I watched tonight a documentary (MSNBC Investigate) on MSNBC about escorts.
It was mentioned that most women (90%) are in this business not by choice, but because they had some kind of abuse (sexual) during their childhood. I don't understand how being abused can lead you to this kind of business. I thought most women do it because of the money. Is it true or am I missing something?

It is very true. You see some women where told that they werre only good for one thing. After you here that for so  lon g then you start to believe it. ALSO I think it is a way for women to take back the control that some men took form them. I think it s terrible that it happened to them. I am also that they found away to take back the control they loss.  You guys should be happy.

Women in general are powerful and any women who is not going to let another man tell them what to do I think is great.

You would have to ask all the providers to say that or have a damn good poll with statical analysis and study backing that up. They say that because no one can challange them.

Do they know for sure the ones they asked told them the truth. I think the escorts are the only ones who could provide the real answer on this one and I don't think they will.

It's actually an escort who made that statement, she said: "most women in this business were abused some kind of way". Now, I am not sure if this is true or not, that's why I asked the question.  They even mentioned this site and craigslist.
You might be able to find the documentary on youtube if you do a search.

If anyone can add verifying data I would be very interested.  I know personally of one lady who is an immigrant and had a tough childhood. She never told me she wa forced into the sex business, though I suspect it to be honest.
Other than that cone case, I have nothing that suggests this from the women Ive met.
Is this true? From my interactions with providers I really doubt it, at least at the level practiced by providers who frequent TER.
The CL population could be a whole different situation of course and I do believe the AMPs are clearly another universe entirely though.
Annonymous posts would be very welcome of course, or if you like send me a PM please do.
Thanks!

According to the latest studies and statistics roughly 30% of females and 30% of males have been sexually molested as children. This seriously messes with the head.

Molestation many times makes one a "loosey goosey" or the opposite "sex negative".

The person who mentioned that an escort said this, she was probably very close to the ballpark, imho.

We should be very afraid of what a realistic, serious study would say about we "hobbyists". First, I am sure the vast percentage of ladies do not think we are all that wonderful (understatement) though they might have a few real favorites. I cannot speak for the escorts because I am not one but we DO use them for money. Again telling them this is what you are good for. That is not how I feel myself.

A therapist is likely to say we have serious intimacy issues.

On a personal note, I am very grateful for the ladies and I do not feel I have intimacy issues. I am sure I have not been anyone's favorite. Well, maybe one woman's but that might be vanity and wishful thinking.

Assuage your selective outrage if you are honest with yourself.

Note: I believe in the legalization of this whole "industry". I believe adults can make decisions for themselves and it IS the world's oldest profession. I also believe that it serves a useful and important role in society. I have nothing but respect for the escorts (very seriously).

I've seen this documentary. It's the Sex Slaves series. They have 'In America', 'Teens', 'In the Suburbs'.
I doubled checked at the following link (http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCSGrid.do?stnNum=16300&channel=62) to make sure that that was what you were watching and not a new documentary.

Sex slaves and escorts are NOT the same thing. Sex slaves are adults and children who have been taken AGAINST THEIR WILL and forced into this industry. I hate to even say the words 'in this industry' because escorts are women (and sometimes men) who do this WILLINGLY. We know precisely what we're getting into. Some of us do this for the money and some of us just do it because we like the job and the money is a nice bonus. Regardless, we do it because we *want* to.

I'm not going to deny that there is probably a higher percentage of us that have had some kind of abuse whether it be sexual, physical, emotional, or psychological. Then again, if we look at the numbers: 1 in 6 women in American (about 17.7 million and still counting) and 1 in 3 men (2.78 million) have been a victim of attempted or completed rape (National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women Survey. 1998), at least 15% of children have been subject to emotional maltreatment (National Center of Child Abuse and Neglect. 1997). Child maltreatment. Washington, DC.), and every 9 seconds, a woman is battered in the U.S (Family Violence Prevention Fund, 1994). Keep in mind, this is only what ends up reported. The true statistics are actually much higher.

