Author Topic: Are you working to fund your studies or future career? (Read 12070 times)

Jackman · « **on:** 12 March 2012, 05:14:02 pm »

Hi,

My name is Jack and I work for a multimedia agency that produces features and documentaries for some of the biggest newspapers, magazines and broadcasters in the world.
I am writing a feature about sex workers who are funding college/university courses or working to fund their future business plans and careers.
I wanted to see if there were any ladies out there who would be willing to talk to me about their experiences of this.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, you can contact me at jack.mckay@barcroftmedia.com or call 0845 370 2233.

Sincerely,

Jack

Cat_BBW · « **Reply #1 on:** 12 March 2012, 07:42:22 pm »

While I'm not willing to talk about this in person, I think this is an interesting topic, so will reply here...

I want to keep chickens and have a smallholding. That ain't gonna happen if I rely on my other income.

So while it's not for uni or a career, it's definitely for my future business plans

Candy · « **Reply #2 on:** 15 March 2012, 01:35:59 am »

What it's so interesting for what prostitutes spend their money and why you assume that for studies/career? Same would you make a document on car seller who work to support his collage education?
If you will make the document, please, at least try to show a real prostitution side, not stereotypical woman that spreed her legs and earns 2000 pounds a day, what all british media are showing last months.

Jackman · « **Reply #3 on:** 15 March 2012, 11:38:44 am »

Hi guys, thanks for the replies.

Cat_BBW - I would love to speak with you at a later date when you make that dream a reality. Good luck.

Candy - I don't assume that all of the women on this forum are using their income to support a college career, but I would like to speak with anyone who is.

"If you will make the document, please, at least try to show a real prostitution side, not stereotypical woman that spreed her legs and earns 2000 pounds a day, what all british media are showing last months."

Absolutely, that's not what I want to do. I want to speak with someone who can show me the real side of the work, and explain why they are doing it. I'm sure there are many women out there who have aspirations for other careers but who need the money they can make to fund the transition.

improbablecats · « **Reply #4 on:** 15 March 2012, 12:15:18 pm »

I also think such research is interesting, and agree with Candy that a more realistic representation of the industry would be nice i.e. women working very hard to keep men happy and earning between ?80-250 an hour (I know there are people who earn less or more than this, especially if they hand over a house-cut to anyone, but I would hazard a guess that most indoor workers fall somewhere in this range.)

Something else I would like to see, however, is prostitution being accepted as a legitimate choice for women. Often 'she's funding her studies' or 'she can't earn this much anywhere else' is used to excuse or explain away the woman's choice to work in the sex industry. I get asked by clients all the time whether I'm paying for my studies, or paying off debts: they presume I'm in the industry because I need the money. Well, yes, maybe I do, and yes, many women are funding their studies or their futures through their work in the same way that others do with other kinds of work, but sometimes it seems like you have to have this 'reason' behind your decision if you're going to be a sex worker. It's like you have to prove that you really need to be a sex worker to achieve your dreams, or else it seems like you're just 'doing it' and it's not quite so acceptable. We've kind of begun to consider it as a positive and empowering choice, but only when it leads elsewhere.

Something similar happens here in this NSFW video of former-porn star Sasha Grey. She's proud of her achievements in the sex industry, and we begin to get a 'I'm happy with the choices I made about my own body' view, but then that's quickly whipped around to 'but it's only okay because porn is the only way to get pay equality'. The gender pay gap is incredibly important, but it makes me sad that we still can't see a person's decision to work in the sex industry as good enough on its own, without the disclaimer of 'I'm only doing this because ...'

Jackman · « **Reply #5 on:** 15 March 2012, 01:42:10 pm »

Hi improbablecats,

Yes, that would be interesting. I've often heard/ read equal rights campaigners saying there's little chance a woman would go into prostitution of their own volition and that there must always be a certain amount of coercion involved. I always wondered if this was the case. Now that some of the stigma around sex work is beginning to wane I think a more complex picture of those industries and its workers is beginning to emerge. No doubt there are as many reasons for entering into it as there are people doing it. However, like in any industry there will be certain broad truths and common experiences that form a general experience. I'm not looking to generalise or categorise with my feature, however, I know the area which interests me and hope to find someone who can shed more light on it.

