Strippers and sex workers (I use that term in this post to describe women paid directly for sex) are similar but not the same. There are different market forces that would affect each of them.
The strip club industry has been declining for the past 10-20 years, regardless of macroeconomic forces. Millennials and Generation Z have less interest in going to strip clubs to see naked women dancing. The popularity of strip clubs has declined as the popularity of high speed broadband internet at home has increased, as well as the popularity of smartphones. Millennials and Gen Z would rather sit at home and watch free pornography on a streaming tube website than go to a strip club to see real life female nudity. As a result of this change in market forces, I believe the Stripper Index is less of an accurate predictor of discretionary spending than it once was.
It would be interesting to see how OnlyFans women are doing lately. Some might be seeing reduced income due to more competition but some might substitute strip club visits for OnlyFans. I don't think OnlyFans would be a good indicator.
Paying directly for sex from a sex worker is different economically than paying to see a stripper dance topless/fully nude on stage. Some men can't get sex unless they pay for sex from a sex worker. For those types of men, paying for sex is not necessarily discretionary spending. Since sex is categorized as a basic human need, the men who need sex workers for sex will pay directly for sex. They'll try to cut other non-discretionary spending before stopping paying for sex. Some men aren't as dependent upon directly paid sex, though they do pay for sex. These men are more discretionary and might pay for less sex.
I think strippers are the more of the discretionary spending indicator than the sex workers. There are also some other leading indicators on discretionary spending that would produce similar results, such as expensive cosmetic procedures and expensive gym memberships.
I agree with the male market analyst in the video that both strippers and sex workers noticing lower earnings is an indicator to be explored. It is similar to a car driver hearing unusual noises in an engine. When a driver hears unusual noises, the driver either needs to explore doing the repair themselves or contact their auto repair facility.