Taking all this into account, it's clear that abuse of any kind is, sadly, common in our society. The reason that it's likely more prevalent in this industry is because of the fact that sex slaves and people in forced prostitution are considered a part of this industry BY THOSE CALCULATING THE STATISTICS.  

However, if you take that factor out of the equation, the prevalence of abuse is lowered but is still slightly above the average of our society as a whole. My theory? Consider the average personality and psychological types of people that come to work in this industry. I'm not saying that all of us are beaten, broken individuals. I'm simply stating that a majority of us have experienced some degree of abuse in comparison to the general population at about 75%.

If we're just talking about sexual and physical abuse, there's probably only about 5-10% of the general population of ESCORTS that have suffered seriously from it.

TL;DR version: No, the escort industry is not the land of broken toys. We do this job because we want to and we're pretty normal considering the rest of the population. Sure, there is a slightly higher prevalence of abuse but it isn't as high as the experts make it out to be. They make their statistics to include people in forced prostitution within this industry when they are, in fact, not part of it at all.

Thanks for clarifying things. That puts my "bullshit theories" pretty much in the trash.

A very helpful posting. Thank you.

Thank you Penelope for your insightful post. Thats what I thought...LOL
I still have reservations about the numbers and the accuracy of data used but your comments are sure an improvement over the garbage reported on MSNBC.
My reservations are anecdotal to be sure but Im just suspicious of surveys in general.
Who is taking all these surveys? Ive never been asked any of these questions.  Anyone know anyone who has been asked? I dont. If they were, did they answer honestly?
Regarding the data you referenced, I really dont believe 1 in 3 American males have been sexually attacked. This is over 30,000,000  American males btw not the 2,780,000 as you listed. Im sure you meant to enter some other specific data, either the percentage or count but anyways, your input here helps me prove my point about statistics and their veracity. This and all manner of other data in all sorts of catagories gets misreported and extrapolated incorrectly and then cast in stone by some group. e.g. MSNBC!
On a more happy note, I think I would really like to meet you one day. Brains and beauty is a wonderfully stimulating combination for me! Hope we can make that happen...(smile)
Have a great week Penelope..

Sswede,

Your questions on who is taking the surveys and who are the samples that the data is comprised of are important questions to ask. Having that information gives you a better idea

Regarding the 1 in 3 males being sexually assaulted in some way: Keep in mind that this also includes children along with adult males. There actually has been a rise in the abuse of male children and it was one of the many things I did my research on in college. I'd quote you the sources but that requires me to dig through the massive pile of paperwork that is every research paper and report I've ever written in four years. I'll get back to you with them at a later time.

Then again though, you have a point. My research papers always drew from journal articles. Although most  journals follow an accepted format of clearly explaining procedure as well as the sample data, you never REALLY know precisely how a study was done unless you were a part of it. Some parts of the procedure are emphasized more than others and it isn't always reflected in a written procedure.

As far as getting to meet me, you know where to find me.

~Penelope

The 30% figure I got for male molestation rates was from a Ph.D. psychotherapist. She says that males are virtual molested as frequently as females. I will ask her source.

I know she is always taking articles I send her from ScienceDaily and rebukes them as flawed or premature studies.

As to various statistical methods used in sampling and their accuracy, they are actually mathematically sound though people can and do lie on things like political poles. The sampling population is the big question.

I think it is not necessary that you know someone who is polled. I do think that deceit can skew the accuracy of these things but I am not sufficiently well versed on the subject to say so.

Remember, statistics can be manipulated and reinterpreted in so many ways. Numbers fashioned into statistical venues can garnish all kinds of conclusion not to mention evoke all kinds of misinformation. Ask any mathematician or statistician he/ she will tell you how the "nature of numbers" can be interpreted, extrapolated and so on and so forth. And sometimes, promotes more polarization and thus resulting somethings in generalizations and prejudicial outcomes.

that no matter what "news agency", msnbc,fox,or any of the rest of them that do these enticement pieces,no matter how well meaning,they are bucking for ratings and have only limited research before lashing a few subjective comments together and generalizing a whole industry. Post a poll here and folks can use their beloved alais' to weigh in,just like on this thread. The perspectives will be a hell of a lot more accurate than corporate show pieces during an election year. O.K...be safe out there and have Phun!

