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rat_jamRentboy!fic and the Sex industry. Squicks, kinks, reality and fandom and the intersection between them
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jamethiel_bane
Squicks, kinks, reality
and fandom and the intersection between them
Beta'd by the wonderfulsageness , elementalv , sansets and the_antichris . Any remaining mistakes are mine own.
First of all, let me preface this with a disclaimer. For researching this meta, I contacted sex industry workers in Australia. Prostitution is decriminalised in some states in Australia. This changes the industry dramatically: what I have written here may not apply to your country. My sources didn't wish to be named, and are many and varied. A lot of information was taken from resourcing health and Education in the Sex Industry (rhED)--an awesome organisation that respects and reflects the sex industry and is committed to actively promoting the rights of sex workers.
Statistics are difficult to find on other countries: because of illegality, most activity is hidden. I was extremely lucky to have contacts in the sex industry, and to have those contacts be willing to talk to me and refer other people on to talk to me. I really don't
know how one would research this industry in a country where it is illegal.
Decriminalisation has changed the profile of the sex industry enormously, but, oddly enough,
not the profile of the male sex work industry. There are two brothels with a "stable" of male sex workers in Victoria. There are more parlours with transgendered sex workers, but the bulk of the male sex workers work as they always have: in escort services.
Secondly, I choose to concentrate on slash fiction, and therefore male/male prostitution. Male/female and het is a whole 'nother kettle of fish, and I choose to ignore it, for now.
Language: sex workers refer to each other as boys, but management refers to them as "gentlemen" or "workers". They don't refer to each as "whore", and "hooker" is considered a perjorative term, generally only used by parlour or escort workers about street workers. Customers are referred to as clients (never Johns), and having sex with a client is known as giving a "service".
The real life sex industry. The whys, wherefores and hows.
Why do people pay for sex? The reasons are many and varied: some people have needs that their partners won't/can't fulfill. Some people just want sex, and paying for it is more of a sure thing than going out and
cruising a bar. Some people like the anonymity and lack of emotional entanglements that come with paying a sex worker. There are a hundred reasons, and I'm sure you can think of heaps that I am not listing. What is more interesting than the whys of the clients is the why of the sex workers.
Why do men become sex workers?
The overwhelming reason is money. Certainly there are other reasons driving men to need the money (rates of addiction are spectacularly high), but it all comes down to money. While there may be some sex workers out there whose primary reasons are sexual, interestingly enough, Brothel/escort service managers are reluctant to employ them. A physical compulsion to have sex overwhelming enough
to drive a worker into the sex industry is likely to make them an unreliable worker, and will possibly lead to risky behaviours that would damage the reputation of the brothel. Also, it doesn't lead to the world's best "service". And a worker who is unreliable (although no worker is ever truly reliable: it's such a high-stress job that some unreliability is considered normal. But there are degrees and degrees) actively loses you money.
Self-image and esteem also plays a very strong role--some studies show that 90% of people in the sex industry have been abused in some form or another in their childhood and early adulthood. There is a strong correlation between lack of education and job opportunities and becoming a sex worker: initially, it seems like good money for easy work, even though the job is one of the more high-stress jobs around. But a lot of people are poor--why don't more people become prostitutes?
There is a certain frame of mind, bought about by grinding poverty, chronic illness and abuse in many forms. A--I guess the best word I can think of for it is disassociation between the mind/perception of self and the body, where the body is seen as a commodity rather than as a part of themselves. It's a protection against bad things that have happened in their lives previously, and it enables people to become prostitutes. However, prostitution only reinforces the disassociation, as their body literally is a commodity. Decriminalisation has gone a long way to ensuring that these people do not get stuck in the sex industry forever: with no arrests for soliciting on their records, sex workers will find it easier to get mainstream jobs. However, it does not address the issues that drive people into the sex industry. But then, nothing except fixing abuse, poverty and desperation will do.
Every brothel has to have a licensed manager on premises, during hours of operation. Hours of operation are set by the local council in the area, which has to abide by the laws governing brothels as set out by the state government. To become a manager, an application is made (and a fee is paid) to the Business and Licensing Authority (BLA). They set a test, based on the legislation, and perform a police check, as part of the push to get organised crime out of the industry. A licensed manager is required to inform the BLA which brothel/s they are working for (rarely enforced), and to make sure the legislation is enforced.
Drugs are illegal in brothels. The police have automatic right of entry and search, providing certain conditions are met (they don't need a warrant) and if drugs--any drugs, even legal ones like alcohol are found on premises, the manager can have their license, without which they can't work, yanked and the brothel can lose its license as well. This ensures that managers are fairly draconian about drugs on premises--which means that sex workers who are addicted to drugs, and can't go without a hit for six to eight hours (the length of a shift. Sex workers are generally not permitted to leave the premises for the length of their shift) will end up on the street, not in brothels.
Street workers are either addicted to drugs, or underage. For rentboys, also, there is an element of shame: they feel that working in an street environment, alone and not in the company of other prostitutes is somehow more shameful and less secretive/discreet than working in a brothel. There are just about no other reasons that a worker would choose to work on the street, rather than in the security of a brothel or escort service. If a worker objects to the brothel's "cut" (a portion of the fee paid by the client goes to the brothel to pay overheads, staff, managers, etc) they might apply for a license to run an escort service for themselves, but that requires passing the background/police checks that the BLA performs when granting a license. And also, they would need to pay tax. The taxation industry is quite hungry for the revenue from the sex industry-- they actually stage
raids on brothels and regularly subpoena records. This is what happens when a largely cash industry suddenly becomes open to taxation! However, with 500 brothels currently in operation in Victoria, and the industry still operating on a cash basis, it's very difficult to track and enforce.
Escort agencies also need to have a license, but under the conditions of that license, no services can take place on premises.
Prices and earning capabilities
These are the prices as they currently exist in the state of Victoria. This is mostly anecdotal (sex workers telling me the average) with calls to about five parlours/escort services to ascertain if they fit within the average.
