Employee o' the Month

Every once and a while I like to lighten the mood with some of my "Leonesque" general observations.

Today, while it is BHM I would like to honor a hard working woman in a tough industry. Actually I am honoring all the women in this industry because a great deal of them work their ass off.

Literally.

Today, I bring you here to honor the prostitutes of DC. Not just any prostitutes but the real unglorified prostitutes who bust their hump (heh) working all year long. There are prissy ones that only work during the summer and can rightly do so. They probably bring in more bang for the bucks (or bucks for the... ah, nevermind). These aren't THOSE strippers.

Yes, it is you I see, Unglorified Stripper, as I drive down L Street. You're working the frigid corner even when the thermometer reads a frosty 25 degrees. Your dedication to putting food on the table and keeping your pimp happy is sadly remarkable. I don't know how you do it. Pimping isn't nearly the force it may have been in the 70s and yet still you make money for them... one john at a time.

Yes, those summertime pros are prettier and usually in better shape. They probably escort in their free time and sometimes try to be video hos. Yes, you are demeaning yourselves (some would say) and breaking the law. But one person’s view of pride and decency differs from another. Certainly, your time could be better spent stripping and doing your hooking from "private dance" rooms. But then without such dedication to quick money your life wouldn't be nearly as exciting.

And SURE, you probably would be better off working for a lowly hourly wage in Wal-Mart while earning actual benefits. But still, here you are, working late into the night as light snow flurries gracefully add a conflicting ornateness to your pimp's SUV. Come sweltering heat, snowfall or sometimes even heavy rain, you are there.

You are there for the poor, the tired, the huddled masses, even the lonely but most definitely the homely. Those that have no self-esteem depend on you. Those with a good health plan or at least a decent free clinic look for you. Those lusting for thrills to validate their boring and eventless existence long for you. And until the burning commences, I am sure you bring a certain instant satisfaction that for what it's worth, probably cannot be measured... possibly duplicated but not nearly as easy... and at such prices!

It is with constant amazement and certain amount of shame I present you... all of you, from Africa and Muffy to Peaches and Xtasee and even you, Zenith... the award for Employee of the Month. You work for little (although negotiable) and end with little (definitely) but OH what a ride.

**DISCLAIMER: I have never and will never endorse or use the services of The Hired Sexual Worker. I would say that some people romanticize such jobs focusing on the sexual power. These kind of people find the job liberating (like some strippers), but I have to acknowledge that usually this minority have issues with their sexual identities. At any rate, I want it to be said that I have learned all this from documentaries (Hookers at the Point) and from watching interactions (and uh, transactions) when I am stuck in traffic during the summer while the blatant and rampant prostitution blocks traffic on L Street for BLOCKS... NOT, I repeat, NOT from talking, fraternizing or using the services of said prostitutes.**