losing her friends to violence.
@keelypunaniii

In a TikTok posted on Oct. 22, Keely or @keelypunaniii shows a tribute to her late friend Autumn, who she danced with.

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“The shittiest part of being a dancer,” Keely wrote in the video’s overlay text. “U never know the homies last day.”

The TikTok shows Autumn’s locker which has a bouquet of flowers and the words “Became an Angel 2021” written across it. It has touched viewers, accumulating 4.3 million views since posting Friday.

https://www.tiktok.com/@keelypunaniii/video/7021643704691625222?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6991076614982141446&is_from_webapp=v1&is_copy_url=0
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TikTok users flooded the comments with personal accounts of some unfortunate and brutal realities of working in strip clubs and bars.

“The industry is so glamorized thru social media,” @propergremlin wrote. “People are forgetting how dangerous it can be.”

“2 of my friends went to work a private party and weren’t heard from again,” @idiothippie commented. “They were found bound and gagged out in the Vegas desert.”

@robi_rye commented that a coworker of theirs was found “dismembered in the bathtub.”

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Another commenter (@tayloreverage) that identified themselves as a “strip club bartender” said they had lost “4 guys and 2 girls in under 6 months.”

Other commenters offered messages of support to Keely and other strip club workers. Many were shocked to hear their stories and demanded better protections for strippers and other sex workers.

“I wasn’t expecting this amount of stories in the comments.. stay safe ladies,” @selenal_6 wrote with a heart emoji.

“This video and entire comment section broke my heart entirely,” @notoriousnica said.

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Keely did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via Instagram direct message.

 
The Daily Dot