In a parlour, it is around $170-$200 for an hour's service, with the worker receiving about $100. Half hour services are available, at around $120-$150, with the worker receiving $60-$75. A worker will generally only see, at a maximum, about 3-4 clients a night.
Most of the male sex worker industry is based around the escort business. Prices vary a lot more than for a brothel, and quite often are based on the negotiating skills of the worker. In general, they tend to be higher (from $200-$300, depending on how far away the booking is and how much of a regular the client is.) Most bookings are an hour, occasionally going for longer. On a busy night, an escort would see 4 to 5 clients. The agency takes a fee (usually $80), the driver is paid ($20 for short jobs, $50-80 for longer jobs) and whatever is left over is for the escort.
Gay for pay: sexuality
There is an interesting dichotomy between female sex
workers and male sex workers. Female sex workers tend to have much more defined boundaries ("I don't do ...") whereas male sex workers have a much more limited clientele (it is rare for females to employ a male sex worker; this is generally a very specialised niche) and so their own personal sexuality becomes more or less irrelevant. Male sex workers define themselves as everything from gay to straight, transgender, pre-op and post-op. While this affects the kind of clients that choose them, it doesn't generally affect how they view their sexuality outside of
work. I talked to sex workers who have had sex with over one hundred male clients, who defined themselves as straight.
When asked if work was pleasurable, most sex workers are equivocal. It's not totally horrible--sex workers who find it traumatic tend to leave within a very short period of time. However, most sex workers compartmentalize to an incredible extent: sex with a client is a "service", and a distinction is drawn between ejaculation and orgasm. Which, as far as I could gather, were exactly the same physical chain of events. The line appears to be in the emotional component: with a client, it's ejaculation. With a partner, it's orgasm. This allows the workers themselves to have sexual relationships outside of
work, but unless their partner is someone who has been in/is in the industry, it is very difficult to maintain a relationship.
Top or Bottom
Strangely enough, sex workers who are capable of "switch-hitting" are very, VERY rare indeed. Most sex workers tend either to be a top or a bottom. Tops are rarer than bottoms, but when I asked, a source couldn't say whether it was due to lack of customer demand, or the difficulty of reliable performance. It generally runs at about a 3:1 ratio of bottoms to tops.
Faking Sexual Arousal, or: Viagra is your friend
For a bottom, arousal is irrelevant. You would think that the ability to get an erection on command is an essential skill for a sex worker, but to quote my anonymous source: "Hon, you're just there to get fucked. I don't think they really CARE if you get a hard-on or not." Unless the client was absolutely awful as a top, the more experienced a bottom is, the more likely they are to get an erection while giving a service. It's Pavlovian conditioning to an extent, and relates back to the difference that sex workers draw between orgasm and ejaculation.
For a top, Viagra is their friend. Again, it also becomes a Pavlovian response: the more experienced a worker is, the easier they find it because the body is conditioned and knows that pleasure is coming. Before Viagra, there were nasal sprays, and before those, there were very, very few tops.
Most sex workers are adept at faking sexual arousal, but were actively uncomfortable when asked about feeling real sexual arousal with a client. Answers ranged from "Never" to "A guy bangs your prostate enough, you're going to ejaculate. It's simple mechanics" to "Yeah, look, sometimes. But it's more about the sex than the client. Sort of, the sex happens to you and it's good, but it's more internal than actually connected to the client." One worker put it more explicitly: "You do feel arousal. But, you can't get lost in it, because then you would start going after your pleasure rather than theirs, and it's about them. It's a service. You get to be selfish with your lovers."
The consensus also seems to be that concentrating on the pleasure leads to loss of control, which, apart from potentially giving a bad service to clients is also risky for the worker. Too much enjoyment in the ejaculation caused during services adds to the self-esteem problems that most sex workers suffer from: to quote one worker, "If I'm enjoying this, it must mean I'm a whore." It blurs the lines between work and pleasure--a boundary difficult enough to set in the first place.
Security, policy and procedures
There is a definite class system in place in the sex industry. Street workers are the lowest tier on the ladder: work is dangerous, hours are long, there is danger. It's illegal, they have to constantly keep an eye out for police, but the more they move around, the less likely they are to attract a client. Brothel or escort workers look down on street workers.
Most brothels have security, either on premises, or a phonecall away. An escort has a driver and a mobile phone. The worker rings five minutes after arriving in the room--a lot of the time, that is enough to tell a worker if the client is actively dangerous. At 10-15 minutes to the end of the alloted time, the driver calls the worker. If the worker DOESN'T answer the phone, emergency procedures are put into place. This may include breaking into the room, and/or
calling the police. Different escort services have different procedures, but they are generally a variation on this.
Male street workers are a lot less blatant than female street workers. They don't associate much in groups, only the transvestites actually "work the streets". They hang around in parks, alone. Places with plenty of dark corners. It is primarily a youthful industry: it is very rare to see a male worker over the age of 35.
Other stuff
Protection is always, ALWAYS used in brothels. There may be one or two sex workers who are prepared to accept extra for giving blowjobs without condoms, but management will hear about it, and not allow that worker to work again in their parlour. It's illegal, and doesn't make sense for prolonging the working life of their workers. They're also sneered at by the other sex workers.
In escort services, it is up to the individual worker as to whether they use a condom for fellatio or not. It's still technically illegal to not use one, but it is more difficult to police than in a brothel: management is more or less resigned to the fact that they cannot control what goes on in the rooms off their premises.
Street workers unfortunately don't always use protection. However, there are
outreach/support groups out there who are attempting to get them to, and there has been some small measure of success (as evidenced by the used condoms I saw as I walked down the
streets of St Kilda. Which, ewww, but at least they're using them!)
Anal sex without a condom is frowned on by just about everyone: no worker I spoke to admitted to doing it consensually with a client.
And now the the disjunct- Rentboy!fic.
How's that for a segue? Actually, I couldn't think of a more harmonious transition, so this is it.
I adore Rentboy!fic. I don't know why, I just do. Everything politically correct in me tells me I shouldn't. My own experiences with researching this essay tell me that there is not a lot of correlation between the real life sex industry and rentboy!fic. Yet still, I read it. And hopefully, this post will inspire people to write more!
