Chapter 24 Lucy #2
I love hearing numbers. The best way to prove my worth is to show the facts—that’s all companies really care about. Knowing Eman is going to bring data to this meeting is a huge win. “That’s amazing news. Thank you for telling me.”
She takes an empty seat next to mine and lowers her voice. “I know you’ve been really pushing for this promotion. You are at the top of my list for when I submit names at the end of the quarter. Just hang in there.”
“I will.” I nod. “Thank you, Eman. Seriously, that means the world to me.”
“In the meantime”—her voice switches back to its normal decibel—“sprinkle in some of your old stuff. It doesn’t have to be all relationship focused. We don’t want to totally alienate our audience that’s single.”
“Right.” I force out a laugh and then feel a tiny wave of relief.
“How are things with Mark, by the way?” Eman smiles.
I frown. Who the hell is Mark?
“Oh!” I say, realizing who she’s talking about. “We’re good…really good.” I try but fail to smile.
“I can tell you’re happy.” She pats my desk and then starts walking the opposite direction.
Saturday afternoon, I’m at my kitchen table in a pair of sweatpants and my oversize Metallica T-shirt while Marsh is wearing something similar, except his shirt accentuates his muscles. He wraps an arm around my collarbone from behind, then kisses the top of my head.
“Water,” he says, placing a filled glass in front of me.
“Thank you,” I reply.
Marsh takes a seat across from me. His glasses sit at the bridge of his nose, and he adjusts his backward baseball cap.
“Okay.” He places his phone in between us. “Do you, Lucy Reid, give consent to this interview conducted by me, Marshall Oakley, for The Journal?”
“I give consent,” I say, and he presses record.
“Can you tell me about modern-day sex work and how it’s evolved over time,” he starts.
I collect myself the way I would before any interview and begin to share my knowledge.
“So, the phrase the oldest profession isn’t an exaggeration.
Most sex work started from the practice of sacred prostitution where women were dedicated to religious figures.
It wasn’t always viewed as something that had to have moral disapproval,” I say.
“Something that has remained consistent through the course of time is that the person that’s condemned is the woman who chooses to give her body, not the person who’s seeking it out.
The woman who is receiving payment in exchange for sexual acts.
We’ve seen sex work in different forms throughout history: mail-order brides, escorts, prostitutes, strippers, porn stars.
Society has become almost accustomed to women’s sexualization and objectification—it’s so readily available and people are giving it at no cost that sex work, and a woman getting paid for it, has flipped everything on its head and is now morally disapproved of. ”
I momentarily stop for a breath. My answer should suffice, but similar to how it feels when you’re in a job interview, you never really know when exactly to stop talking.
“What do you find misconstrued when it comes to sex work?” Marsh asks, and I feel my shoulders loosen up.
“The dehumanization of women,” I say. “There are countless books and articles on it. Our culture from the 1960s onward was built on female objectification and hyper exposure. Women were persuaded by the idea that bodies were commodities to be fetishized.”
“Why?” he says with a fist against his mouth.
“A society built by men,” I answer. “So, what happens when women take that notion and take the power back? No longer letting men exploit us, but we do it on our own terms?” I ask.
“The word slut. Eventually, women are seen as objects and objects don’t have the right to make decisions over their own bodies. ”
Marsh’s face remains solemn, and I see more than I already did, his ability to create a safe space in an interview.
“Is an escort service considered sex trafficking?” he asks.
“That depends on a few factors: what the escort does. Are they exchanging their company for money or are they having sex for money? Is the escort in debate doing this willingly or against their will?” I pause and try to tie my thought with the recent trial.
“Let’s say for this hypothetical scenario, all escorts have willingly agreed to the services and are engaging in sexual acts in exchange for money…
This is ultimately the woman’s choice. Similar to a woman who chooses to become a porn star or show her body to her OnlyFans subscribers.
Sex shouldn’t be used as a tool against women. ”
Marsh adjusts his glasses. Like a dog catching a scent, I can see I piqued his interest and he’s curious for more information. “Can you expand on that thought a little more?”
It’s a loaded question because I could go on about this topic for quite literally hours. I try to stick to the facts.
“There’s always been a negative connotation when it comes to women who use sex as a tool for power,” I say matter-of-factly.
“Present company included. If a woman chooses to use her body to be an athlete, how is that any different than choosing to use her body for sex? If, just like anything, it’s consensual and feels empowering for the woman? ”
“Why is there a difference in how people view those two examples you just gave?”
“Well, religion is a big factor,” I say. “The most common religious affiliation in the world is Christianity. It’s considered a sin to have premarital sex. The basis of that notion builds the foundation for how people view women and sex.”
“I want to slightly pivot,” Marsh starts. “Given what information is public about this upcoming trial, why do you think it’s making constant headlines?”
My hand reaches for the glass of water across from me. As I slowly turn the base, a rainbow of colors catches in the sunlight.
People have a very targeted view about what’s come to light.
The story has developed from infidelity to escorts.
Would there be the same amount of buzz around what’s happening if Alf Olson had an affair with someone he works with?
Perhaps. But he would be human, right? Now that there’s money involved, sex work, the narrative changes here.
“And as you know,” Marsh continues, “some of the men that have opted in for these escort services have been blackmailed into more money. Some taking out money on their homes, their children’s college tuitions, putting them in a deep financial burden they can’t dig themselves out of.
Some of these men are political figures, with a high status. ”
“Correct”—I nod—“and to decide who’s guilty or who’s not guilty is ultimately the responsibility of a judge and a jury.”
“I’d like to talk about the gender pay gap,” Marsh says, and I remember how this topic was of interest to him at The Peppermint Club. “Does this still manifest itself in the sex work industry?”
I finally take a sip of water, allowing my thoughts to form into a coherent answer.
“Research shows that women do tend to make more money than male counterparts in this line of work,” I answer. “But, keep in mind that there are more men seeking out female sex workers than there are women seeking men. It ultimately comes down to supply and demand.”
Marsh remains engrossed by my ideas, but never does his expression flicker to looking impressed.
My knowledge doesn’t surprise him, and that’s something I appreciate.
Through the years I’ve learned I need to either dumb myself down or sound ten times more intelligent around a man. With Marsh I’ve had to do neither.
“Is sex work a lucrative business?” he asks.
“It has potential but depends on things like location and type of sex work. Major cities have a higher clientele, street-based sex workers make less than those who have an online platform or specialties,” I explain.
“There’s a financial instability in this line of work, and reports have shown that sex workers rarely reap the benefits of their revenue. ”
“If so,” he adjusts, “why would one choose to go into this line of work?”
“There are studies that show those who choose to go into sex work were encouraged by family, friends, people in their circle who have done it. The practice was already normalized to them. It’s a ripple effect.
” I sigh. “Lack of education or access to what society deems as normal jobs. Without the ability to go to school or find other jobs, people have no choice but to turn to sex work.”
Marsh nods, signaling that he has all that he needs. “Thank you, Lucy,” he says. “Are there any final thoughts that you’d like to add?”
“When I heard the news of the recent trial, there was only one thing that came to mind,” I say.
“And what’s that?”
“People want sex,” I say. “You can have everything. A family, a loving partner; even for the richest men out there, you can have all the money in the world…but people want sex.”