The Clients
In order for a sex work market to exist there has to be a demand for the services. Typically we think that the demanders are only in the business for sexual release and usually this does hold when it comes to typical encounters with streetwalkers and brothel workers. But these clients have many different reasons for why they frequent sex workers and sex worker establishments, such as friendly company, an escape from their busy day at work, entertainment from dancers, business meetings in regards to strip clubs, or even to be somewhere where they don’t have to be themselves (reinvent their self). In some countries clients frequent these workers because it shows prestige. Other times clients frequent workers in hopes of finding a companion. And sometimes clients enter the market for sex work, to fulfill desires or fetishes they couldn’t get from their partners. These clients varying needs determine which form of sex work they will frequent, whether that be streetwalkers, escorts, porn, or even strippers.
In most strip clubs sex is not being exchanged, this opens the door to very interesting analysis of the clients of sex workers and their varying desires. In Katherine Frank’s G Strings and Sympathy: Strip Club Regulars and Male Desire she discusses how the economics of sex work has evolved over history and even what is demanded by the clients is greater than sexual release.
During her research Katherine worked at 5 strip clubs. Her findings showed that the men, who frequented these establishments, never got the full sexual release that streetwalkers or brothel workers would have gave them but instead they got to escape from their regular, sometimes lonely lives, into a world of fantasy, whose authenticity depended on the workers act. She called this a “commodification of intimacy”. [3] The clubs varied in economic class, between high tier clubs and low level clubs, and cliental somewhat did as well but it wasn’t uncommon to see regulars at different locations. Also the clients varied: some were there for business, some for entertainment, and some, as can be seen in her first interlude, for conversation. James for instance was a regular of hers who was a pilot: he would pay for her time just to talk with her about his day and get some kind reinsurance of his life.
In a sense “some strippers see themselves as therapists”. [4] But not all clients are like James, male dominance is still present within strips clubs and is reinforced by the fact that
“men who visit strip clubs don’t have to change their views, whether racist or sexist, because there will always be another dancer willing to tolerate them for the money.” [5]
One major take away from her book was the varying desires of the clients of sex workers. It showed that the demand for sex work isn’t necessarily linked to sexual release and that the fantasies of the clients, were validated by the fact that they had choices in their selection of workers. This can be seen in the image above where the madam is asking the client if he prefers blond or brunette, because no matter his preference there would always be a worker to suit his needs. Sex workers aren’t in the business to portray there true self’s. The workers are in a market that demands of them to accommodate the fantasies of their clients, in a fashion that still seems authentic. And the sex workers are more than willing to create these fantasies because it is how they maximize their profits from the business. The clients being able to fulfil their desires from the workers is the main reason they chose to enter the market and as long as there is still someone to accommodate them they will continue to use their services.
[3] [4] [5] Frank, Katherine. G-strings and Sympathy: Strip Club Regulars and Male Desire. Durham: Duke University Press, 2002.