She doesn’t want to be there. One of the most offensive and pernicious lies in the film industry are those “cheerful prostitute” characters. It’s all well and good to write nuanced characters. But the whole happy-whorehouse thing isn’t just cheap tricks for lazy writers who can’t think up real stories. It’s the glamorization of something that, if it happened to you, would destroy your whole world.
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I will spare you the thought exercises, since I try to keep this blog shiny clean. But don’t tempt me. I’m a writer, and that means I can make you see things you didn’t want to see. Just go ahead right now and throw into the trash every DVD you own that perpetuates that lie. And change the channel, forever, if you see it on TV. Thanks.
YES!
People have no idea what that kind of life does to a person. Oh my heavens! You know, everyone chuckled and nodded at “Pretty Woman” but how desperate would you be if you were in her shoes – 3,000 miles from home and not a cent to your name?
We lived in a very gritty part of the city for about 20 years, and some of my children’s schoolmates have gotten caught up in this lifestyle. I cannot tell you how much it pains me to see these **children** sitting on the side of a freezing road and refusing all offers of help (except money) for fear that there will be repercussions. These are kids who sat in my living room and ate chocolate chip cookies with me once upon a time.
Yes, please. Know the facts. Get rid of the garbage idea that “it’s okay”. It’s not okay. Not even if you picked the path.
Oh my goodness. How heartbreaking, Katie.