Courtesans, daughters of Corinth, ladies of easy morals - there are many euphemisms for the term "the oldest profession in the world" for women. But the life of prostitutes is not poetry. Here are 10 proofs that escort ladies have never had it easy in history.
Many myths and legends have arisen around fallen women. They appeared in literary works and on the canvases of great painters. Though they are said to be "the world's oldest profession," over the centuries has been extremely hypocritical to approach them.
The list below will prove that the work of prostitutes is a really hard piece of bread. All TOP10 items are based on articles published by us.
10. The executioner employed and the executioner punished
Prostitution flourished in former Kraków so much so that the Hungarian traveler Martin Csombor stated in 1618: As for morality, I do not think that there was more freedom in Sodom and Gomorrah than in Krakow.
The ladies acted individually or were employed in brothels. Illegal and those that acted in the most legal way. The most important in the 16th and 17th centuries was the city brothel - a licensed brothel, bringing income to the then authorities of Kraków. It was managed by the executioner's wife.
In former Krakow, harlotry flourished on an enormous scale. Though prostitutes brought money to the city, they were treated as inferior citizens. Brothel scene. The image of the so-called of the Brunswick monogrammer from 1540 (source:public domain).
Prostitution itself was not illegal, but wholesalers were punished for many minor crimes. They were not universally respected, so it can be guessed that no one stood up for them in the event of an accusation. The absurdity of the situation was that the punishments were carried out by the executioner, who ... was himself profiting from the brothel run by his wife . More than once, after the flogging, he offered the prisoners a job.
9. A prostitute as a biological weapon
Although they could not count on Virtuti Militari, Polish prostitutes also contributed to the fight against the German occupier. As it turns out, some ladies of indecency saw their patriotic duty in infecting the Germans with syphilis! The Home Army took advantage of it, substituting sick prostitutes for the Nazis. And it's no wonder that venereal diseases have become a real problem for the Wehrmacht…
The conscious use of Polish daughters of Corinth as a kind of biological weapon is confirmed by the words of Jan Karski himself, the legendary courier of Fighting Poland. In "Secret State" he wrote:
we used pimps several times to arrange meetings of German officers with prostitutes who we knew were infected with venereal diseases .
Venereal diseases have become one of the methods of fighting the German soldier (source:Bundesarchiv; lic. CC ASA 3.0)
In addition, girls from under the street lamps stole weapons from the Germans during intimate meetings and handed over to the Home Army. Although they risked their lives for the country, none of them received honors and thanks.
8. Spy or die
When the Nazis caught her fleeing Berlin Kitty Schmidt, the owner of a luxury brothel for wealthy Jews, in 1939, they gave her a simple choice: either cooperate or die in a concentration camp . What was the cooperation supposed to be about?
The head of the Reich Main Security Office, Reinhard Heydrich, known as the brain of Heinrich Himmler, had a brilliant idea. He figured such an elite house of fun would be a great source of information. Thus Kitty and the girls she employed became secret agents of the Nazi secret services.
Former prostitute Kitty Schmidt (her real name was Katharina Zammit) along with her daughter. It was she who ran an exclusive SS brothel.
The entire building was riddled with spy equipment. In moments of intimate tête-à-tête men became very talkative, which was carefully recorded. You can imagine bundles of cables, microphones and cameras hidden under crimson draperies and light-damping shades.
Thanks to Kitty Schmidt and her employees, Heydrich learned more than one secret - in the sanctuary was used by the German Minister of Foreign Affairs Joachim von Ribbentrop, his Italian counterpart, Mussolini's son-in-law, Count Galeazzo Ciano, and also Martin Bormann, Hitler's secretary.
7. A prostitute for a headache
In the 19th century it was widely believed that sexual abstinence led to a variety of diseases and even to death. Of course, only in the male sex. Ladies, of course, can do without sex perfectly.
But since ladies are absolutely forbidden to indulge in amorous frolics outside a sacred union, and the needs of gentlemen are not always satisfied in marriage, the only option is to visit a prostitute - hypocritical gentlemen were plotting.
In the 19th century, sex was considered a good remedy for migraines. However, the gentlemen did not want to bother their spouses excessively, so they used the services of prostitutes (source:public domain)
The huge demand stimulated the supply. According to the boldest statistics, even every third woman in Warsaw aged between twenty and thirty-five was involved in prostitution .
The hypocrisy of the men of the time was astonishing. Not only were they very strictly guarding their wives and daughters against "licentiousness", while they treated sex with the escort lady as a pill for a headache, they also deeply disdained ladies of light manners. This is the result of a survey from 1903. The men declared that they “loathe to sell and public women”. They saw in them nothing less than a "social ulcer" (read more about this).
6. A night with Fidel Castro? What is not done…
In the times of the People's Republic of Poland, foreign currency was used by spies, speculators and luxury prostitutes . Fashionably dressed and well-educated, they strolled through the most expensive venues in the capital, to the scandal of the local establishment. These escort ladies received clients from abroad, often important politicians and diplomats. When it came to a representative of the fraternal communist nation, the matter was of state importance.