Lady_Lust_XXX · « **Reply #6 on:** 15 March 2012, 01:56:26 pm »

Get yourself off to Bristol where most of the students are selling themselves for ?30 a pop ................................

Mellow · « **Reply #7 on:** 15 March 2012, 02:08:57 pm »

I think its really important, that whatever slant your research has, that it puts things into context and recognises that the reasons for going into the sex industry are like a many sided coin - multiple and varied.

I think we would all agree that it would be nice to see some research that did not perpetuate the same tired old stereotypes that are usually portrayed in the media/print.

Jackman · « **Reply #8 on:** 15 March 2012, 03:06:06 pm »

Out of interest, what are those tired stereotypes and what would be a really refreshing approach to a story about sex workers?

Mellow · « **Reply #9 on:** 15 March 2012, 03:23:26 pm »

The approach would have to be your own.

The stereotypes are :

most prostitutes are drug addled street workers controlled by pimps
many prostitutes are trafficked or otherwise forced into it
all prostitutes are young blondes with pneumatic boobs and a low IQ
no woman could ever voluntarily go into the sex trade
no women could ever enjoy working in the sex trade
all prostitutes work illegally and don't contribute towards the economy in terms of taxation etc

(of course all these exist but they don't constitute the whole)

Little mention, if any is ever made of the majority of escort working indoors who do it of their own free will - for economic reasons sure, but doesn't mean to say theres no enjoyment there.
This is because the truth is too boring for our (often) sensationalist media and because it suits them to perpetuate the stereotypes.
Many women may be working off debt, or working whilst studying, or working towards something else but there are also many who are proud to be working women, and see it as a profession in its own right.

Hot Pepper · « **Reply #10 on:** 15 March 2012, 11:15:38 pm »

Why not question a government who makes prostitution legal , so they can collect taxes . Yet only allows us to be legal if we work on our own, thus subjecting us to extremely high levels of risk, that would not be tolerated in other professions .

Taxation without representation is tyranny some one once said. Not a sexy headline though !

EmilyJones · « **Reply #11 on:** 16 March 2012, 08:45:25 am »

Quote from: Jackman on 15 March 2012, 01:42:10 pm

[...] I've often heard/ read equal rights campaigners saying there's little chance a woman would go into prostitution of their own volition and that there must always be a certain amount of coercion involved. I always wondered if this was the case. Now that some of the stigma around sex work is beginning to wane I think a more complex picture of those industries and its workers is beginning to emerge. No doubt there are as many reasons for entering into it as there are people doing it. However, like in any industry there will be certain broad truths and common experiences that form a general experience. I'm not looking to generalise or categorise with my feature, however, I know the area which interests me and hope to find someone who can shed more light on it.

Bleh. "Coercion"? How about the shocking, SHOCKING fact that everybody needs to earn an income? What about the men and women who are forced by financial need into taking jobs cleaning streets and toilets, and who are ignored every day by hundreds and hundreds of people who won't even look them in the eye? Isn't that degrading and disgusting? Would you want your daughter cleaning hotel toilets? Would you want your son sweeping the streets?

Oh wait, that doesn't involve sex and therefore doesn't cause knee-jerk reactions and won't contribute to titillating headlines.

The sooner people get their stupid heads around the fact that a job is a job is a job, and that hundreds of thousands of people in this country have to do slightly 'icky' things (i.e. things that comfy middle class people wouldn't dream of doing in a million years) to earn their living and get by in life, the better. There's no "shock horror sex" to it - I mean, if you want to look into the really interesting issues around prostitution, why not look into why paying for intimacy (sometimes physical, sometimes emotional, often both) is such a common thing for so many (millions) of men of all ages and backgrounds and whatnot to do? I don't mean that critically, I just think it's a really interesting question. Find some comfy middle class husbands and get them to talk honestly about the local brothel they frequent - why do they go? Which girl(s) do they see there? What do they like about them and their services? - or their favourite agency they use to arrange for girls to visit them at home when the wife's out - do they like the thrill of risking being caught? Or do they secretly wish their wife would find out and get upset and just leave, because the marriage is dead?