In general, in my *cough* research for this section of the essay (which may have included reading every rentboy
fic I could find) I was able to identify five subtypes of fic.
The Pretty Woman fic, aka Twuuu Wuv¹ comes riding to the rescue
Okay. We've all seen the film. Worker encounters client. Client pays forservice. Worker and client fall in love, whereupon client takes worker away from all this and they all live happily ever after.
This is the archetype I have the most serious problems with. I have read some EXCELLENT fics in this archetype, but it has an attitude of work in the sex industry as inherently degrading, that no worker has the power to change their lives with out the rescue of the Twuu Wuv. Largely, the reason I have such large distaste for this particular archetype is the power balance. It actually plays into roles of traditional gender stereotyping, which is certainly interesting to do within the confines of slash fanfic. Some things to think about anyway.
A subtype of this plot: Sexual healing
Where a worker or ex-worker meets our Hero, and our Hero teaches him to feel again.
Certainly, the extreme disassociation between sex and love that sex workers need to be in the industry and the attendant physical and mental
issues that go with this, either as a cause or effect, can be very trying for a relationship. I applaud the authors for recognising this. The trouble is, that this kind of emotional damage is best dealt with by a trained professional, not by a partner who has a vested interest in the outcome.
Actually, that would be really interesting--to read this kind of fic where the author shows the stresses that therapy puts on a relationship, or where the partner's possible ulterior motives actually hinder the course of the Sexual Healing. I don't think I've read any of those fics--if they exist, and are out there, leave me a link in the comments. Or you could write it. That would be fantastic.
Overall, I feel that
the Sexual Healing scenario is a combination of hurt/comfort, and a use of the sex industry as a means of denoting a power dynamic where, once again, the sex worker is unempowered. But! It is possible to play with these archetypes, so go! Have fun!
The Undercover fic
Or, I'm really gay for my partner, watch me discover it.
It is possible that my huge. Huge and somewhat inappropriate love for this genre of fic biases me here. I think, meta-wise, that it has the underlying theme of freedom from societal constraints which have prevented them from discovering/declaring their love. Why should being
undercover as a rentboy make this easier? I have NO IDEA. But I still love the stories.
Also, I have noticed a huge element of objectification in these fics: the partner going undercover is usually dressed in skimpy, revealing clothes which they would never wear in a million years. Maybe the whole genre is an excuse for us to dress Ray in tight cut-offs.
Ummm...
Oh, I'm sorry. Yes. I was saying something. Objectification! That's
it!
Possibly this reflects fandom being a mostly-female space? That after years of being objectified by society, this is our revenge? Maybe women find objectifying men just as hot, and this is an outlet! I don't know. What do you think?
Seekrit Rentboy Past, or Public Persona/Private Acts.
This is probably the subtype of rentboy!fic that I have the most affection for. Jim discovers Blair (Look, it could be. Or it could be Fraser and Ray, or Rodney and John. Go with it! Whatever works for you!)² worked as a rentboy when younger. Or maybe he still works as a rentboy. Cue obsessing and imagining.
This is about possession. Obsession. The desire to know your lover, know everything about your lover. It can also be used as (as with the "Undercover" fic to signal a change in the relationship, enabling one character to see another in a sexual way.
This fic can deal with sex and shame, but usually does so in a positive way. This is one of the few rentboy!subtypes that doesn't disempower the character that was/is a sex worker. Instead, the partner who discovers it is usually made to face up to some private kinks that they didn't know they had. It's a vehicle for forcing self-discovery, AND for equating the sex worker as an uninhibited sexual being. Which isn't usually the case, but it's nice to read.
In real life, jealousy is a
crippling force on a relationship. A large proportion of sex workers are not able to sustain relationships outside the industry, leading to them further being trapped.
I'm not sure that I actually would like this subtype to reflect real life more. I like the fact that no-one gets demeaned (or if they do, it gets fixed), and that being a sex worker is not automatically equated with being powerless.
The Journey Through Hades, or the effects of current sex work on an established relationship
This type of fic is the rarest around. As a matter of fact, I can only think of two that I know of: one Numb3rs one, and a Mag 7 that I have heard about but haven't been able to source. If there are more out there, let me know!
This is where the sex industry and sex work is used as a form of trial for our heroes. Whether it's the non-sex worker trying to hold on, or the sex worker trying to work AND maintain a relationship, if thought is put into this it is probably the most realistic of the rentboy!subgenres. The main problem I have with it is reconciling the sex industry the writer depicts with the one I discovered doing these interviews. But hey, this is fanfic- we're ALL ABOUT suspension of disbelief.
And in conclusion
I would like to see more rentboy!fic. I would like to see more research put into the real life sex industry. While I am not prepared to put you in touch with my sources, I am certainly happy to answer any questions you might have.
If you disagree with me, about anything, LET ME KNOW! I would love to discuss this and am remarkably hard to offend. If you found this useful, if you didn't, if you don't think this is at all relevant.
So. That's it from me! Now, any questions? Comments? Bueller?
¹ Yes, I HAVE watched The Princess Bride too many times. Shut up.
² Sigh. I would like to apologise for any brainstrain caused by the overuse of parentheticals in this meta. If it's any consolation, I did make myself go through and take half of them out, so it could have been much worse. Also, I actually talk this way.
Moderated by
jamethiel_baneSquicks, kinks, reality
and fandom and the intersection between them
Beta'd by the wonderful
sageness , elementalv , sansets and the_antichris . Any remaining mistakes are mine own.First of all, let me preface this with a disclaimer. For researching this meta, I contacted sex industry workers in Australia. Prostitution is decriminalised in some states in Australia. This changes the industry dramatically: what I have written here may not apply to your country. My sources didn't wish to be named, and are many and varied. A lot of information was taken from resourcing health and Education in the Sex Industry (rhED)--an awesome organisation that respects and reflects the sex industry and is committed to actively promoting the rights of sex workers.