In the restaurant of the European Hotel in Warsaw in the times of the Polish People's Republic, luxurious prostitutes were looking for foreign customers (source:CC BY-SA 3.0)
That is why the organizers of the visits of leaders such as Fidel Castro previously researched and prepared the ladies of the exclusive restaurant of the European Hotel. As rumor has it, Fidel Castro had a huge demand for intimate contacts with women, several at the same time. It can be guessed that the satisfaction of the Cuban leader was an important issue for the people's power. So the prostitutes who were to spend the night with him had a considerable responsibility…
5. They all like vodka, hardly any of them can read
Luxurious escort ladies, educated, perfumed ladies in expensive outfits, are the absolute elite and the margin of the profession . The overwhelming majority are the complete opposite.
Among pre-war prostitutes, finding one who was not infected with a venereal disease was a miracle. Most were also lazy, quarrelsome, and reluctant to learn. Many did not even know how many days a week there were or how many groszy the zloty was divided into.
Most of the pre-war prostitutes were addicted to alcohol (source:public domain).
A reliable source of information on this subject are the notes of Maria Grzywa-Dąbrowska, a doctor working in the hospital for sick prostitutes near Łódź . They show that illiterates predominated among her charges. Despite giving them access to lessons, few left the hospital having learned to read.
The girls also made fun of those who took part in practical classes preparing for another profession. They said they were "working out" just because they were too ugly to continue their "career" on the street. They also regularly stole spirit from the hospital lab . Even the youngest prostitutes were already addicted to alcohol. Only the effects of fights and traces of puke were left after the partying.
4. Free for the "godson" ...
Each war brought a loosening of morals, and thus - an increased demand for the services of the daughter of Corinth . Brothels in places where the army were stationed used it, as well as enterprising ladies who decided to start a mobile business.
There were many women working in "brothels on wheels", driving behind the army . They were a nightmare for the commanders, as they lowered the combat capability of the soldiers - many contracted syphilis or gonorrhea on purpose to avoid fighting.
During the war, the army was followed by thousands of prostitutes. They thought about making money, but many were also driven by patriotic feelings.
Some of the most successful prostitutes decided to volunteer for patriotic reasons. French courtesans chose a so-called "godson" from among the soldiers. The privilege of the "adopted" soldier was the free services of the "godmother" when he returned to his homeland on leave.
3. Twenty clients a day to earn a day's wages
In the 19th century, Moscow had its own red light district . The infamous Sretenska Mountain attracted aristocrats, criminals and lovers of all perversions, hungry for entertainment. For some it was a place of crazy fun, for others not very pleasant work. No wonder that Russian prostitutes spent most of their money, apart from clothes and cosmetics, on alcohol and drugs. With some of the clients, they must have been desensitized.
In the 19th century, Moscow also had its own red light district.
Of course, the situation of elite prostitutes looked the best - they earned even several times more than their colleagues. In the worst-class brothels, the prostitute had to accept up to 20 clients a day to earn a living wage .
In addition to the division into more and less luxurious, brothels also differed due to customer preferences. One of the sanctuaries at Pietrowski Boulevard offered services for sadomasochists . Sretenska Górka satisfied even the most perverse tastes.
2. Even Pharaoh's daughter can end up in a brothel…
A parent giving his child to a brothel? Of course, such disgusting stories have been known in every age. The reason was usually extreme poverty, which prompted the father or mother to take such a drastic step. But what guided the pharaoh Rampsynite when he tricked his daughter into prostitution?
A 19th-century painting depicting an Egyptian priestess worshiping a cat-god. In Egypt, temple prostitution did not deprive a woman of her dignity, on the contrary - temple prostitutes were respected.
Behind the actions of the ruler of Egypt was a sly plan: his daughter was to find out who had robbed the royal treasury. Her job was to ask each client about the boldest thing they had ever done. Pharaoh hoped that the male need to show off would be stronger than caution. As it turned out, his guess was correct to the letter.
It is worth adding that the ancient Egyptians were very liberal in their approach to sex. Which does not change the fact that Pharaoh Rampsynite without any scruples used his daughter for political purposes ...
1. Raped, beaten, humiliated. The horrible fate of Roman prostitutes
While prostitution was not the worst possible career in ancient Egypt, it was hardly a lousy fate in ancient Rome. Both men and women destined for this profession had to be ready for a life full of violence and humiliation.
In addition to those who consciously chose to be trafficked with their own body, a large proportion of the prostituting men and women were slaves at the mercy of their masters and pimps.
The Romans were known for their licentiousness and lack of prudishness. Pornographic paintings have been placed in many public places and private homes. Here is a fresco on the wall of the Pompeii baths (source:public domain).
The slave was treated like a talking tool. This was also the case with prostitutes of both sexes. They did not even shy away from mutilating them. For example, young boys were castrated, face markings, and tattooed. There are also descriptions of gang rapes and orgies, during which prostitutes were beaten with sandals, burned with candles or whipped. . If they became pregnant, they were immediately forced to have an abortion.