I like to wear different hats depending on my mood. I am your dirty whore when I am wearing ripped nylons and smeared red lipstick, I am your slut when I wrap myself in saran wrap and tell you to jack off in my mouth slit, I am your concubine when I am tied up, your mistress when I am wearing a strap on, your escort when you have deperate needs that need attending to, your PSE when you must get something others don't provide, and your courtsean when you want to be on another planet for awhile. Everybody pays. It is one lady that does it all. She kicks off her stillettos and calls it a day when she clocks out, and sinks into the bathtub, vanishing into the bubbles.

Semantics!......Though I tend to think of a courtesan as a woman skilled in the art of conversation, knowledgeble on many topics, highly independent and sexually charged. Which describes many of the wonderfull ladies here. The word itself lends to a "upper-class respectibility" as opposed to just escort. Please don't feel I'm diminshing escorts, I'm not. Just my thoughts. Peace.

I've never really thought about a differance.  I have always thought of them as the same.  However with just a few seconds thought, I remembered the how I originally thought about escorts as people who would accompany someone to a social function or out for the evening.  I didn't think about it often, but when I thought of escorts as a teenager, I thought that most were only evening companions and that only a few would actually provide sexual services.  Courtesan seems to specifically mean a lady who provides private intimate services, and that word didn't enter my vocabulary until I started the hobby and I looked it up.  But I generally see them as practically the same in hobby.  I've seen some ladies describe themselves as courtesans in their ads, but it seemed to be mostly just a tantalizing marketing word.  These weren't women who confined themselves to long term arrangements.

Its all the same to me........

Now there is a significant difference or at least an expected one from escort to any of different ways you would call a streetwalker.

But Escort and Courtesan....there is none.

Other names that were used in Wildwest days, that I find interesting.


Soiled Doves, Ladies of ill repute and Ladies of easy virtue, shady ladies, good time girls and painted ladies.

Then there is always: providers, escorts, working girls, call girls, hookers, prostitutes, street walkers, ho's, crack ho's and the list goes on and on.....

I think it all depends on the class of the lady and what she feels comfortable with being called. It's all the same, just a different name. Aren't we All exchanging time for money?

My 2 cents worth,

WWK








-- Modified on 6/4/2004 4:51:35 PM

I have actually read up on famous courtesans (Im a grad student and this was a topic in my research about the upper class society of Europe) and when described, they were often depicted as women who were able to mingle alongside high society and deemed as noble and well-bred because they were very worldly,charming, articulate, etc. Though not born into wealth, they were able to "pass" with their keen desire and intellect to develop high culture alongside their arts of lovemaking...they could be devastatingly gorgeous, but they didn't attract too much attention in public.  Sexy, but not overly provocative.  But in private, yes...those were where the "other" skills came into play.  

Some women are really hot and sexy but if you took them to a business function or a high profile affair, etc they may not always be able to carry their own or get into a highly intellectual debate about politics, literature, fill in the blanks.  It's more a question of education, I would say. And Im not trying to say non-courtesans are not educated, it's a certain type of education to which I refer (the elegance, etiquette, manners that normally upper society is privy to). That being said, I think being an escort or courtesan is really a matter of the individual and her interests and neither is necessarily "better" than the other.  

Many women in the business are extremely intelligent and captivating without needing to know how to recite Baudelaire or quote Sartre..whatever..Personally, I admire courtesanship and high culture and strive to fulfill that role when I am able to get to know someone in this line of work over an extended period of time, it just will not happen in one hour! To each their own.  I hope this helps!

Naomi Madrid

Thanks for the great responses!   So, it seems when you get right down to it there's not much "real" difference between a provider who considers herself an escort from one who considers herself a courtesan from a service perspective.  From the semantic perspective, it seems the difference can be much greater given people's perceptions or understanding of the terms "escort" or "courtesan".

Kind of like the terms "used" vs "pre-owned".  Both refer to the same thing but one has a different connotation than the other.  Of course, "used" and "pre-owned" are NOT associated with the terms "escort" and "courtesan" at all, I just used them purely as an example.  

How does the use of these terms influence the ladies that are sought out?  If a provider who provides excellent service identifies with being an escort, will she attract a different set of clients than if she identified with being a courtesan if her service remained the same?  By "identify with" I mean use of terms in advertising and on websites, etc...

I've enjoyed reading the responses and appreciate the input.  ON a side note, I think we need to come up with a special term for netmichelle since she can be just about anything for anyone!  

Peace...

-- Modified on 6/5/2004 12:44:50 PM

Not that a good provider is not....but from a historical point of view....the courtesan was a woman of education and means in a socity that did not educate woman, but consdered them as property like a horse or a spear.

The Courtesan's role was not so far from just sex. Actually, they studied lanaguge, politics, art, science and sat as equals with their Lords. In return for their 'art' the men paid them well and took great care of them over a lifetime.

In fudal Japan, the woman were put on a status of a minor Godess. They were some of the best educated in their time.

Sex was  part of their fuction...but a small one at that. A man was considered of high reguard if he was able to keep a Courtesan and she was very helpful to him in most of his affairs
from politics to business to life/love and yes, sex.....
To a Lord of the time....she was as indespensable as his very breath.  Talk about a GFE experience????

Today it seems that we focus on sex way too much. I enjoy a beautful woman as much as any man....and it has been one hell of a long time since I've made love to a beautful woman...but having lost my beloved and two boys over two years ago, I miss the closeness of a woman. Sex aside, if you can't talk to them and reat them with the same respect as anyone on the street, I can assure you that the 'sex' will not be all that good.

Bottom line, I think a man should treat his lady with all due respect. Fo9r whatever reason, we choose to turn to these woman for sexual release or for comfort because we are not able to get it elsewhere. Yes, they take our money...but they give one hell of alot of themselves for our pleaseure. Be her a sister, a lover or an Escort....be thankful for the gift they bring to your life. Being lonley and alone for over two years really sucks the big one.

The difference is that a courtesan is deluding herself into thinking she's not a whore.  A courtesan was a woman (unofficially) attached to the court. Not just longer-term arrangements, but generally with the great and the good or at least the well-connected.  Not just any old mistress.  I've seen some women here call themselves courtesans because they're ashamed to tell the truth. And some others who, admirably, face up and are proud of who and what they are. More power to them.