Men consider lap dancing to be 'normal fun'

Men view a trip to a lap-dancing club as a normal and acceptable form of entertainment and the industry is now so mainstream that many refuse to believe that the women who dance are being exploited, or that there is anything wrong in paying for their services.

Men view a trip to a lap-dancing club as a normal and acceptable form of entertainment and the industry is now so mainstream that many refuse to believe that the women who dance are being exploited, or that there is anything wrong in paying for their services.

Far from seeing dancers as unwilling participants in the sex industry, regular visitors to the clubs believe they are either helping the women or that they themselves are the victims.

The research presented yesterday at the annual conference of the British Psychological Society in Manchester is one of the first studies into the attitudes of men who frequent the clubs. Dr Victoria Clarke, a researcher, said: "None of these men felt any shame ... yet none thought about the idea that the women were unwilling participants."