How do I appropriately rephrase my resume to account for 5 years as an exotic dancer? I can't have a 5 year gap in employment.
There was a period of 5 years where that was my only source of income. My first attempt to selectively word this was: "Fitness Consultant - Self-Employed - 20XX - 20XX." and thought it was okay... but the more I think about it, I'm like... what if they specifically ask me to elaborate on that? What would I even say? That I was Zumba instructor or something!? I've stressed over it to the point that now I think it just sounds weird altogether. There's no way in hell I can leave a 5 year gap in my employment history though. For what it's worth, I dedicated years of my life to developing the athleticism and acrobatic skill needed to entertain during those performances. It was also a creative outlet that allowed me artistic expression. Public opinion is hit or miss... I understand its not everyone's cup of tea, but that 5 years was most certainly not spent just wasting away in a bottle and rolling around on the stage. It is time to transition though...while I'm still young enough to stand a chance in this job market. I actually really like the rest of my resume and the template style I went with, but this one detail stands out to me as strange..or kinda awkward.
EDIT POST: Thank you to all the lovely redditors who took this post seriously and offered suggestions. On the other hand, I'd like to point out that exotic dancing is not sex work. Sex work is prostitution. I am not a sex worker, if you had to give it a label I am an Independent Private Entertainer in the Adult Entertainment Industry. And the industries often overlap.