Session 3: Sarah's Primary Source

Henriques, F. DR., Prostitution in Europe and the New World (Volume Two of Prostitution and Society), (London: Macgibbon & Kee, 1963), pp. 356 & 357.

(From the chapter The Contemporary Situation in The U.S.A.)

‘Today, although the brothel still operates in the United States, it is our contention that the emphasis is much more on the call girl. Let us consider how life is organized by a successful member of this profession. The really top-class call girl will earn an income amounting to $20,000 dollars a year, and this of course is tax free. Each transaction would cost the client from twenty to a hundred dollars. The more he demanded in terms of time or performance the higher the fee. Against this large income a number of expenses have to be set. Rent is a prominent item. The girl’s apartment, which may have to be used for business if the client does not wish to go to a hotel or to his own apartment, must be situated in an expensive quarter. Normally, the rent will be high but it may become even higher than usual if the girl’s profession is known to the owner or his representatives. The average will be about three hundred dollars a month. An essential for her work is the telephone. An answering service, such as doctors use, is contracted for. Throughout the day the number will be phoned by the call girl to see who has rung up, and then contact is made with each client. The cost of such a service amounts to forty-five dollars a month.
Clothing is a significant part of the expenditure. The call girl at the top of her profession must dress accordingly. That is to say she must have a wardrobe which enables her to go anywhere, to the best hotels and places of entertainment; she must be dressed in the height of fashion, but not vulgarly. This expenditure is associated with morale spending in times of mental depression. Not all clothes are bought retail as, through her connections with the underworld, stolen goods may be purchased. Again, grateful clients who are in the garment industry may assist by gifts, and so on.
A girl who entertains a high percentage of her clients in her apartment has to face a considerable bill for laundry - clean sheets may have to be provided for each customer. Beauty aids, perfume, and hairdressing are all items on which large sums are expended. Visits to the doctor are imperative - for the monthly check-up. Fees charged may be higher than those for ordinary patients but have to be paid just the same. It does appear that the V.D. rate is low among the top flight prostitutes. If the necessity for an abortion arises this is obtainable but the cost may be as high as three thousand dollars.
The attitude towards contraception is curious. Many girls are forgetful or do not like to use a device. Many clients refuse to wear a sheath. In these circumstances one might imagine the pregnancy rate to be high. This is not borne out by the facts. A common belief is so long as they are continually sexually active they will not conceive - the theory being that different kinds of semen neutralize each other. There is, of course, no scientific backing for such a theory. On the other hand, the low incidence of pregnancies may come to the same category as that resulting from youthful promiscuity in many parts of the world.’