There is a French language thread about this interview with the well-known indy, Amélie Gray. But I think that there will be enough interest in this interview among English speakers that I am providing a good translation and starting an English language discussion about it.
Thanks to Amélie for doing this interview. It's interesting and enlightening.
Interview with an Escort, Part I
doubledosemag.com
June 11, 2015
Adil Boukind
The world of prostitution is often misunderstood by the general public and misrepresented by the media. But who better than a professional to talk about it? Amelie Grey has agreed to grant an exclusive interview to Double Dose. As an independent girl, her daily life seems far removed from the image of the prostitute who has succumbed to drugs and become addicted to them.
First, is there a difference between a whore, a prostitute and an escort?
No, there is none. It's like saying "pussy" and "vagina". In Montreal, the figure of the street prostitute does not exist. In 2015, if you want an escort you find her on the Internet. Then, to use different terms, let’s say say that you start out as a prostitute, then you become an escort and finally a courtesan. The use of different terminology is more a matter of salesmanship than anything else.
Before doing what you’re doing today, what job did you have?
I worked in the video game industry where I was making less than $ 30,000 per year for an average of 60 hours of work per week. This is when I experienced my first episode of burnout. I moved to another video game company, where I worked for 8 months. At that time, I was in a polyamorous relationship with my ex-fiancé and the first woman with whom I had fallen in love. They left me but stayed together at the time when I began this other job and that's where I experienced my second episode of burnout.
After this second burnout experience, I became a Quality Assurance manager for another company. I was trapped in a vicious circle, going six months without working and piling up debts. Whenever I went back to working, it was for a better paying job, but also more stressful. The problem was not my skills, but my mental condition; I had no time to really rest.
And that is when you turned to prostitution?
Yes, I have always made a joke saying that in life I was good at two things: rolling joints and give blowjobs. It stayed in my mind as a joke, but, at some point, when you find yourself living at your mother’s home and being
$ 50,000 in debt, you begin to think seriously about this possibility.
I honestly do not think that there are girls who decide to be an escort for reasons other than financial need. Later you can realize that the job has a lot of things that you love about it and that you had misconceptions about the industry, but you do not start for other reasons than financial reasons. This is a very difficult barrier to cross, but once you pass it, you realize that it is not so terrible.
The idea of getting paid (for sex) is difficult. There is also an issue of self-esteem that goes with it.
How did you get started in the beginning?
I did not know anyone in the business. I did my research on the Internet. I found MERB: the Montreal Escort Review Board. Moreover, it is on this site that I am considered one of the best escorts in town.
How have your friends and family viewed your change in profession?
My mother knew about it from the beginning. She was open-minded and just told me to protect myself and be safe. Moreover, she saw how I blossomed thereafter. For my father, it was more difficult because I unconciously kept my distance from him. After letting him know about it, he accepted my profession. There are also advantages; I can afford to take him to hockey games or on a vacation.
As for my friends, I made a great discovery: people who love you, really love you. Some of them took it badly, but I did not count them as real friends. Initially I took it it badly that some of my acquaintances were trying to sleep with me after learning my profession. Now I tell them it is $ 250 / hour.
Have you had a boyfriend while you were an escort?
I had a boyfriend, it lasted for a year. Basically, he was a customer, which I really did not think would happen. We met at the party of a mutual friend, but he was already one of my regulars. I told him that if he crossed this line, he would no longer have the right to book me. He continued to make appointments with other girls and that created problems: he booked the girls in my agency, some of whom are my friends. He was talking about me to other girls who, when I met them the first time, they told me: "Hey I slept with your boyfriend! " It became a little weird. He then started dating one of the girls in my group.
I’ve been single for a year. I often deal with strange forms of rejection. If I say what I do in life, a guy rejects me, while wanting to fuck me anyway. It's like, "you're disgusting, but I must try." Suddenly anything I had to say and that made me interesting wasn’t relevant. And also whether I wanted or not I already experience a lot of sex in my life, so the need is not really there.
Now if I have sex, it’s either for money or because I have real feelings for someone. But to be honest, I would really like to meet someone and be part of a couple. I'm proud of what I do and I can not be with someone who finds it disgusting. But it can happen--my partner has a boyfriend.