Ask both the husbands and the wives why they got married and plan to stay together forever even though they have zero physical desire for each other anymore? Ask them whether she knows about him paying for sexual services even though maybe she doesn't mention it and doesn't mind as long as it's kept quiet? Get them to talk about what they really think monogamy is/means/should be. Those are the sorts of things *I'd* be really interested to read about in an article about prostitution! There are tons of double standards and hypocrisies and unspoken conflicts in every day life, especially when you're looking at your typical middle-aged married couple. People's lives are often very interesting under the surface! And that would make for some far more interesting articles than "woman needed money, woman went into sex industry and performed sexual acts for money, woman ate a nice salad with salmon for dinner because working in the sex industry doesn't make you into some sort of shocking sex freak because it's just a job that pays the bills and can be fun and can be tiring and can be interesting, just like any job really".

bananamuffin · « **Reply #12 on:** 16 March 2012, 05:24:24 pm »

Bleh. "Coercion"? How about the shocking, SHOCKING fact that everybody needs to earn an income? What about the men and women who are forced by financial need into taking jobs cleaning streets and toilets, and who are ignored every day by hundreds and hundreds of people who won't even look them in the eye? Isn't that degrading and disgusting? Would you want your daughter cleaning hotel toilets? Would you want your son sweeping the streets?

Oh wait, that doesn't involve sex and therefore doesn't cause knee-jerk reactions and won't contribute to titillating headlines.

The sooner people get their stupid heads around the fact that a job is a job is a job, and that hundreds of thousands of people in this country have to do slightly 'icky' things (i.e. things that comfy middle class people wouldn't dream of doing in a million years) to earn their living and get by in life, the better. There's no "shock horror sex" to it - I mean, if you want to look into the really interesting issues around prostitution, why not look into why paying for intimacy (sometimes physical, sometimes emotional, often both) is such a common thing for so many (millions) of men of all ages and backgrounds and whatnot to do? I don't mean that critically, I just think it's a really interesting question. Find some comfy middle class husbands and get them to talk honestly about the local brothel they frequent - why do they go? Which girl(s) do they see there? What do they like about them and their services? - or their favourite agency they use to arrange for girls to visit them at home when the wife's out - do they like the thrill of risking being caught? Or do they secretly wish their wife would find out and get upset and just leave, because the marriage is dead?

Ask both the husbands and the wives why they got married and plan to stay together forever even though they have zero physical desire for each other anymore? Ask them whether she knows about him paying for sexual services even though maybe she doesn't mention it and doesn't mind as long as it's kept quiet? Get them to talk about what they really think monogamy is/means/should be. Those are the sorts of things *I'd* be really interested to read about in an article about prostitution! There are tons of double standards and hypocrisies and unspoken conflicts in every day life, especially when you're looking at your typical middle-aged married couple. People's lives are often very interesting under the surface! And that would make for some far more interesting articles than "woman needed money, woman went into sex industry and performed sexual acts for money, woman ate a nice salad with salmon for dinner because working in the sex industry doesn't make you into some sort of shocking sex freak because it's just a job that pays the bills and can be fun and can be tiring and can be interesting, just like any job really".
[/quote]

100% amen to that. You tell 'em.

improbablecats · « **Reply #13 on:** 16 March 2012, 06:39:26 pm »

Quote from: EmilyJones on 16 March 2012, 08:45:25 am

Quote from: Jackman on 15 March 2012, 01:42:10 pm
[...] I've often heard/ read equal rights campaigners saying there's little chance a woman would go into prostitution of their own volition and that there must always be a certain amount of coercion involved. I always wondered if this was the case. Now that some of the stigma around sex work is beginning to wane I think a more complex picture of those industries and its workers is beginning to emerge. No doubt there are as many reasons for entering into it as there are people doing it. However, like in any industry there will be certain broad truths and common experiences that form a general experience. I'm not looking to generalise or categorise with my feature, however, I know the area which interests me and hope to find someone who can shed more light on it.

