In the words of a prostitute: 'We're just normal people'
PORTLAND, Ore. -- It's been called the "world's oldest profession," and in the Portland area, prostitution is a growing problem.
KATU News talked to one woman who posts her services each day online, meets with clients and then leads what most would consider a normal life.
"They want company. They want companionship. They want to spend time with a girl because maybe their wife doesn't love them anymore, or they can't find a girlfriend, or they just want to be with a girl," the woman said.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, says she openly advertises on Craigslist and in local newspapers, including going to the Blazers game.
"We're just normal people," said the woman, whom KATU News has chosen to identify only as "Mary."
In the last three years, Mary has developed a routine. Every day, she wakes up and posts her ads on Craigslist. Then she waits for the phone to ring.
Mary said half the men that come to her apartment are married, seeking her services as an escort.
"'Escorting' is the cleanest word for what we say we do," she said. "It makes me comfortable, I guess, to say 'escorting."'
Mary said she was "very, very, very nervous" the first time she had sex for money.
"Luckily, when I started, it was in Nevada where it's legal. So I didn't have the scariness of thinking it was a cop. But I was very nervous," she said.
But that nervousness has dimmed with the passage of time, she said.
"Over time, yes. You do get that every once in a while when you feel scared with a client, that something may go wrong. But it tends to go away," she said.
Mary is not a drug-addicted street walker. She got into the business after a nasty divorce, and felt she had no choice. And contrary to the popular misconception of workers in the sex trade, Mary said she was not abused as a child.
"I was not sexually abused. But my dad did leave when I was 4 and I did not have a great relationship with him growing up. And my mom did have some bad father figures in the house, but I was never sexually abused," she said.
Every day she turns away calls from pimps, trying to put her to work for them. Every day, she answers the phone, worried a cop might be on the other end.
Mary says the economy is pushing more women into prostitution. But that's bad news for the workers already in the sex trade. More escorts mean they're undercutting each other, becoming more desperate.
"I'm charging not enough for what I'm doing. I feel like it's not even worth it to be doing what I'm doing doing for the amount I'm asking," she said. "It's time to get out."
At 25, Mary has never paid taxes. She doesn't have a checking account. Her entire life is in cash.
That's partly why she agreed to the interview. It's her long shot attempt at changing stereotypes, so she can one day go to college and rejoin mainstream society.
KATU News talked to one woman who posts her services each day online, meets with clients and then leads what most would consider a normal life.
"They want company. They want companionship. They want to spend time with a girl because maybe their wife doesn't love them anymore, or they can't find a girlfriend, or they just want to be with a girl," the woman said.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, says she openly advertises on Craigslist and in local newspapers, including going to the Blazers game.
"We're just normal people," said the woman, whom KATU News has chosen to identify only as "Mary."
In the last three years, Mary has developed a routine. Every day, she wakes up and posts her ads on Craigslist. Then she waits for the phone to ring.
Mary said half the men that come to her apartment are married, seeking her services as an escort.
"'Escorting' is the cleanest word for what we say we do," she said. "It makes me comfortable, I guess, to say 'escorting."'
Mary said she was "very, very, very nervous" the first time she had sex for money.
"Luckily, when I started, it was in Nevada where it's legal. So I didn't have the scariness of thinking it was a cop. But I was very nervous," she said.
But that nervousness has dimmed with the passage of time, she said.
"Over time, yes. You do get that every once in a while when you feel scared with a client, that something may go wrong. But it tends to go away," she said.
Mary is not a drug-addicted street walker. She got into the business after a nasty divorce, and felt she had no choice. And contrary to the popular misconception of workers in the sex trade, Mary said she was not abused as a child.
"I was not sexually abused. But my dad did leave when I was 4 and I did not have a great relationship with him growing up. And my mom did have some bad father figures in the house, but I was never sexually abused," she said.
Every day she turns away calls from pimps, trying to put her to work for them. Every day, she answers the phone, worried a cop might be on the other end.
Mary says the economy is pushing more women into prostitution. But that's bad news for the workers already in the sex trade. More escorts mean they're undercutting each other, becoming more desperate.
"I'm charging not enough for what I'm doing. I feel like it's not even worth it to be doing what I'm doing doing for the amount I'm asking," she said. "It's time to get out."
At 25, Mary has never paid taxes. She doesn't have a checking account. Her entire life is in cash.
That's partly why she agreed to the interview. It's her long shot attempt at changing stereotypes, so she can one day go to college and rejoin mainstream society.