To answer your questions in order:
I don't have an "understanding" family, rather I'm an adult and as such I make decisions as an adult. I simply let my family know so that if, God forbid, I'm ever murdered or assaulted or arrested, it does not come as a shock to them what one of my jobs is. They've known since day one. In terms of my friends, a true friend will not give two shits what I do for a living as it is my friendship that is important. Of course I've chosen very good friends for myself and I didn't lose a single one of them when I began working in this industry three years ago. I don't need anyone's approval or understanding as I am an adult and intelligent and capable enough of making my own decisions and do so readily.
Now, my other job is in the advertising field as a writer. It's not a secret, I've said it here many times and yes, my employers do know about this life and this "job" as it is one of the main reasons I got my foot in the door. A majority of my advertising experience first came with escorting and they've seen my former website which I both wrote and completely designed and it was integral in getting my foot in the door.
Previously I worked for the government. This isn't a secret either. I worked in Space and Missile Defense and held a clearance, so yes, I've been subjected to both lie detector and background investigations so that I could hold the clearance I held. Obviously since I'm no longer in the DC area working with the government, I have no use for the clearance so I no longer have it. I've never had a psychological evaluation for any position I've held, but I do have a very long, extensive resume spanning 12 years as my first professional job was when I was 16 years old with a car dealership. I'm very aware, as are many of the escorts on this board, of the current and past hiring practices in man fields. In fact, I know a great deal of ladies in our community here who have other jobs, have had other jobs and who are educated well above a great many of my own clients in either business I run. It may be hard for you to believe, Sheika, but most of the ladies in this business have at least a Baccalaureate degree and quite a number hold Master's Degrees as well. This job does not make it either very difficult or impossible for anyone involved to change careers, believe it or not. If the lady is creative and intelligent enough, in fact she can utilize her experience in this position as a business owner, a writer, an advertiser to get her foot in the door with a great many companies. And many of us do and have and many more will.
The actual point I'm making is the opposite of yours..Many of the ladies here who are active in the "escort trade" have resumes, references, verifiable means of support (because those of us with brains have Accountants and do pay taxes and have bank accounts), and this "state of affairs" is a work history and we remain in the business because we are business owners and are competing in the "legitimate" work force, as you put it, concurrently while escorting.
Your post makes it sound like we poor escort souls are stuck here being hookers because, by golly, we don't have an education or previous or current careers, no resume and we don't pay taxes so we don't have verifiable incomes. I want you to know that what you've posted is actually a description of the minority, not the majority of escorts. So, you are very misled in what it seems you believe.
I don't know any ladies in this business who feel vulnerable (venerable is not the right word) to any unsavory pressures or manipulation. In fact we have full control. Unless of course you meant the girls working for certain agencies, and even they have control because they can quit and become independent, registered business owners as I have. I don't know any independents who feel trapped in this business, although I'm sure some exists but if they are trapped, it's because they haven't been wise with their money and haven't gotten themselves an education with all the money they've made, for which they really only have themselves to blame and not "the system" so to speak.
The possibility of being outed exists only when one keeps their lifestyle a secret from a certain group of people. Whether it be their significant others, their bosses or their families. The possibility of being pressured to out anyone only exists with a person who is of weak character and is easily impressed upon by those they perceive to be in power. This is a lady you better hope you never book with if she's ever busted or a gentleman you better hope you never see in the event he's busted by an SO or LE, because either way, these two individuals have no character, no backbone and absolutely no respect for the privacy of others.
Sleazeballs, profiteers, and unscrupulous people exist in all walks of life, all professions, all businesses and in each demographic. It has little to nothing to do with the type of business, it's also a weakness of character and a lack of morals and good judgment. It can be in the high priced pimp or madam, the street scum pimp, drug dealers, street walking hookers, internet escorts, organized crime, the FBI, Politicians, Wallstreet traders, etc. etc. etc.
Basically, Sheika, I suspect your post is full of what you think are absolutes but which are actually assumptions and stereotypes. I don't know how long you've been hanging around this industry, but I've spent a few years in it and many of the escorts I know are more educated, better educated, more intelligent, less "stuck", and happier than any "civilian" I know, to be honest. Precious few of us are here because we don't have an education, a resume, a job history, or a choice. That is found more out on the streets than on the street corner known as the internet. I suspect you need to take a different sampling before applying this logic to the escorts around the globe who are their own bosses, make 100's of thousands of dollars a year with husbands and families and careers other than this one they may possess. Of course there are always exceptions, but my post is more about the rule and yours is more about the exception.
Take care,
Megan
PS The replies by the ladies are becoming very thin on this board, in case you haven't noticed, Sheika. That's because the intelligent ladies are pretty much ending their posting as a result of the gaggle of Golden Guys on this board who are putting the intelligent ladies here down. It's basically a lesson. They don't want to hear from the ladies.....we'll see how much they enjoy speaking only to each other.
