Hookers don’t go to Topshop…
The area I live in is adjacent to a marvelously colourful area full of local character, the international financial district. In this cultural hub you will find the most delightful casinos, prostitutes and drunken rabble rousers. My flats are directly through this patch and thus to get home or go to work I must walk through this part of town or face a much longer walk through a no less savoury set of streets to reach my destination. Being a poor student and part time night club bar attendant, taxis are not a viable option due to my financial instability and public transport is not particularly cheap or local to my desired locations. But what I do have is a pair of sturdy legs and lots of near worn out shoes, thus I walk, everywhere.
As a young woman I realise there is a risk to walking at night, or even during the day, unaccompanied in a busy city. However much I feel strong and confident or feel I have a right to walk where I need to or feel well versed in self defense; the fact I must accept is that I fall into a category of people who are frequently attacked. The issue of violence against women in Scotland and particularly Glasgow is one I will come to later in this blog, at the moment I wish to focus on another area I mentioned earlier – prostitutes and soliciting.
Ladies of the night are common characters in literature and TV shows. Their portrayal ranges from heart of gold mother figures to down and out drug abusers to femme fatale nymphomaniacs. The ones I’ve seen and had extremely brief monosyllabic interactions with when passing through their “office” seem to fit none of these stereotypes (though the drugs issue in Central Scotland cannot be ignored). The ones I am familiar with stand on particular street corners and ask passing males if they are interested in ‘business’ in return when a ‘client’ is looking for a prostitute he asks if a woman is ‘working?’. Seems very formal to me for the exchange of such an intimate act but then again I’m not sure how you would phrase it otherwise. Its not a casual meeting or relationship, it’s an exchange of services, a transaction. At least this is the definition I have heard from men I know who have experience of this world. For my part I can not ever imagine what it would be like to use yourself as the tool of your trade. It could be said that its not just a trade of a physical act for money but also an emotional one, which is the same as many other professions. I think ‘oh I could never do that, I couldn’t bring myself to do that’ the very idea fills me with horror, but I’m speaking from a privileged position, I have the resources to study, a career in mind, family to support me a have a stable loving monogamous relationship, while not all prostitutes are from broken backgrounds, it seems very unlikely if you had all these things and nothing happened to change your circumstances, that you enter in to the line of night companion. But there it is, I’ve never been pushed into a desperate situation. Also, growing up with all the embellished stereotypes and my community and family’s disapproving attitude to prostitution have no doubt fuelled my feelings, but even at that I’d say I have a extremely adverse gut reaction to whole process that comes purely from my own judgement.
I feel nothing negative to the women themselves, perhaps because I feel they must have been pushed into their jobs, whether that’s true or not, and women still have a tough time of it, while we’re on our way towards a better more equal society, there is still a great deal of work to do before things are actually fair between the sexes. Also I feel concern for their safety, just as I would any woman who had to work in a potentially dangerous environment, usually alone without the support/protection/established official and legal responsibility of an employer offered in other jobs. The risk is greater with prostitutes, particularly as these women are at a great risk of violent attack, which apart from being a terrible thing in itself can lead to a vicious cycle of desperation. The men who solicit them however, I am pretty appalled by. Something about seeing a human being as something to be ‘hired’, not someone to be hire for their skills but an actual thing makes me extremely uneasy. I would find it difficult to look at a long term relationship with someone who had used prostitutes in the past and definitely couldn’t with someone who was actively using them. The language itself, the term ‘use’ makes me feel as though psychologically their view of women must be impaired. Of course times change, years ago the general or public opinion was different depending on which social circle you were in and which sex you were.
The Wiki-travel guide tells us a little about the red light district:
“The Calton area of the east end (East of the “Barras”) especially around the Tennents brewery, the eastern end of Glasgow Green from the Peoples Palace to Bridgeton Cross area. These areas function as red light areas more or less 24/7: however it should be noted that they are well worth avoiding at night as they are quite far from the city centre and are poorly lit. There is also a red light district in the financial area of the city(Anderston: West of Central Station) although this only becomes a red light district from about 9PM onwards (or after dark during winter). This area in particular is very heavily policed.
It should be noted that whereas prostitution is legal in Scotland, ’soliciting’ (i.e. prostitutes soliciting for business), and ‘running a brothel’ are illegal: brothels and ‘massage parlours’ can be (and are) frequently busted by the police and their ‘customers’ taken into police custody at least temporarily. It should also be noted that since the Prostitution (Public Places) (Scotland) Act came into effect in 2008, the police are increasingly cracking down on ‘Kerb Crawling’. Therefore lone males should drive or walk around the red light districts at their own risk, and should be aware that if the police suspect them of attempting to solicit a prostitute they can be arrested and charged. In these areas, especially during summer, prostitutes from these areas occasionally provide sexual services in ‘private’ (but open air) parts of the city. Yet again, this is illegal, and, again, ‘customers’ caught having any form of sexual activity in what the law sees as a public place (i.e. not a private residence or a hotel) will be charged.
Strathclyde Police, the local police force, has a Stay Safe while Travelling guide.”
Last week I was walking my usual route, a direct straight road from my home to where I was going to meet friends for a night out when I stopped momentarily to look for a cash machine, at this point I was approached by a man looking for a prostitute who leaned towards me and asked ‘are ye workin’?’
I replied with a discreet ‘WHAT!??!’ and the man quickly apologised and shuffled Gollum-like away down another street. Filled with indignation I looked over my outfit, a floral Topshop dress, leggings, boots, jacket zipped up, handbag, an expensive haircut and make up. No flesh on display, no animal print, gold jewelry or heels (the old stereotypical classics I have seen nearly all of the local prostitutes wear – but as a vaguely fashion conscious young woman, I do own heels, I do own a leopard print jacket). I was, to use the correct regional term, ‘pure ragin’ at having been mistaken for a hooker. Hookers don’t go to Topshop!!! Biased am I about how prostitutes look and clearly I feel deep down I am better than them. Thinking about it afterwards I change my attitude, I think I’m just better off than they are because I don’t have to do their job, and I think no one should have to.
Ironically enough though, I just read an article on a fashion blog which talks about Topshop’s new ‘hooker inspired’ high heels and the author wondered how you would wear them and look trendy but not to close to the inspiration, so while the prostitutes of Glasgow I have never seen wearing Moto jeans there is a case for art imitating life when it comes to trade professionals and fashion.
Stories I have read in the media paint the prostitutes of Glasgow as both sinner and victim but apart from sensationalising what is essentially old news about the ‘oldest profession in the world’, the general feeling seems to be concern for the women involved and the desire to stop these activities. Some stories are linked below if you’re interested in reading more.
This is a really good article Rachael – enjoyed reading it.