A frozen job market and few signs
there will be an economic thaw has former straight-laced dot-commers
trading in their Palm Pilots for stiletto heels to cover the rent.
"The first time, I was really nervous,"
said Lady Sapphire, a former search engine content editor, of her
initial jaunt into prostitution. "The guy comes in the room and I'm
supposed to have sex with him?" She doesn't want to reveal her real
name.
After the initial anxiety subsided, the
fit, blonde 25-year-old provided services and pocketed $400 for an
hour's trouble -- 20 times more than her previous profession paid
for 60 minutes worth of work. Working with a close friend, an "old
pro," also helped her relax. Sapphire only turned tricks as half of
a sex kitten duo.
Sapphire's pal, an Internet-based
callgirl who works out of her apartment, had tired of her previous
working partner and invited the rookie to join her
two-crazy-girls-on-an-adventure routine.
"Dudes like it," Sapphire said. Many of
her customers were computer desk jockeys or out-of-town businessmen.
Most of them were lonely.
"I'm relatively sexually active. I've had
one-night stands," she said. "Yes, this is a little more contrived,
but it makes a lot of sense. They want the service and are willing
to pay for it."
The college-educated hooker lost her
dot-com job in May and was eager for the cash. Modest unemployment
checks didn't cover her pre-recession priced rent, and she had long
been curious about the sex industry. The Seattle native considered
stripping but felt the recession-heated competition would shrivel
her earnings.
"There are so many women out there now
saying, 'I think I'll strip,' " she said. Becoming a dominatrix also
crossed her mind, but the investment in clothes, training and
equipment was prohibitively expensive. She then joined her friend in
five bouts of sex-for-pay before hanging up her condoms.
Her dream job, she said, is social work.
She has landed a few part-time counseling positions and is applying
to study for a master's degree in social work. She enjoyed dabbling
in prostitution, but her concerns about contracting sexually
transmitted diseases, getting arrested and warping her relationships
prevented it from becoming a lifelong profession.
"I got sick of that aaahhhh look from
men," she said, hanging her tongue over her bottom lip.
Other sex-related industries are
attracting former squares looking for a recession-proof salary.
"A year ago, I couldn't say 'dildo' out
loud," said Tamar Love, 31, a Web site project
manager-cum-sex-consultant for an adult-toys company.
"Now I even say it in front of my
mother."
Love writes a sex column for mypleasure.com, unearthing for her
readers the finer points of female ejaculation, anal sex and
masturbation. She also writes a guide to the most titillating sex
toys on the market. Before becoming a Bay Area Dr. Ruth, she
coordinated editorial projects at the MobShop, a group-buying site,
and held a string of other Internet-related positions. She also
worked as a freelance writer and restaurant reviewer.
"I never would have imagined I'd be doing
a job like this. It's sex," she said, chucking. "I used to be a soup
critic."
Her current boss, sex therapist Sandor
Gardos, hired her to write freelance articles for his sexuality
section of about.com. She enjoyed
the work so much, she agreed to write a column for his new site, mypleasure.com. Love's target
audience are women in their 30s and 40s -- the Nordstroms
demographic -- and she is thrilled to share her newfound research
and passion with her readers.
"I know it sounds corny, but if I can
help one woman learn to have an orgasm, then I'm really happy," she
said.
E-mail Adrienne Sanders at asanders@sfexaminer.com