Statistics are difficult to find on other countries: because of illegality, most activity is hidden. I was extremely lucky to have contacts in the sex industry, and to have those contacts be willing to talk to me and refer other people on to talk to me. I really don't
know how one would research this industry in a country where it is illegal.
Decriminalisation has changed the profile of the sex industry enormously, but, oddly enough,
not the profile of the male sex work industry. There are two brothels with a "stable" of male sex workers in Victoria. There are more parlours with transgendered sex workers, but the bulk of the male sex workers work as they always have: in escort services.
Secondly, I choose to concentrate on slash fiction, and therefore male/male prostitution. Male/female and het is a whole 'nother kettle of fish, and I choose to ignore it, for now.
Language: sex workers refer to each other as boys, but management refers to them as "gentlemen" or "workers". They don't refer to each as "whore", and "hooker" is considered a perjorative term, generally only used by parlour or escort workers about street workers. Customers are referred to as clients (never Johns), and having sex with a client is known as giving a "service".
The real life sex industry. The whys, wherefores and hows.
Why do people pay for sex? The reasons are many and varied: some people have needs that their partners won't/can't fulfill. Some people just want sex, and paying for it is more of a sure thing than going out and
cruising a bar. Some people like the anonymity and lack of emotional entanglements that come with paying a sex worker. There are a hundred reasons, and I'm sure you can think of heaps that I am not listing. What is more interesting than the whys of the clients is the why of the sex workers.
Why do men become sex workers?
The overwhelming reason is money. Certainly there are other reasons driving men to need the money (rates of addiction are spectacularly high), but it all comes down to money. While there may be some sex workers out there whose primary reasons are sexual, interestingly enough, Brothel/escort service managers are reluctant to employ them. A physical compulsion to have sex overwhelming enough
to drive a worker into the sex industry is likely to make them an unreliable worker, and will possibly lead to risky behaviours that would damage the reputation of the brothel. Also, it doesn't lead to the world's best "service". And a worker who is unreliable (although no worker is ever truly reliable: it's such a high-stress job that some unreliability is considered normal. But there are degrees and degrees) actively loses you money.
Self-image and esteem also plays a very strong role--some studies show that 90% of people in the sex industry have been abused in some form or another in their childhood and early adulthood. There is a strong correlation between lack of education and job opportunities and becoming a sex worker: initially, it seems like good money for easy work, even though the job is one of the more high-stress jobs around. But a lot of people are poor--why don't more people become prostitutes?
There is a certain frame of mind, bought about by grinding poverty, chronic illness and abuse in many forms. A--I guess the best word I can think of for it is disassociation between the mind/perception of self and the body, where the body is seen as a commodity rather than as a part of themselves. It's a protection against bad things that have happened in their lives previously, and it enables people to become prostitutes. However, prostitution only reinforces the disassociation, as their body literally is a commodity. Decriminalisation has gone a long way to ensuring that these people do not get stuck in the sex industry forever: with no arrests for soliciting on their records, sex workers will find it easier to get mainstream jobs. However, it does not address the issues that drive people into the sex industry. But then, nothing except fixing abuse, poverty and desperation will do.
Every brothel has to have a licensed manager on premises, during hours of operation. Hours of operation are set by the local council in the area, which has to abide by the laws governing brothels as set out by the state government. To become a manager, an application is made (and a fee is paid) to the Business and Licensing Authority (BLA). They set a test, based on the legislation, and perform a police check, as part of the push to get organised crime out of the industry. A licensed manager is required to inform the BLA which brothel/s they are working for (rarely enforced), and to make sure the legislation is enforced.
Drugs are illegal in brothels. The police have automatic right of entry and search, providing certain conditions are met (they don't need a warrant) and if drugs--any drugs, even legal ones like alcohol are found on premises, the manager can have their license, without which they can't work, yanked and the brothel can lose its license as well. This ensures that managers are fairly draconian about drugs on premises--which means that sex workers who are addicted to drugs, and can't go without a hit for six to eight hours (the length of a shift. Sex workers are generally not permitted to leave the premises for the length of their shift) will end up on the street, not in brothels.
Street workers are either addicted to drugs, or underage. For rentboys, also, there is an element of shame: they feel that working in an street environment, alone and not in the company of other prostitutes is somehow more shameful and less secretive/discreet than working in a brothel. There are just about no other reasons that a worker would choose to work on the street, rather than in the security of a brothel or escort service. If a worker objects to the brothel's "cut" (a portion of the fee paid by the client goes to the brothel to pay overheads, staff, managers, etc) they might apply for a license to run an escort service for themselves, but that requires passing the background/police checks that the BLA performs when granting a license. And also, they would need to pay tax. The taxation industry is quite hungry for the revenue from the sex industry-- they actually stage
raids on brothels and regularly subpoena records. This is what happens when a largely cash industry suddenly becomes open to taxation! However, with 500 brothels currently in operation in Victoria, and the industry still operating on a cash basis, it's very difficult to track and enforce.
Escort agencies also need to have a license, but under the conditions of that license, no services can take place on premises.
Prices and earning capabilities
These are the prices as they currently exist in the state of Victoria. This is mostly anecdotal (sex workers telling me the average) with calls to about five parlours/escort services to ascertain if they fit within the average.
In a parlour, it is around $170-$200 for an hour's service, with the worker receiving about $100. Half hour services are available, at around $120-$150, with the worker receiving $60-$75. A worker will generally only see, at a maximum, about 3-4 clients a night.
Most of the male sex worker industry is based around the escort business. Prices vary a lot more than for a brothel, and quite often are based on the negotiating skills of the worker. In general, they tend to be higher (from $200-$300, depending on how far away the booking is and how much of a regular the client is.) Most bookings are an hour, occasionally going for longer. On a busy night, an escort would see 4 to 5 clients. The agency takes a fee (usually $80), the driver is paid ($20 for short jobs, $50-80 for longer jobs) and whatever is left over is for the escort.
