Call girl confidential
Tracy Quan chats to Cosmo
Reason magazine claims that author Tracy Quan is "the only chick lit writer to discuss indentured labour, sex worker rights and the proper purse in which to carry a dildo". With a statement like that, it's hard to ignore Tracy Quan, author of the Diary of a Call Girl series.
A former call girl herself, Tracy turned her hand to writing in 1999, when she began her Salon.com column, Nancy Chan: Diary of a Manhattan call girl. Since then, she's adapted the column into a series of three books, the latest of which is Diary of a Jetsetting Call Girl. Now, the books have spawned a TV series, produced and written by none other than reigning TV king, Darren Star.
Lauren Smelcher chatted to Tracy Quan about Carrie Bradshaw, clients and call girls.
You've said that, as a kid, you wanted to be a librarian. What made you decide to become a prostitute instead?
When I wanted to be a librarian, I was only four. I didn't think about becoming a prostitute until I was sexually aware. Many people report that their erotic quirks were formed during puberty. This was the case for me too. The idea of being paid for sex spoke to some irrational need — a bit like someone who just knows she wants to write novels! However, I made the actual decision for practical reasons, to have financial independence. And I thought it would be easy money. Silly me.
Candace Bushnell, the author of the 'Sex and the City' columns, has often said that Carrie Bradshaw is her alter ego. Is Nancy yours?
Not in the same way. Nancy Chan, the call girl in my series, has two friends, Jasmine and Allison, who are central to the novels. They need each other, but they're constantly arguing about relationships, money, handbags, and business.
It's an emotional triangle that represents my life. I identify a great deal with Nancy's ditzy friend Allison, who is more open and idealistic than Nancy. So Diary of a Jetsetting Call Girl is about my own internal conflicts, things I've gone through; but I work these things out through more than one character.
You worked as a call girl for 15 years. What's the weirdest experience you had?
I fell in love with a client who never made me come. I didn't know I could feel that way about a man. In general, I associate love with orgasms, but this man didn't turn me on. Or I wouldn't let him! I had such a huge crush on him. Perhaps I was sexually attracted but wouldn't allow myself to feel it. The industry brings out surprising things in a call girl's personality. It's not just about the clients being weird.
In your books, there is a clear hierarchy among the call girls. Is this true in real life?
Yes and no. In my novels, the hierarchy is breaking down. Girls cross over from escort service to private madam — and they go back when they can't make enough money that way. That's very true to life. In Diary of a Jetsetting Call Girl, Nancy discovers that her circle of exclusive girls isn't airtight. She's close to a call girl who advertises on a website, but she keeps that a secret from the private madam. In life, as in my novels, the hierarchy is losing its power.
Nancy has her favourite client, Milt, whom she tries to please in much the same way as people with, say office jobs, try to do their best possible work for a coveted project. Did you ever have a client like this, and if so, what kind of things would you do to please him?
I kept notes on what I wore for each session, so I wouldn't repeat the same bra, knickers, and garter belt two dates in a row. Even with my favourite customer, I couldn't always remember what I had worn. I would jot down what position we had sex in, so I could satisfy him in a different way each time. Men are paying for variety and when you have a favourite customer, you have to find a way to provide him with variety.
Did you ever juggle a boyfriend and life as a call girl in the way that Nancy does?
Some boyfriends didn't know a thing about my job, and I actually enjoyed lying to them. I felt freer when they didn't know, but I only hid it from casual boyfriends. If I fell in love, I told the truth. Still, it's a juggling act, whether they know or not. Call girls are always arguing with each other about the right way to handle this, and that's a theme in my series.
You've said that you think prostitution should be decriminalised, but you've also cautioned others not to go into the business. How do you reconcile these competing philosophies?
It's a demanding job. To be successful, you must have a pretty face or a great body, but that's not enough. You have to be ambitious, alert, internally strong. You have to enjoy putting yourself out for people — and you're always required to smile! You're there to give pleasure, but you have to find a way to do this without becoming a doormat. Most people don't have what it takes to be in the business, but you can't stop women from entering it, and I don't think anyone should be punished. Especially when you consider how challenging the work is.
What made you want to write about your experiences?
I wanted to start a new career without turning against my past. We don't have to reject prostitution when we're ready to move on — perhaps I wanted to prove that to myself. And it's hard to give up prostitution when it's in your blood, so I stay connected to my natural way of life by writing about it.
Our society is increasingly open about sexuality — but there is still so much taboo surrounding prostitution. Why do you think this is?
Partly because today's woman can enter occupations and schools that used to exclude us. So people feel there's no "excuse" for being in such a traditionally female job. Society still values a job more if it's associated with men, while looking down on other jobs that seem too feminine. We're not as open-minded as we think we are.