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Skimpy Kristy Quinn brings magic tricks and good banter to the job

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Tegan GuthrieKalgoorlie Miner
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Skimpy barmaid Kristy Quinn brings some magic to her job.
Camera IconSkimpy barmaid Kristy Quinn brings some magic to her job. Credit: Carwyn Monck/Kalgoorlie Miner

With a passion for “talking s…” and a few magic tricks up her sleeve, skimpy Kristy Quinn says she is loving life travelling across WA to serve pub-goers drinks.

Kristy first joined the skimpy industry in 2018 after being “roped into it” by skimpies who visited the strip club she was working in as a bartender and door girl in Perth.

“I started out just working as a skimpy in Perth, but then I saw we could pretty much go all over the place, and I was like ‘, hell yeah, I can go travelling, see the sights and meet different people every time’,” she said.

Skimpy barmaid Kristy Quinn.
Camera IconSkimpy barmaid Kristy Quinn. Credit: Carwyn Monck/Kalgoorlie Miner

“I still work in Perth, but I do love going out and about and getting a break from my normal surroundings.

“I find there is a bit more appreciation for what we do out in the sticks, and there are heaps of people travelling around with these crazy stories and experiences, which is really cool.”

Kristy said she excelled in dancing, singing and acting from a young age and her ability to perform comfortably had helped her tremendously.

“I’ve definitely found my niche,” she said.

“I have a passion for talking s… to people and playing little games and magic tricks.

“And the community and sisterhood of the girls, it’s just beautiful. I get goosebumps talking about it.”

Kristy says she has learned a lot from the girls she worked alongside but has also learned a lot from the customers she serves.
Camera IconKristy says she has learned a lot from the girls she worked alongside but has also learned a lot from the customers she serves. Credit: Carwyn Monck/Kalgoorlie Miner/Kalgoorlie Miner

Kristy says she has learned a lot from the girls she worked alongside but has also learned a lot from the customers she serves.

“I’ve had really interesting experiences and met some really memorable people,” she said.

“One guy came into a pub I was working once and I had cards because I love to play games, and he said ‘let me show you something’.

“And he did this magic trick and I was like ‘holy dooley, I need to learn how that happens’ and he taught me and now I love doing magic tricks for customers.”

While there are many positives to the job, Kristy admitted there were also cons, just as there were with any job.

But she said the pros and perks of the job heavily outweighed any negatives she had come across and urged those in the community who frowned at skimpy work to be more open-minded.

“People hear you’re wearing lingerie behind the bar and entertaining men and women, and they take it as we must be a s… and have no self-respect,” she said.

“Which is just so far from the truth. I feel girls in the industry have a much higher self-respect because they’ve got those boundaries set in place.

Skimpy barmaid Kristy Quinn.
Camera IconSkimpy barmaid Kristy Quinn. Credit: Carwyn Monck/Kalgoorlie Miner/Kalgoorlie Miner

“We are in control of our bodies and I feel like a lot of people don’t see it that way, they say we will just do anything for money but it’s not like that.

“And then there’s also the side of people just assuming that it is easy to work and that you’ve got no skills, and you’re just doing it because you’re good-looking and you can’t do anything else.

“It’s not like that. So many girls study, have families, have other jobs and stuff, and it’s just a way of getting extra money.”

Kristy said working in the industry had helped develop her confidence, and she was now a much stronger person.

“I’ve learned who I am as a person outside of work, what I want, what I’ll stand for, and I’m much better at setting boundaries now and being able to say no, which I really struggled with as a teenager,” she said.

“It is a privilege to be able to do what I do. I know that, and I’m respectful of it.

“I don’t take advantage of it and I try and put in as much effort as I can and really go the extra mile for the venues and the patrons as well.

“I love the work I do, and I think people just need to come in and chat with us and hear our side of the story rather than just taking it at face value and just judging.”

Her first trip to Kalgoorlie-Boulder was in 2022 and the town was not quite what she was expecting.

“I had heard about it (Kalgoorlie), but I thought it was a tiny country town where nothing happens,” she said.

“The first time I came up here, I packed all this food and groceries for a week because I thought I was not going to be able to go to the shop.

“So I brought it all up with me and then found there’s absolutely everything here.”

After the initial surprise wore off, Kristy says she grew to love Kalgoorlie-Boulder and still enjoys coming out for work, where she gets to meet Gold Class Girls boss Nat O’Neill.

“She is an excellent boss so it’s always good to catch up with her, and it’s nice out here that there’s so many venues that have girls working,” she said.

“So you can always catch up with other girls from the industry, and you get to work in different places.”

Kristy — who won Striptease Artist Recognition Awards’ most dynamic new female in 2022-23 — will be at the Broken Hill Hotel from 3pm until late, March 4-10.

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