Gay for pay: sexuality
There is an interesting dichotomy between female sex
workers and male sex workers. Female sex workers tend to have much more defined boundaries ("I don't do ...") whereas male sex workers have a much more limited clientele (it is rare for females to employ a male sex worker; this is generally a very specialised niche) and so their own personal sexuality becomes more or less irrelevant. Male sex workers define themselves as everything from gay to straight, transgender, pre-op and post-op. While this affects the kind of clients that choose them, it doesn't generally affect how they view their sexuality outside of
work. I talked to sex workers who have had sex with over one hundred male clients, who defined themselves as straight.
When asked if work was pleasurable, most sex workers are equivocal. It's not totally horrible--sex workers who find it traumatic tend to leave within a very short period of time. However, most sex workers compartmentalize to an incredible extent: sex with a client is a "service", and a distinction is drawn between ejaculation and orgasm. Which, as far as I could gather, were exactly the same physical chain of events. The line appears to be in the emotional component: with a client, it's ejaculation. With a partner, it's orgasm. This allows the workers themselves to have sexual relationships outside of
work, but unless their partner is someone who has been in/is in the industry, it is very difficult to maintain a relationship.
Top or Bottom
Strangely enough, sex workers who are capable of "switch-hitting" are very, VERY rare indeed. Most sex workers tend either to be a top or a bottom. Tops are rarer than bottoms, but when I asked, a source couldn't say whether it was due to lack of customer demand, or the difficulty of reliable performance. It generally runs at about a 3:1 ratio of bottoms to tops.
Faking Sexual Arousal, or: Viagra is your friend
For a bottom, arousal is irrelevant. You would think that the ability to get an erection on command is an essential skill for a sex worker, but to quote my anonymous source: "Hon, you're just there to get fucked. I don't think they really CARE if you get a hard-on or not." Unless the client was absolutely awful as a top, the more experienced a bottom is, the more likely they are to get an erection while giving a service. It's Pavlovian conditioning to an extent, and relates back to the difference that sex workers draw between orgasm and ejaculation.
For a top, Viagra is their friend. Again, it also becomes a Pavlovian response: the more experienced a worker is, the easier they find it because the body is conditioned and knows that pleasure is coming. Before Viagra, there were nasal sprays, and before those, there were very, very few tops.
Most sex workers are adept at faking sexual arousal, but were actively uncomfortable when asked about feeling real sexual arousal with a client. Answers ranged from "Never" to "A guy bangs your prostate enough, you're going to ejaculate. It's simple mechanics" to "Yeah, look, sometimes. But it's more about the sex than the client. Sort of, the sex happens to you and it's good, but it's more internal than actually connected to the client." One worker put it more explicitly: "You do feel arousal. But, you can't get lost in it, because then you would start going after your pleasure rather than theirs, and it's about them. It's a service. You get to be selfish with your lovers."
The consensus also seems to be that concentrating on the pleasure leads to loss of control, which, apart from potentially giving a bad service to clients is also risky for the worker. Too much enjoyment in the ejaculation caused during services adds to the self-esteem problems that most sex workers suffer from: to quote one worker, "If I'm enjoying this, it must mean I'm a whore." It blurs the lines between work and pleasure--a boundary difficult enough to set in the first place.
Security, policy and procedures
There is a definite class system in place in the sex industry. Street workers are the lowest tier on the ladder: work is dangerous, hours are long, there is danger. It's illegal, they have to constantly keep an eye out for police, but the more they move around, the less likely they are to attract a client. Brothel or escort workers look down on street workers.
Most brothels have security, either on premises, or a phonecall away. An escort has a driver and a mobile phone. The worker rings five minutes after arriving in the room--a lot of the time, that is enough to tell a worker if the client is actively dangerous. At 10-15 minutes to the end of the alloted time, the driver calls the worker. If the worker DOESN'T answer the phone, emergency procedures are put into place. This may include breaking into the room, and/or
calling the police. Different escort services have different procedures, but they are generally a variation on this.
Male street workers are a lot less blatant than female street workers. They don't associate much in groups, only the transvestites actually "work the streets". They hang around in parks, alone. Places with plenty of dark corners. It is primarily a youthful industry: it is very rare to see a male worker over the age of 35.
Other stuff
Protection is always, ALWAYS used in brothels. There may be one or two sex workers who are prepared to accept extra for giving blowjobs without condoms, but management will hear about it, and not allow that worker to work again in their parlour. It's illegal, and doesn't make sense for prolonging the working life of their workers. They're also sneered at by the other sex workers.
In escort services, it is up to the individual worker as to whether they use a condom for fellatio or not. It's still technically illegal to not use one, but it is more difficult to police than in a brothel: management is more or less resigned to the fact that they cannot control what goes on in the rooms off their premises.
Street workers unfortunately don't always use protection. However, there are
outreach/support groups out there who are attempting to get them to, and there has been some small measure of success (as evidenced by the used condoms I saw as I walked down the
streets of St Kilda. Which, ewww, but at least they're using them!)
Anal sex without a condom is frowned on by just about everyone: no worker I spoke to admitted to doing it consensually with a client.
And now the the disjunct- Rentboy!fic.
How's that for a segue? Actually, I couldn't think of a more harmonious transition, so this is it.
I adore Rentboy!fic. I don't know why, I just do. Everything politically correct in me tells me I shouldn't. My own experiences with researching this essay tell me that there is not a lot of correlation between the real life sex industry and rentboy!fic. Yet still, I read it. And hopefully, this post will inspire people to write more!
In general, in my *cough* research for this section of the essay (which may have included reading every rentboy
fic I could find) I was able to identify five subtypes of fic.
The Pretty Woman fic, aka Twuuu Wuv¹ comes riding to the rescue
Okay. We've all seen the film. Worker encounters client. Client pays forservice. Worker and client fall in love, whereupon client takes worker away from all this and they all live happily ever after.
This is the archetype I have the most serious problems with. I have read some EXCELLENT fics in this archetype, but it has an attitude of work in the sex industry as inherently degrading, that no worker has the power to change their lives with out the rescue of the Twuu Wuv. Largely, the reason I have such large distaste for this particular archetype is the power balance. It actually plays into roles of traditional gender stereotyping, which is certainly interesting to do within the confines of slash fanfic. Some things to think about anyway.