Well, thank you for your analysis, it sure helps me understand. They should have interviewed you

If you go to the Church I'm sure about 80% of the kids were abused at one point or the other. In the schools, teachers abuse physically, mentally and with lack of services every day, foster care kids are abused in those systems one way or the other every day. Battered wives and kids, let's be real here. That statement can be made for about 90% of the American population and probably more for others countries. Just another scare tactic that we as adults should see through and disclaim as false. I have never been  abused. I am sure there are many but I wonder why that causes so much stir when the same station had a documentary on how all Walmart employees are abused with mandatory overtime, lock-ins and no pay. Yet they are on every corner of the country. How Nike uses child slave labor, come on. The truth is unless and until Eliot Spitzers' go to jail, there will always be scare tactics to sway our good clean fun.
Until we meet~
nJoi Love

Much of it is also how you make your assumptions and define your populations.

One of the worst flaws is mentioned above:  putting everyone in this business in the same bucket be they voluntary indies, coerced sex slaves, streetwalkers, MP girls, or high end very selective providers.  When you do that the streetwalking population dominates by sheer numbers and the data I’ve seen does show higher incidence of molestation there though I still doubt the numbers are that high.  They also show more coercion, more drug use, more violence, and more pimps.

Second issue is “journalists” and LE who have an agenda.  If they want to tell the story that most women in the business are sex slaves they will define their population boundary and samples to rig the answer.  If they want to promote decriminalization they will define them differently.  And if it’s TV “journalism” using the term very loosely, they will not want to tell you their assumptions because they often know they are seriously flawed.  Same is true with LE who wants to convince you that every sexworker is a dangerous meth-head who has 4 uzis concealed in her g-string and by arresting them they are making the world safe for humanity.  Ever look at the number of arrests they co-tag with drugs, etc?  Almost always SWs.  I’ve even seen cases where ONLY the drug carriers are arrested and then some crap stats “leaked” that say “95% of all prostitutes use drugs”.

Third problem is the escorts themselves.  When arrested they oft claim they were coerced to get the sympathy vote from LE and the judicial system.  If they can indeed convince a judge they were the victim if is in their direct best interest.

Unless I could page through the assumptions and raw statistical data I’d be very skeptical of any numbers presented.

All of us are damaged goods in one way or another.  Some just hide it better than others.
A lot of the damage happens in childhood because children learn what they live.  Studies have shown that children of sexual abuse often become hypersexualized - engaging in sexual activity earlier and more often, as well as in ways that are considered to be less appropriate.  It's certainly conceivable that a warped view of sexuality developed as a child could lead to a woman becoming an escort (or some other kind of sexual performer) as a way of working out that aspect of her childhood; it could also lead to a man patronizing escorts.  Or it could lead to neither.  At the end of the day, it depends on how you define "choice."      

They don't have a clue and aren't about to spend money to get a clue. I didn't see the show, but bet it had lots of titillating shots of hot ladies, streetwalkers and ladies in shocking pink shorts with skimpy halters (excuse me while I go take care Little Mister Happy) OK I'm back.

It's all about ratings, because MCNBC's ratings are going down the tubes.

I have never had a session with a lady who even hinted that she was doing this involuntarily. Sure, I read horror stories that it happens, but for the well reviewed ladies on TER I suspect few are doing this because they are abused or being held against their will. I suspect it has something to do with getting money to pay the bills, but I may be wrong.

-- Modified on 8/9/2010 8:04:38 PM

I just can't help remarking that the loss of ratings at MSLSD is no surprise when we consider that they have that moron Keith Overbite.  MSNBC - Countdown to No Ratings.  Putting that commentary aside,  I agree witht this post.  Perhaps I am just extremely selective (I see "blow job - yes with condom" in a review and for me it's on to the next review), but the ladies I have dated had in my opinion personalities that were better than those of most civilian dates.  So as far as I am concerned they are as well adjuted as the general population - perhaps more so.