Bleh. "Coercion"? How about the shocking, SHOCKING fact that everybody needs to earn an income? What about the men and women who are forced by financial need into taking jobs cleaning streets and toilets, and who are ignored every day by hundreds and hundreds of people who won't even look them in the eye? Isn't that degrading and disgusting? Would you want your daughter cleaning hotel toilets? Would you want your son sweeping the streets?

Oh wait, that doesn't involve sex and therefore doesn't cause knee-jerk reactions and won't contribute to titillating headlines.

The sooner people get their stupid heads around the fact that a job is a job is a job, and that hundreds of thousands of people in this country have to do slightly 'icky' things (i.e. things that comfy middle class people wouldn't dream of doing in a million years) to earn their living and get by in life, the better. There's no "shock horror sex" to it - I mean, if you want to look into the really interesting issues around prostitution, why not look into why paying for intimacy (sometimes physical, sometimes emotional, often both) is such a common thing for so many (millions) of men of all ages and backgrounds and whatnot to do? I don't mean that critically, I just think it's a really interesting question. Find some comfy middle class husbands and get them to talk honestly about the local brothel they frequent - why do they go? Which girl(s) do they see there? What do they like about them and their services? - or their favourite agency they use to arrange for girls to visit them at home when the wife's out - do they like the thrill of risking being caught? Or do they secretly wish their wife would find out and get upset and just leave, because the marriage is dead?

Ask both the husbands and the wives why they got married and plan to stay together forever even though they have zero physical desire for each other anymore? Ask them whether she knows about him paying for sexual services even though maybe she doesn't mention it and doesn't mind as long as it's kept quiet? Get them to talk about what they really think monogamy is/means/should be. Those are the sorts of things *I'd* be really interested to read about in an article about prostitution! There are tons of double standards and hypocrisies and unspoken conflicts in every day life, especially when you're looking at your typical middle-aged married couple. People's lives are often very interesting under the surface! And that would make for some far more interesting articles than "woman needed money, woman went into sex industry and performed sexual acts for money, woman ate a nice salad with salmon for dinner because working in the sex industry doesn't make you into some sort of shocking sex freak because it's just a job that pays the bills and can be fun and can be tiring and can be interesting, just like any job really".

Huzzah. And what a salmon salad it was!

bananamuffin · « **Reply #14 on:** 16 March 2012, 06:49:37 pm »

I love all this crap about we are 'coereced' into it (that's the poor sods who are trafficked, not us) or that we only do it cos we are drug addicts (yeah right, I don't touch never would touch and never have touched drugs)!

'Would not go into prosititutiion outside of her own volition' - ha ha!! PMSL! What?! Yeah, cos that's the only acceptable reason, yeah? To be forced - oh god, get over yourself, please.

Maybe if men stepped up to be what they r supposed to be as men, we women wouldn't be in this position?

And also an interesting point, how many men would be willing to consider going out and being prostitutes to ensure that their kids had what they needed? Absolutely none I should think.

I imagine, jackman, you have opened a can of worms u didn't expect.....

We aren't 'forced' into it and as per what I said in my post, you want to look at the real reasons most women get into it. We have children to provide for. End of. It's a job. End of.

Some need it for college, many of us need it to pay our monthly bills and keep a roof over the most precious things in the world - our children.

See also the main SAAFE.info site for more Support And Advice For Escorts

Author Topic: Are you working to fund your studies or future career? (Read 12070 times)

Jackman

Are you working to fund your studies or future career?

Cat_BBW

Re: Are you working to fund your studies or future career?

Candy

Re: Are you working to fund your studies or future career?

Jackman

Re: Are you working to fund your studies or future career?

improbablecats

Re: Are you working to fund your studies or future career?

Jackman

Re: Are you working to fund your studies or future career?

Lady_Lust_XXX

Re: Are you working to fund your studies or future career?

Mellow

Re: Are you working to fund your studies or future career?

Jackman

Re: Are you working to fund your studies or future career?

Mellow

Re: Are you working to fund your studies or future career?

Hot Pepper

Re: Are you working to fund your studies or future career?

EmilyJones

Re: Are you working to fund your studies or future career?

bananamuffin

Re: Are you working to fund your studies or future career?

improbablecats

Re: Are you working to fund your studies or future career?

bananamuffin

Re: Are you working to fund your studies or future career?