A subtype of this plot: Sexual healing
Where a worker or ex-worker meets our Hero, and our Hero teaches him to feel again.
Certainly, the extreme disassociation between sex and love that sex workers need to be in the industry and the attendant physical and mental
issues that go with this, either as a cause or effect, can be very trying for a relationship. I applaud the authors for recognising this. The trouble is, that this kind of emotional damage is best dealt with by a trained professional, not by a partner who has a vested interest in the outcome.
Actually, that would be really interesting--to read this kind of fic where the author shows the stresses that therapy puts on a relationship, or where the partner's possible ulterior motives actually hinder the course of the Sexual Healing. I don't think I've read any of those fics--if they exist, and are out there, leave me a link in the comments. Or you could write it. That would be fantastic.
Overall, I feel that
the Sexual Healing scenario is a combination of hurt/comfort, and a use of the sex industry as a means of denoting a power dynamic where, once again, the sex worker is unempowered. But! It is possible to play with these archetypes, so go! Have fun!
The Undercover fic
Or, I'm really gay for my partner, watch me discover it.
It is possible that my huge. Huge and somewhat inappropriate love for this genre of fic biases me here. I think, meta-wise, that it has the underlying theme of freedom from societal constraints which have prevented them from discovering/declaring their love. Why should being
undercover as a rentboy make this easier? I have NO IDEA. But I still love the stories.
Also, I have noticed a huge element of objectification in these fics: the partner going undercover is usually dressed in skimpy, revealing clothes which they would never wear in a million years. Maybe the whole genre is an excuse for us to dress Ray in tight cut-offs.
Ummm...
Oh, I'm sorry. Yes. I was saying something. Objectification! That's
it!
Possibly this reflects fandom being a mostly-female space? That after years of being objectified by society, this is our revenge? Maybe women find objectifying men just as hot, and this is an outlet! I don't know. What do you think?
Seekrit Rentboy Past, or Public Persona/Private Acts.
This is probably the subtype of rentboy!fic that I have the most affection for. Jim discovers Blair (Look, it could be. Or it could be Fraser and Ray, or Rodney and John. Go with it! Whatever works for you!)² worked as a rentboy when younger. Or maybe he still works as a rentboy. Cue obsessing and imagining.
This is about possession. Obsession. The desire to know your lover, know everything about your lover. It can also be used as (as with the "Undercover" fic to signal a change in the relationship, enabling one character to see another in a sexual way.
This fic can deal with sex and shame, but usually does so in a positive way. This is one of the few rentboy!subtypes that doesn't disempower the character that was/is a sex worker. Instead, the partner who discovers it is usually made to face up to some private kinks that they didn't know they had. It's a vehicle for forcing self-discovery, AND for equating the sex worker as an uninhibited sexual being. Which isn't usually the case, but it's nice to read.
In real life, jealousy is a
crippling force on a relationship. A large proportion of sex workers are not able to sustain relationships outside the industry, leading to them further being trapped.
I'm not sure that I actually would like this subtype to reflect real life more. I like the fact that no-one gets demeaned (or if they do, it gets fixed), and that being a sex worker is not automatically equated with being powerless.
The Journey Through Hades, or the effects of current sex work on an established relationship
This type of fic is the rarest around. As a matter of fact, I can only think of two that I know of: one Numb3rs one, and a Mag 7 that I have heard about but haven't been able to source. If there are more out there, let me know!
This is where the sex industry and sex work is used as a form of trial for our heroes. Whether it's the non-sex worker trying to hold on, or the sex worker trying to work AND maintain a relationship, if thought is put into this it is probably the most realistic of the rentboy!subgenres. The main problem I have with it is reconciling the sex industry the writer depicts with the one I discovered doing these interviews. But hey, this is fanfic- we're ALL ABOUT suspension of disbelief.
And in conclusion
I would like to see more rentboy!fic. I would like to see more research put into the real life sex industry. While I am not prepared to put you in touch with my sources, I am certainly happy to answer any questions you might have.
If you disagree with me, about anything, LET ME KNOW! I would love to discuss this and am remarkably hard to offend. If you found this useful, if you didn't, if you don't think this is at all relevant.
So. That's it from me! Now, any questions? Comments? Bueller?
¹ Yes, I HAVE watched The Princess Bride too many times. Shut up.
² Sigh. I would like to apologise for any brainstrain caused by the overuse of parentheticals in this meta. If it's any consolation, I did make myself go through and take half of them out, so it could have been much worse. Also, I actually talk this way.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-03-31 04:39 pm (UTC)These are indivuals who advertise their services either in the papers or online. "Personal massage with relief" is the most common code for it, although you can also find brothels advertising that way. A client will call up, make an appointment, and then visit them in a motel room or in the worker's home (yes, very risky). Although there are quoted rates for time, the worker will usually try to negotiate increased fees for different acts, or draw out the experience and suggest that the client might want to purchase more time.
I'd love to see some links in the fic section, if possible.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-31 10:47 pm (UTC)Yeah, That was part of the "exempt escort license" I touched on briefly in session one. It's still licensed, here.
I do have quite a bit of detail on what, exactly, a service entails, but I didn't want this to be titillating. But yes, the system of "extras" exists here too.
And I'll look up some links. Trouble is, I don't bookmark a lot of them, so it might take a while. ;)
no subject
Date: 2007-03-31 04:45 pm (UTC)Here's a question for you -- do you think there's a different kind of disempowerment/disrespect issue at work when all parties are male? I haven't read much rentboy fic and I have to admit most of what I have read severely feminized the rentboy -- but I don't know how much of that is inherent in the consumer/consumable relationship and how much is simple bad writing that essentially turned the disempowered male into a girl.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-31 11:45 pm (UTC)See, the guys I interviewed--2 were gay (absolute screaming queens), 1 was straight (identified as such, but I got that vibe from him as well) but DUMB DUMB DUMB, and one was completely putting on a show for me. INCREDIBLY charming, incredibly attractive, but he was playing it. Couldn't really get a fix on him.
