“Bought” author Anna David talks prostitution in all forms — from hookers to sugar babies. By Julia Bartz

In a society where lawyers become lapdancers, escorts land record deals, and Internet sites provide 24/7 erotic access, it’s often difficult to draw the line between owning and losing control of your sexuality. “Party Girl” author Anna David became a de facto expert on transactional sex while researching an article about prostitution, and her new novel “Bought” draws on her experiences to tell the (fictional!) story of a journalist who becomes obsessed with a high-class escort. Sirens sat down with David to discuss prostitution: the definitions, motives – and even how it may be affecting your dating life.

How did your research for the Details article prompt you to write this book?
I had thought it was going to be a simple reported story, where I would just go and interview people and write up some anecdotes. I ended up spending six months infiltrating this world, and found out a lot about this madam and her girls. She had risen to become the new Heidi Fleiss, but everyone hated her. Normally you wouldn’t have great access in a story like this — why would anyone want to talk to a journalist about illicit activities? — but because there was so much resentment towards the madam, the floodgates opened. Women called me saying, “I heard you’re doing this story, and I need to talk to you.” The piece ended up being a silly article that didn’t really encapsulate any of what I learned, so I decided to fictionalize it and make it into a novel.

How did the process change your ideas about prostitution?
Initially, I probably had the same thoughts as most women who are reasonably liberal but still self-respecting — I judged it as sad. Once I started interviewing girls for the article, I felt more judgmental of the men who were paying for it than the women who were participating in it. Most of the girls that I interviewed seemed lost. They were porn stars and Penthouse pets and Playmates who had realized that through side work, as they called it, they could make this money. But they didn’t have a lot of other opportunities.

Is money always the main motivation for prostitution?
Certainly money is the primary reason, but there are other factors. I was talking to a male escort today who told me he really got off on doing something illicit and “bad.” Eight years ago I recovered from drug and alcohol addictions, but I remember how good being bad sometimes felt. There’s this thrill, this adrenaline rush. In our culture, where we’re all terrified of intimacy, it’s a way to keep your feelings at bay and not have to let yourself become vulnerable.

Do you think the recession will make more women consider various ways of trading their sexuality for money?
Not only are they considering it, they’re actually doing it [don't we know it]. There’s a website called seekingarrangement.com where young women meet older men and get an arrangement going. The founders were saying that since September their membership has increased 30 percent. While you might think men couldn’t afford this as much in an economic crisis, I think the men who go in for this type of relationship are the kind who aren’t too affected by any recession. And also in difficult times, people want to escape through all sorts of ways — sex, specifically sex that’s not bogged down by messy emotions.

Is there a certain type of guy who would seek out prearranged sex?
I’m a very open person and ask anybody anything, and just by grilling people over the years, I know men who have slept with prostitutes. Friends of mine! And they are open about it. The generalization is that men can separate sex from their emotions, which I believe to be true, but I think it’s definitely a certain type of guy who is materialistic, because he approaches the world thinking he can spend money to get his needs met.

I was struck by a character’s line in your book that said that men aren’t paying for the sex, but for the women to go away afterwards. Is this availability of sex affecting relationships — making them less necessary?
Obviously, the Internet has opened up an entire world of possibilities to men. Any kind of sex is available at any time of the day, and it can be literally ordered up like food. Regarding the hook-up culture, which has taken the place of dating — I know that both genders are participants, but I’ve only known two or three women throughout my entire life who were fine with just hooking up. Personally, I’m not. I can’t get excited about somebody I don’t think I’m going to have some kind of a relationship with.

What’s the difference between an escort and a woman with a sugar daddy — is there a difference?
There’s a huge difference, and it comes down to need versus want. Like I said, those girls I interviewed for the Details story had no other options, whereas a lot of girls who are looking for sugar daddies are in college and grad school. They want help paying for their education and funding their businesses, but they don’t necessarily need the money. I was talking to a woman who has a law degree from an Ivy League school, and she told me she knew she could be making lots of money as a corporate lawyer, but she’d rather pursue acting and writing. So she has a man supporting her, and that’s her choice. It’s not my choice, but I respect that.

So if a friend told you she was considering prostitution, would you support her in that decision?
Every girl I met in that world seemed broken, no matter what front she put on. I believe you pass an invisible line when you make a decision like that. You hear all these stories about prostitutes who go on to meet the man of their dreams, or marry their client, and it all sounds so happy, but once you get into the business of comodifying your body, some of your humanity is stripped away. I find it difficult and confusing enough to figure out love, intimacy, men, and sex, so if you take it to that level, I don’t know how you would be able to come to relationships with a pure heart.

Did you gain any insights into yourself in researching and writing this book?
Every writer has to relate to her characters. I had to get really honest with myself and admit that I use my sexuality to get what I want. It’s in more subtle ways [like] getting out of a speeding ticket or getting a repair discount from a guy at the Mac store. It’s also something that’s happened to me throughout my career. A number of agents have been interested in my writing, and then the more I get to know them the more I realize they’re interested in having a personal relationship. But every single time I’ve pursued that avenue, or allowed it to happen, it’s backfired. Not like 96 percent of the time — 100 percent of the time. It’s a situation I think I can control, when really I have no power.

Do you trade on your sexuality? Where do you draw the line? Talk it out on our message boards below.

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Tags: Anna David, books, money, prostitution, Sex

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 17th, 2009 at 5:49 pm and is filed under Lit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.