Prostitution

What Does Prostitution Mean?

The term prostitution refers to the act of having sexual intercourse, or performing other sexual acts, for other motivations other than love or lust, such as favors or for monitary gain. The sexual act is voluntary and without physical coersion. The latter specification excludes any form of rape from the definition. The person who commits prostitution is called a prostitute.

The English word whore, referring to (female) prostitutes, is taken from the Old English word hōra but usage of that word is widely considered as a insult. See also: call girl, courtesan, escort.

Male prostitutes offering their services to male customers are called "escorts", "hustlers", "rent boys", "punks" (US), "trade," or "boy toys."

Male prostitutes offering services to female customers are comparatively rare and are known as "escorts" or "gigolos."
Organisers of prostitution are typically known as pimps (if male), madams (if female), and mama-sans if female and Asian.

Prostitutes are stigmatised in most societies and religions; their customers are typically stigmatised to a lesser degree.

Different Kinds of Prostitution & Settings

Street Prostitution: In street prostitution the prostitute solicits customers while waiting at street corners or "walking the street".

Places of Prostitution: Brothels are establishments specifically dedicated to prostitution, often confined to special red-light districts. Other names for brothels include Bordello, Whorehouse and Cathouse. Prostitution also occurs in some massage parlours and barber shops, in the U.S. and around the world where sexual services may be offered for an additional tip.

Escort Prostitution: In escort prostitution there are 2 kinds of calls. The first is an "out-call" which is when the sexual act takes place at the customer's residence or the customer's hotel room. The second kind of call is an "In-Call" where the act takes place at the escorts place of residence or more commonly at a hotel room rented by the escort.

This form of prostitution often shelters under the umbrella of escort agencies, who supply attractive escorts for social occasions. While escort agencies claim never to provide sexual services, very few successful escorts are available exclusively for social companionship.

Independent Escorts: Some escorts may work independently of an agency. This is achieved by advertising the services they offer directly in newspapers, magazines or the internet. Communication with clients is usually made on a telephone and appointments are negotiated without any third party involvement.

Sex Tourism: In sex tourism, travellers from rich countries travel to poorer countries in search of sexual services that may be unavailable in their own countries, or simply too expensive there. Other popular sex tourism destinations are Brazil, Thailand, the Caribbean, and former Eastern Bloc countries.

Open-Air Girl Market: The setting common in Russia and other countries of the former USSR takes the form of an open-air girl market. One prostitute stands by a roadside, and directs cars to a so-called "tochka" (usually located in alleyways or carparks), where lines of women are paraded for customers in front of their car headlights. The client selects a prostitute, whom he takes away in his car. This leaves the woman (often very young girls) particularly open to abuse. Prevalent in the late 1990s, this type of service has been steadily declining in the recent years.

Lot Lizards: A "lot lizard" is a commonly-encountered form of street prostitution. Lot lizards mainly serve those in the trucking industry at truck stops and stopping centers. Prostitutes will often proposition truckers using a CB radio from a vehicle parked in a non-commercial section of a truck stop parking lot, communicating through codes based on commercial driving slang, then join the driver in his truck.