Thanks to Amélie for doing this interview. It's interesting and enlightening.
Interview with an Escort, Part I
doubledosemag.com
June 11, 2015
Adil Boukind
The world of prostitution is often misunderstood by the general public and misrepresented by the media. But who better than a professional to talk about it? Amelie Grey has agreed to grant an exclusive interview to Double Dose. As an independent girl, her daily life seems far removed from the image of the prostitute who has succumbed to drugs and become addicted to them.
First, is there a difference between a whore, a prostitute and an escort?
No, there is none. It's like saying "pussy" and "vagina". In Montreal, the figure of the street prostitute does not exist. In 2015, if you want an escort you find her on the Internet. Then, to use different terms, let’s say say that you start out as a prostitute, then you become an escort and finally a courtesan. The use of different terminology is more a matter of salesmanship than anything else.
Before doing what you’re doing today, what job did you have?
I worked in the video game industry where I was making less than $ 30,000 per year for an average of 60 hours of work per week. This is when I experienced my first episode of burnout. I moved to another video game company, where I worked for 8 months. At that time, I was in a polyamorous relationship with my ex-fiancé and the first woman with whom I had fallen in love. They left me but stayed together at the time when I began this other job and that's where I experienced my second episode of burnout.
After this second burnout experience, I became a Quality Assurance manager for another company. I was trapped in a vicious circle, going six months without working and piling up debts. Whenever I went back to working, it was for a better paying job, but also more stressful. The problem was not my skills, but my mental condition; I had no time to really rest.
And that is when you turned to prostitution?
Yes, I have always made a joke saying that in life I was good at two things: rolling joints and give blowjobs. It stayed in my mind as a joke, but, at some point, when you find yourself living at your mother’s home and being
$ 50,000 in debt, you begin to think seriously about this possibility.
I honestly do not think that there are girls who decide to be an escort for reasons other than financial need. Later you can realize that the job has a lot of things that you love about it and that you had misconceptions about the industry, but you do not start for other reasons than financial reasons. This is a very difficult barrier to cross, but once you pass it, you realize that it is not so terrible.
The idea of getting paid (for sex) is difficult. There is also an issue of self-esteem that goes with it.
How did you get started in the beginning?
I did not know anyone in the business. I did my research on the Internet. I found MERB: the Montreal Escort Review Board. Moreover, it is on this site that I am considered one of the best escorts in town.
How have your friends and family viewed your change in profession?
My mother knew about it from the beginning. She was open-minded and just told me to protect myself and be safe. Moreover, she saw how I blossomed thereafter. For my father, it was more difficult because I unconciously kept my distance from him. After letting him know about it, he accepted my profession. There are also advantages; I can afford to take him to hockey games or on a vacation.
As for my friends, I made a great discovery: people who love you, really love you. Some of them took it badly, but I did not count them as real friends. Initially I took it it badly that some of my acquaintances were trying to sleep with me after learning my profession. Now I tell them it is $ 250 / hour.
Have you had a boyfriend while you were an escort?
I had a boyfriend, it lasted for a year. Basically, he was a customer, which I really did not think would happen. We met at the party of a mutual friend, but he was already one of my regulars. I told him that if he crossed this line, he would no longer have the right to book me. He continued to make appointments with other girls and that created problems: he booked the girls in my agency, some of whom are my friends. He was talking about me to other girls who, when I met them the first time, they told me: "Hey I slept with your boyfriend! " It became a little weird. He then started dating one of the girls in my group.
I’ve been single for a year. I often deal with strange forms of rejection. If I say what I do in life, a guy rejects me, while wanting to fuck me anyway. It's like, "you're disgusting, but I must try." Suddenly anything I had to say and that made me interesting wasn’t relevant. And also whether I wanted or not I already experience a lot of sex in my life, so the need is not really there.
Now if I have sex, it’s either for money or because I have real feelings for someone. But to be honest, I would really like to meet someone and be part of a couple. I'm proud of what I do and I can not be with someone who finds it disgusting. But it can happen--my partner has a boyfriend.