One thing I would say is that all of them were very masculine. Even the queens, underneath, had this... it's really hard to put into words, but this very basic attitude to sex, where everything was reduced to component parts, with no emotion attached at all. To anything.
The "disrespect" attitude still exists on the part of the consumer, but the workers, they're. I don't know. Hardened, or something. I honestly don't think that most of the time they see the clients as even human. Or maybe they see the clients as human, but disconnect it from the sex.
It's a very hard mindset to get into. I'm not sure I managed it. But yes, I think because fandom is more-or-less a female space, we connect disempowerment with our experiences of being female. Which is interesting in and of itself, but not necessarily true to what I observed.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2007-04-01 02:52 pm (UTC)Have you seen the sga community
Also, try
You asked about the 'undercover as gay' genre, and I was reminded of something
On a serious note, your post talks about people who have chosen to be in the sex industry, but there are also many people who are forced into prostitution as part of the modern slave trade, so-called 'people-trafficking'. [http://amnesty.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=10314]
Legalisation probably won't help those people, since they are usually classed as illegal immigrants, and often treated as criminals rather than as victims.
I appreciate that that is a different issue, but I just had to mention it.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-01 11:38 pm (UTC)The sex industry doesn't HAVE to be degrading and demeaning! While we certainly have a long way to go, the sex industry in Australia has made tremendous progress in fixing the things that are wrong.
And yes, I think you're right about the "undercover" fics: it's one of those fanfiction conventions where we all just nod and accept it. Which is one of those things that I adore about us as a community. It's like there's this vast unwritten agreement of "hey, just go with it", and everyone participates and has a good time!
Thank you for the link for "Gay Porn for Girls." I had read it before, and it's an interesting re-read.
Thank you very much for reading and commenting!
no subject
Date: 2007-04-02 09:21 pm (UTC)Anyway, thanks for posting this. It's a terrific resource and it's really inspired me to think more deeply about specific issues that even your excellent beta of rentboy!Fraser hadn't yet inspired. I'm still trying to make decisions based on what's best for the character (he's still Fraser, after all, even in this AU) and what's best given the realities of the industry. *sigh* This story is hard.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-03 02:31 am (UTC)*pets you* I KNOW the story is hard. But it will also be good! all you have to do is keep plugging away.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-04 05:55 pm (UTC)Are there ever consequences for clients who violate the rules (such as not using a condom or going past an escort's time)? Or is it always considered the service workers fault? What about more serious violations such as assault? Is the onus on the sex worker to report it? Does it affect the client's ability to hire someone in the future (is there a blackball list)?
no subject
Date: 2007-04-05 12:16 am (UTC)As for not using a condom: if a client repeatedly tries to slip the condom off, or not to use one at all, most workers would walk, and management would support them. The client wouldn't get a refund, either. Also, escort workers talk amongst themselves, so management that didn't support a worker who took that action would find themselves very short of workers who weren't desperate.
There is a blacklist, but it exists on an escort-service-to-escort-service basis. rhED has an "ugly mugs" list for the street workers, but in the escort services, one client's ugly mug may be another service's valued client.
As for assault, yes. It is up to the sex worker to report it.
Thank you for reading! Hope this answered your question
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2007-04-05 03:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-05 11:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-05 09:48 pm (UTC)And I don't know why it's such a popular setting for an AU but the feedback I'm getting is more than usual; it's definitely working for people.
And me :-)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-05 11:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 12:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-07 01:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 12:17 am (UTC)The type of rentboy fic I enjoy most doesn't really fit in any of those categories. I'm not sure how I would categorise it, but the keywords for me are gritty realism, dysfunctional, and fucked up. Stuff where the point of the story is not to get these guys out of the sex industry, stuff that's not A Romance (though sometimes there may be feelings involved as well as sex).
no subject
Date: 2007-04-07 01:13 am (UTC)The wording "Voyage through Hades" does suggest that the ultimate aim is to leave the sex industry. This is not necessarily reflective of the kind of fic, but more of my personal preference within the genre. Apologies if it's misleading.
I would be interested to see any links you have to stories like this! Um, the only story I have read in this genre that I can remember (It's both a terrible and a good thing, being a voracious reader and having no memory. I'm sure I've read more, but this is the only one that I can find right now) is
There may be other types of fic out there: I am specifically choosing to focus on slash stories and fanfic, simply because the bloody essay was ALREADY 3800 words long, and if I didn't narrow down my focus, I was both going to go insane and also exceed the post length.
Thank you very much for reading and commenting!
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 11:50 am (UTC)There were some things I've already read elsewhere (like "some studies show that 90% of people in the sex industry have been abused in some form or another in their childhood and early adulthood" - I didn't know the number, it simply stated "most") but there were things I didn't have the slightiest idea about (for example the limited capability of switching from bottom to top, or that tops were rare without medicaments - I thought it was caused by limited demand for this kind of service, well, I still think there is limited demand for it).
There is alike emotional detachment among female prostitutes, from what I've heard.
I know that I enjoy the rentboy!fics partly because it's the opposite of the rentgirls/women stories I read as a teenager. I really couldn't understand why it works only this way not the other.
I hope you will complete your essay with links to the fics you like or maybe to those which represent the types you mentioned.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-07 01:49 am (UTC)Besides which--I don't really tend to read much het in the way of fanfic ;-)
God. I will see about the links--and before I begin, just a disclaimer. All links will probably be NC-17 and slash. Um, just in case you needed to be warned.
I do know where the only example (that I have read) of the "Journey through Hades" can be found, but, um. It's incest and a WIP (or slightly unconnected vignettes? Maybe?), so let me know if you're okay with that before I give you a link.
For Pretty Woman, there is King of Wishful Thinking by
I...can't think of any more right now, because I am PRETTY (and also very tired. I got to bed at 1:30am, and then the cat woke me at 5:30am. And then again at 6, and 6:30) but I will be sure to update as they come to me.
Ooh! Ooh! Have you read
also, if we give her lots of feedback? she might write more soon
Hope that helps. Thank you for reading and commenting!
