'GiGi' tells of 'meisie van Paarl' who bared all and stood tall in a sexist man's world

GiGi is the story of ’n jong meisie van Paarl’, daughter of Jehovah Witnesses, who as a child saw a diamanté-clad Glenda Kemp on the back page of Rapport newspaper and was enthralled.

Little did she know that she would one day become one of SA's most successful strippers and the owner of The Lollipop Lounge, one of SA's most celebrated erotic clubs.

Born Perlé van Schalkwyk, after studying drama at Stellenbosch University, she quickly realised that acting was not going to buy her that house on the hill. Seductively taking off her clothes would become her modus operandi. And so GiGi was born. She danced the Hillbrow strip club scene for many years, crossing paths with characters from the underworld like Lolly Jackson. Tales of drugs, perversion, murder and porn lace her story. 

Ultimately GiGi is the story of a woman who took on an often dangerous and sexist “man’s world” and conquered it with courage and strategy ... This bare-all memoir will both titillate and inspire. 

• Article provided by NB Publishers