This series of black and white photos are of young women working the lunch shift in the striptease bar ‘Boobie Rock’ in Houston, Texas, USA. Made in 1986, I photographed the women in the dressing room of the bar.

I was 21 years old, around the same age as the women in the images. The first time I showed it to a gallery in 1989, the gallerist felt it would be bad for my reputation. In a few of the photos, my reflection in the makeup mirror is visible, making it evident that I also was one of the dancers.

At the time, I felt the only way to get close to the women I wanted to portray was to become one of them. I assumed that dancers would be poorly educated and had no other choice. In many cases, nothing was further from the truth. More than a few women were financing their college educations through stripping.

Now, 36 years later, I feel that it is a timeless body of work showing the vulnerability of young women. It also taught me not to judge others or make assumptions—something I have used in my practice as a photographer since making this series.