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
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From:no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 04:11 pm (UTC)i agree with your archetypal rent!boy fic categories. I think that there's an interesting space in fiction, where the device of sex work can be explored in a kind of... safe way, but that the waters can get muddy, because of what we ultimately want for our characters. It's like there is a tension between realism and our goals in writing. and this tension gets resolved in the plotlines that you describe. i had actually set out to try and write a rent!boy story that defied those categories. i don't know if it worked, but it was interesting to ponder the reasons why i was so attracted to this type of fic.
what do we, as women, get out of reading about sex work and our favorite characters? it's something i still think about, because i think the answers are as varied as the readers.
Maybe women find objectifying men just as hot, and this is an outlet! I don't know. What do you think? on this quote, i wanted to say that for me, it is indeed a matter of objectification that i feel is independent of whether or not i myself am objectified. i wrote a scene just as you describe, where the sex worker pauses in getting undressed, and the client ogles him. it was completely a mary sue moment, lol, because i was conjuring up the attributes i admire most about the character i had cast as the sex worker. i could concede that perhaps i have learned the trick of indulging in my objectification from men, but i think that the natural instinct was always present. i think we all "look" but it's a matter of degree of self-articulation that leads to admitting that we do, which is not necessarily connected to our gender.
and maybe that is one of the reasons that we enjoy the rent!boy genre? there may be some particular aspect of voyeurism happening there, or invited to be there, that is particularly gratifying? i'm not sure. but um, i really enjoyed your discussion of the mechanics of real sex work, and am bookmarking this in case i ever write another story like that. thanks!
Deleted and reposted because I can't code *sigh*
Date: 2007-04-07 02:39 am (UTC)And see, with the objectification thing, part of it only works (for me) in the context of fanfic. I know what the character looks like, so it is in my imagination that I can see him dressed in the clothes. (Um, the "Ray in cutoffs" fic I was referring to is Boardwalk by Kellie Matthews). Also, i think it's something to do with the way my brain is wired: I find words more erotic than a picture, most of the time. And also, I guess I find it hard to look at men and think "Nice arse." It usually takes at least a conversation before I can do that. I think it's just that I am aural, rather than visual as my primary method of stimuli. However, everyone's wired a different way, so...
I don't think that what you did in your story was necessarily Mary-Sueing. It actually sounds like a good way to get the exposition out of the way, in a different manner. What fandom was it written in? Are you willing to provide a link?
I don't think it's the voyeurism, particularly, that appeals to me in rentboy!fic. I know I have a huge possession/obsession kink, and also, playing with the ideas of sex and shame really interest me. *sigh* You know, I was discussing this with a friend, and she was going "Okay... example?" and I couldn't remember any fics so I made up an example with Jim and Blair from The Sentinel and fleshed out a plot. She says she's going to make me write it. *cries*
I swear, I used to have lines! It's just that fandom is erasing them for me.
Thank you very much for reading and commenting! Glad it might potentially be of use because you realise, this entire post is nothing more than a means of asking people to give me rentboy recs/links or write me rentboy!fic. Just sayin'
Re: Deleted and reposted because I can't code *sigh*
From:Re: Deleted and reposted because I can't code *sigh*
From:no subject
Date: 2007-04-07 12:20 am (UTC)Some other sources of interesting information:
Understanding the Male Hustler (http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Hustler-Haworth-Lesbian-Studies/dp/156024111X), by Samuel M. Steward aka Phil Andros (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Andros). Steward spent part of his career writing porn novels about a hustler named Phil Andros (which was also his byline in the series). Supposedly he based his knowledge on disinterested research. Maybe. At any rate, his nonfiction book is a rather amusing conversation about prostitution between himself and his altar ego, Phil Andros, that ends with him being seduced by his altar ego.
Hustling: A Gentleman's Guide to the Fine Art of Homosexual Prostitution (http://www.amazon.com/Hustling-Gentlemans-Guide-Homosexual-Prostitution/dp/1563331373), by John Preston (http://duskpeterson.com/preston). Preston sold his services as a leather top in the 1970s, and he collected other gay prostitutes' thoughts for this book. I've actually run across a case where someone went into prostitution after reading this; it's that sort of book. Upbeat, but not in an entirely unrealistic way.
HOOK (http://www.hookonline.org/), an e-zine for men in the sex industry.
A bibliography of printed and online resources on Victorian and Edwardian homosexuality (http://www.duskpeterson.com/toughs/bibliography.htm#homosexuality) that includes a number of references to prostitution. The bibliography was partly for a series I did on Edwardian youth prostitution, Michael's House (http://www.duskpeterson.com/michaelshouse/).
(Heading off to rec your post far and wide.)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-07 03:06 am (UTC)I'm glad you liked the post. It was a hell of a lot of hard work, and broke my brain several times. Thank you for commenting and reccing me!
no subject
Date: 2007-04-07 02:02 pm (UTC)I also enjoyed your Princess Bride and Ferris Bueller references (I did a Bueller reference when teaching last week, and, alas, no one got it).
I will look into the many link in the comments over the next few days as well.
Thanks again.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 04:01 am (UTC)Let me know if you have any questions!
no subject
Date: 2007-04-07 09:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 04:03 am (UTC)Glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully, this inspired you and we will see some form of rentboy!fic from you some day. *pokes you meaningfully*
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2007-06-21 04:29 am (UTC)I may have more to say later (it's past my bedtime) but I thought I'd add one link to your last category it's (winces, these are so not my fandom or my usual genre, barring the rentboy bit) Supernatural RPS post-apocalypse rentboy fic. http://community.livejournal.com/sundownverse/
The set up of the relationship makes up most of the core arc with the brothel coming in later.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-04 12:49 am (UTC)Thanks for reading and commenting!
(no subject)
From:Very nice.
Date: 2007-07-03 06:57 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2007-07-04 12:48 am (UTC)Thank you very much for reading and commenting?
No prob!
From:Re: No prob!
From:no subject
Date: 2007-10-14 12:21 am (UTC)Thanks for commenting!
no subject
Date: 2010-04-27 10:17 pm (UTC)I hope your fic goes well!