How I feel about being a sex worker

no bad women * just bad laws

From a discussion by Greta Christina at Free Thought Blogs about sex workers feelings about being sex workers. I figured my readers here might like to read my answers as well.

Why did you get into the sex industry?

To support myself while I went to college.

Did you freely choose this work? Were you in any way forced or coerced into it? Were you pressured into it by economic or other pressure?

Hell no. I was totally excited to find a way to make $ without working a full time job while attending college full time.  I could have worked my ass off at some fast food joint, but showing my ass for much shorter hours seemed like a great idea.

Why did you go into the particular line(s) of sex work that you did?

I’m a Pro Domme and started as a pro switch. I tried other types of sex work but this is what I liked best. I wasn’t pushy enough to be a stripper, I wasn’t affectionate enough to be a prostitute (not the courtesan type I pictured myself as anyway) but being a Pro Domme was all about wearing great cloths and doing crazy role plays. Loved it.

What, if anything, did/do you like about the work?

Loved that I could just take a couple weeks off to hang out with my kids if I wanted. Loved that I could be there for them when they needed me. My short stint at a straight job confirmed my need to make my own schedule. I love the creative outlet and the crazy shit I get to do. I loved the random gifts and the sudden unexpected influx of cash during a good week. I love that I can travel to anywhere in the world and work. I also love the amazing women I work around and have had the chance to get to know throughout my career.

What, if anything, did/do you not like about the work?

Having to take clients I didn’t like for the $$. I’ve always tried to have another type of income so I could limit those sessions. I hated not being able to get health insurance because I couldn’t afford it. I hated feeling marginalized because my career choice didn’t fit in the traditional 9-5 world. (But realistically, after a life time of not fitting in, that was rarely an issue.)

On the whole, did/do you like the work, dislike it, or feel neutral about it?

Nearly 20 years into it, I still love it. There have been times where I was tired or burned out, but I’m pretty sure less then other people. I’m pretty happy in my choice of careers.

What are your feelings about your customers?

Same as with people in general. Love some of them and try to spend more time with them, hate others and try to avoid them.

Have your feelings about the work changed with time? If you no longer work in the sex industry, did your feelings about the work change after you left it?

Of course. I spent a lot of time thinking this was a temporary thing and as soon as I was done with school, or my next stint in school, or what ever, that I would finally “figure out what I wanted to do with my life” but have realized… this is it. It’s what I like. It’s what I’m good at.

If you still work in the sex industry, do you feel free to leave it? If you no longer work in the sex industry, did you feel free to leave it? If not, what restraints did/do you have?

I feel free to leave at any time. I debated leaving after my son was born, and planned on leaving if we could have another, not because I hated sex work but because I’m lucky enough to be in a situation where I could be a stay at home mom if I wanted to.

Is there anything else you want people to know about your experience of sex work?

I have had a great time. Naturally, as with anything, there have been ups and downs. Times where I’ve liked it more then others. Hated it more then others. I have run my business like a business, investing in it, marketing it, being as ethical and understanding possible. No one has pushed me to stay in it. I could leave at any time. But I have strange men who adore me and send me presents. So yeah. I’m fine here.