If you live in a big city, you have probably come across an escort. Although it is not as mainstream as for women, men can also be escorts and they have been escorts for millennia. I personally know a dozen men who have been in the escorting industry for as long as I can remember. The business of escorting has always been there and for as long as there is demand, you can bet your last quid that supply will always be there. If you are among the few who have probably never met an escort, or heard about this practice, you need to be getting out more often. They are here, and trust you me, regardless of whether escorting is legal or illegal where you live, escorts are here to stay. And work. Historians have thoroughly studied this topic and they have established that it runs as far back in history to medieval times. The Egyptian princes were famous for using young slave girls as escorts. Also, in ancient Rome and Greek, unmarried old men and young men alike would seek the company of young girls or boys for a wide range of purposes from acting as companions to communal events to more intimate encounters.
However, the dynamics about prehistoric escorting practices are very different and have undergone a lot of changes compared to how escorting works in today’s world. Unlike in the past where escorts were less bold about coming out and being proud about their line of work, today’s escorts cannot be prouder. Well, at least in the west. Also, worth noting is that in medieval times, escorts were largely treated as personal property. Most of the men and women who used to work as escorts were mainly slaves and whether they wanted to or not, their willingness and consent was not sought. They were…forced. This is largely not the case in the 21st century. With the increased wave of feminism and sex education, the importance of consent is still being stressed. Even if someone works as an escort, and they turn you down when you try to book sexy escorts, you can do less to nothing about this. Unlike in the past where forcing escorts to do something they were not willing to do went mostly unpunished, in a larger part of our society today, certain legal measures have been put up to punish violators.
With that being said, are we now seeing escorts with different eyes than our ancestors viewed them? Are they treated less as a taboo or social outcasts in our modern society? When you see someone on the streets very smartly dressed and walking with the confidence of someone with surety, then later on learn that they are an escort, does your perception of them change in retrospect? Do you view them any different than you had viewed before realising they are escorts? May be think of them as less, loose or lacking in morals? As much as we would like to live in a society where people are not judged for what they do, we are still a long way before we get there. Although a lot of societal perceptions has greatly improved on how most people view escorts, there is still a significant percentage that still views escorts as a taboo. I know of a certain female escort who got disowned by her a large part of her family once they realized that she was earning a living working as an escort. This is extremely heart breaking because escorts are not hurting anyone. They just want to be left alone and let be.
So, what factors determine how escorts are being viewed in today’s world? According to my own interaction and study of escorts, these are some of the factors:
Misinformed public.
Most people think that escorts are sex maniacs. They have this misguided notion that anyone who is an escort is in it purely for sex. This cannot be further from the raw truth. Escorting involves different activities. I know quite a number of escorts who do nothing intimate with their clients. When you visit most escorting websites, you get a better understanding of this. Escorts can be booked for company to an event such as a wedding, a business dinner or any formal event. Not every escort offers sex, and thinking that every escort does this is a sign of ignorance.
Religion.
Most religious societies are very conservative. To most people living in such communities, escorting still continues to be viewed as a social taboo. Religion is an enemy to modernity and progressiveness. It is beyond shocking that people would treat their fellow humans as outcasts just
because they do what they think their god(s) opposes. On the other hand, liberal societies could care less about what other people do with their personal lives, as long as they are hurting no one. Compare Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom. With the former, escorts risk death, while with the latter, escorting is largely viewed as being normal as any other way of earning a living. Escorts in London, U.K, do not have to fear for state sanctioned executions.
Geographical location.
Depending on which part of the globe you live in, societal attitudes towards escorts shift from acceptance to outright rejection. Most countries in Europe and North America have legalized escorting in the past several decades, and those that have not yet are planning to. Contrast that with most countries in Africa and Asia where escorting is treated as an illegal activity. Even in our times, something as harmless as escorting is still being banned by law! In places where it is illegal, societal perceptions and attitudes towards escorts lean towards condemnation and rejection. In summary, there has obviously been a shift in how we view escorts today compared to how they were viewed in the past. As more escorts come out and boldly admit to escorting, their perception will continue to improve. If you know someone who is an escort, and this person is respectable
and no different from you, it is very hard to view them negatively. If you are an escort, I would urge you to come out of that closet and confront those with negative feelings towards what you do. There will probably always be some people who will never accept you but remember that at the end of the day, those negative people do not put food on your table. Enjoy escorting? Go for it! The society will soon catch up adjust!