httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2F4Drc15fM
That’s how Starz’s The Girlfriend Experience introduces us to the world of, to use the show’s term, “High-end escorting.”
The Girlfriend Experience – a show that, the credits remind us, is “Suggested by” the 2009 film of the same name – is a strange beast.
In contrast, the show seems determined to double down on the “Exotic” nature of the industry: the fancy hotel rooms, the luxury by proxy, and, yes, the thousands of dollars of liquor you can put on someone else’s tab.
When Christine accompanies Avery back to the palatial home w she’s been staying thanks to the generosity of Garrett, her best regular client, the show seems to be setting a lure for Christine: all this – the gorgeous house, the garage full of cars, the seemingly endless space – could be yours, if only you’re willing to give in to the siren song of sex for money.
Sex work can offer a path to financial freedom, which, let’s be serious, is a big reason why many people turn to it in real life, along with the flexible hours, the low barrier to entry, and, for some people, a genuine passion for the work.
Martin is clearly unamused, yet when the two girls regroup in the bathroom, Avery is confident enough to insist that he really likes Christine.
Because, friends, The Girlfriend Experience seems to believe that the only thing required to get a woman to do a total 180 on the issue of sex work is a reminder that sex work can result in income.