Warning: This article discusses topics related to sexual assault.
Over 5.4 million people have tuned in to watch Lexi, the now self-proclaimed "PowerPoint Stripper," flip through a slideshow presentation titled "Today I Reveal to You a Secret," which she used to break the news of her new trade to her parents.
"What the secret DOES mean: I'm talented, I'm cool, I'm powerful," she continued. "What the secret DOES NOT mean: I'm pregnant or in danger."
"I'm a stripper!" Lexi then announced.
Before her parents had a chance to respond, the 22-year-old flipped to another slide and answered a few frequently asked questions, including: why she has decided to pursue stripping, how she stays safe, if she participates in other forms of sex work, and whether or not she is paid under the table.
"It's a sex-positive environment where my body and sexuality can be expressed and celebrated safely," Lexi explained during her presentation. "I've healed so much through dancing and feel empowered when I perform. I learned a difficult skill in pole dancing and I'm so proud of myself."
"I really appreciate you being forthright and sharing your life with us," Lexi's mom, Jen, said when her presentation came to an end. "You are powerful."
"It just adds more color to the flavor of the family," her father, Adrian, agreed.
The video's comment section is filled with not only a wave of support for Lexi and applause for her presentation-crafting skills, but also a general awe over her parents' unwavering and unequivocal support.
So, I spoke with the whole family — Lexi, Sami, Jen, and Adrian — about what it took to cultivate their open and supportive family dynamic, which began under unfortunately heartbreaking circumstances.
For Lexi, the steps leading her toward the empowerment she feels through sex work started when she was in high school. "At 16, my adult fast food manager decided he was going to take my virginity without my consent or even me being conscious. This changed my life," she said. "I went off to my dream college, where a fellow student forced himself on me despite telling him no repeatedly before and during the event."
"What makes this a difficult topic is that, with most controversial topics, there is always more than one side to the story," her mother, Jen, said. "Is there a lot of harm that can happen from this type of work? Absolutely! Do some people find this to be oppressive and objectifying women? Yes! There is validity to the stereotypes and concerns any parent would have to this news. [But] there is nothing my children do or don’t do that would take away my love and acceptance of them. Life is an individual journey, and we are all here to learn and grow."
"[After Lexi's assault, the police] did nothing, which only added to her sense of powerlessness," she said. "Lexi has always loved performing, being on stage, makeup, and people. She lights up any room! [And] I could see she genuinely was finding some form of healing and empowerment [by] being bold and confident in her sexuality. It all made sense to me that this was genuinely something she would find fulfilling in some way."
"As parents, I think we’ve been taught that we MUST feel certain ways about our children’s decisions, and that their career choices are a chief reflection of our success as parents. That’s too much pressure for me!" her father, Adrian, said. "We have seen parents disown their children when they choose a different path, with little interest in understanding their own child. ... That's small thinking."
Jen and Adrian both acknowledged that they raised their kids in a conservative household with an emphasis on religion, which Adrian said didn't always work.
Since then, both Lexi and her sister Sami, the viral videographer, have known that they can approach their parents with anything. "We knew at the end of the day [that Lexi choosing sex work] wouldn’t change our relationship with our parents," Sami said. "While we all have vastly different spiritual and ethical beliefs, my parents are amazing examples of putting their relationships with their children ahead of their need to be 'right.'"
"If someone is content in their career choice as a sex worker, shall I judge them?" Adrian concluded. "I’ll let someone else cast the first stone."
