Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Sex Workers Fees
I have written extensively about the charges of sex workers that are often too high. Ironically, the workers who dub themselves as Elite Escorts (though they may have started their career last week) charge much more - adjusted for inflation - than the street hustlers 30 years ago. Being young, they do not know that not so long ago the only way for a hustler to make a living was to stand on certain street corners (or at the main railroad stations in many European countries) and wait for their customers. This may have taken five minutes or five hour under a sunny sky or in pouring rain. When I arrived in San Francisco in 1964, there were no papers to advertise services, no pagers or cell phones, not even answering machines. The lowly street hustler was more justified in charging a higher rate because an hour with a customer usually meant a long waiting time beforehand.
Things have changed radically. In San Francisco, all a sex worker needs is a cell phone. Here the worker can advertise freely (on Craigslist) and, if he doesn't have a computer, go to an Internet cafe to post his ad. Of course, "Elite Workers" advertise on specialized Internet boards for which they have to pay. Handsome or ugly, thin or overweight, young or old, they sometimes charge more for their services than my dentist for a three-layer filling.
At least my dentist doesn't expect me to tip him. In a book written by a sex worker it is made clear that they are entitled to their fees plus a tip. They really want to have it both ways: Be professionals and charge accordingly and, simultaneously, give the impression that they make so little money that they are entitled to a tip. Remarkably, that suits many clients. They prefer to think of sex workers as poor young men to whom they give money out the kindness of their hearts, rather than that they are paying for sex. The tip emphasizes this.
Having written all of this, I have often promised sex workers, during e-mail negotiations, more than they have asked for. Some of them, not knowing the market well, tend to undercharge; others have such a low opinion of themselves that the quote a minimal fee. Among "full-body" masseurs more than among sex works, vicious competition also plays a role. They underbid each other, with a view of getting more clients this way.
It is difficult to get into the mind of a worker. He may make $12 an hour doing his regular job, but charge $120 for "turning a trick." While he may take three buses daily to get to work, he will stipulate in his escorting ad "plus cab fare." Many clients who pride themselves on how astute they are when purchasing a car or a house, feel it inappropriate to negotiate a sex worker's fee. When they do so, they are often insulting and manage to hurt the sex worker's feelings without closing the deal.
I have written extensively about the charges of sex workers that are often too high. Ironically, the workers who dub themselves as Elite Escorts (though they may have started their career last week) charge much more - adjusted for inflation - than the street hustlers 30 years ago. Being young, they do not know that not so long ago the only way for a hustler to make a living was to stand on certain street corners (or at the main railroad stations in many European countries) and wait for their customers. This may have taken five minutes or five hour under a sunny sky or in pouring rain. When I arrived in San Francisco in 1964, there were no papers to advertise services, no pagers or cell phones, not even answering machines. The lowly street hustler was more justified in charging a higher rate because an hour with a customer usually meant a long waiting time beforehand.
Things have changed radically. In San Francisco, all a sex worker needs is a cell phone. Here the worker can advertise freely (on Craigslist) and, if he doesn't have a computer, go to an Internet cafe to post his ad. Of course, "Elite Workers" advertise on specialized Internet boards for which they have to pay. Handsome or ugly, thin or overweight, young or old, they sometimes charge more for their services than my dentist for a three-layer filling.
At least my dentist doesn't expect me to tip him. In a book written by a sex worker it is made clear that they are entitled to their fees plus a tip. They really want to have it both ways: Be professionals and charge accordingly and, simultaneously, give the impression that they make so little money that they are entitled to a tip. Remarkably, that suits many clients. They prefer to think of sex workers as poor young men to whom they give money out the kindness of their hearts, rather than that they are paying for sex. The tip emphasizes this.
Having written all of this, I have often promised sex workers, during e-mail negotiations, more than they have asked for. Some of them, not knowing the market well, tend to undercharge; others have such a low opinion of themselves that the quote a minimal fee. Among "full-body" masseurs more than among sex works, vicious competition also plays a role. They underbid each other, with a view of getting more clients this way.
It is difficult to get into the mind of a worker. He may make $12 an hour doing his regular job, but charge $120 for "turning a trick." While he may take three buses daily to get to work, he will stipulate in his escorting ad "plus cab fare." Many clients who pride themselves on how astute they are when purchasing a car or a house, feel it inappropriate to negotiate a sex worker's fee. When they do so, they are often insulting and manage to hurt the sex worker's feelings without closing the deal.
Labels: Tipping Sex Workers
