I struggled for a long time trying to figure out how to best do these women and their stories justice. I visited with 11 women and each of them were extremely different. No one story was alike. When it came down to trying to figure out the best writing practice for this project I couldn't get over the fact that each of these stories could stand alone. This project has evolved over and over again. And, again, it is evolving today. Most recently, the thesis is ditching the academic world (for now) and going mainstream. I've stopped writing and am now focusing on writing a book proposal (!!!!). I can't believe it either.
As far as the project goes, not every story is going to be included in the greater piece (which I wish wasn't the case). BUT, I want there to be a space where those other stories, that are just as valuable and just as fascinating, are told. So here we go...
Katie was the first woman in the industry that I met. She is a madam (female manager) at one of the most successful brothels in the state. When I arrived, she greeted me with kindness but also a little skepticism. She was the epitome of "mama bear" if I've ever seen it. She was well dressed and put together. Katie introduced me to a few women and took me back to a large great room. It was impressive. I'll say it.
After a tour of the facilities, I sat down with Katie and one of the working girls, Wendy. She taught me the in's and out's of the industry and familiarized me with the expectations between employee and employer:
"This is just business. We are just business partners with the women here. If they work here and are going to go out in public, we expect them to be law abiding citizens. And then as business partners, we provide this legal umbrella for them to work under and so we provide 24 hour security, housekeeping, chefs, bartenders, maintenance, everything. They're the product and their room is the storefront. I expect them to make a ton of money. They better be making a lot of money or I'm not doing something right!"
Background to the "legal umbrella": The women are registered with the state as independent contractors, therefore, they set their own pricing and have some additional flexibility. Brothels also vary in size and the number of women contracted at a time might vary from 2-3 to two or three hundred. Also, they really do have all of the amenities she mentioned! I was surprised too.
Katie has worked in the industry both legally and illegally before working her way up to madam. She takes great pride in this role and when I asked her if she was proud to be the madam of that particular brothel she responded with, "very."
Katie was incredibly open throughout our conversation and gave invaluable insight into the industry. What struck me most was her love for and desire to assist the women working at the brothel. As she stated,"In my heart and soul I want these ladies to change their lives."
I don't think I expected a brothel to try and nurture and sustain a healthy workplace environment. She was genuinely concerned with the well-being of her employees. She views legal sex work as a temporary stepping stone to the next thing. Whatever that "thing" may be. Which is something she never did.
Katie left mid-way through my time at the brothel but left a lasting impression on my experience and interpretation of what brothel life and the role of the madam is like. She was the first to introduce me to an industry I so misunderstood. There are a lot of things I still wrestle with about this whole concept but Katie's introduction and tour of the 5-star facilities was incredibly influential and one that I give a lot of credit to.
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