The Plunge readers have spoken. And they might surprise you.
First, let's start with the stereotypes: Men like breasts. Men like strippers. And men like getting lapdances just before they get married. Right?
I mean, The Hangover captures what every guy wants on his bachelor party, and Hollywood is never wrong. The media is never wrong. Gender stereotypes are never wrong. And certain men's magazines and websites (cough like this one cough) are never wrong.
Except... maybe if we're a little more honest, a little more realistic, it's time to realize, perhaps, that the era of "Stripper Bachelor Parties" is over. (Or, at least, it's over for a lot of guys.)
We asked our readers: "Will your bachelor party involve strippers?"
The responses:
"No, not really my thing." 61%
"What a dumb question. Of course." 29%
"No, I'd like to, but my fiancée isn't cool with it." 10%
What's fascinating here is that we didn't just ask a simple Yes or No, but actually tried to suss out the guys' motivation. A majority of guys don't want strippers at their bachelor party, period, and that's not simply because of fiancée-fear...it's because they're just flat-out not interested.
Why? As we theorized to the Boston Herald, today's grooms tend to be older, wiser, and have already drunkenly stumbled through their booze-soaked twenties. Sometimes, maybe, a steak dinner is more appealing than a troupe of twirling silicone.
On a side note, perhaps it's not a coincidence that the strip club industry is slumping, according to the Wall Street Journal. (Warning: the link might require you to pony up a subscription fee.) The thrust of it, so to speak: "For an industry often thought to be recession proof, the transition has been sobering. In order to adapt, many so-called gentlemen's clubs are shedding their upscale trappings and catering to a thriftier clientele by offering less expensive drinks, waiving cover charges and refocusing their marketing."
Back to our poll. Has The Plunge gone soft? Are we condemning the act of lap dances? Insisting that every groom needs to settle on one of these 20 Stripper-Free bachelor party ideas?
Not quite. We're neutral on the subject. If you want a traditional beer-and-breasts bachelor party, fine. If you want something a little classier, fine. The important thing is that you: 1) don't cheat; and 2) do something that everyone actually likes doing...as opposed to what you think you should be doing.
Need more info on the bachelor party? Get all the goodies (including budget spreadsheets, packing lists, etc.) here.
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