Women's Feminist Philosophy and History Reading Group discussion

Hi, I'm Ruth Jacobs, author of a charity publication: "In Her Own Words... Interview with a London Call Girl" from which all royalties are being donated to a charity called Beyond the Streets, which helps women exit prostitution.

It's a brand new publication and so far has received 14 x 5* reviews between the UK and US Amazon websites. One of those 5* reviews is from Stephen Leather, one of the UK's most successful authors and the writer of over 30 bestsellers.

The short book (only about 6 pages on a kindle) is the transcription of a video interview I undertook with a London call girl in the late 1990s for my research on prostitution. The woman I interviewed, Q, was a wonderful person who had a sad and painful life, with childhood sexual abuse and then being pimped on the streets from the age of fifteen.

In her interview, Q was brutally honest about how she felt and thought about herself, working as a prostitute, sex, men, relationships, society and much more. The interview is transcribed completely unedited, including every broken sentence and pause, so that her words are presented as honestly and boldly as she spoke them.

At the time, Q was a very dear friend. Sadly, she is now dead, which is the reason all royalties received from this publication are being donated to Beyond the Streets.

From making this publication available, I hope to change the stigma some of society has against prostitutes and prostitution, which I believe is mainly through lack of knowledge. I want the public to be made aware of at least some of the statistics, such as that 75% of prostitutes have been sexually and physically abused as children, 70% have experienced multiple rapes, and 67% meet the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder, which is a major cause of suicide. Also research from Object shows that 9 out of 10 women would like to exit prostitution. But there isn't the help available.

Q's words dispel the 'happy hooker' myth. On the outside, being a 'happy hooker' was the image she presented. From her contradictory statements, it can be ascertained that she tried to make herself believe certain facts, whilst knowing another truth. Bravely and fearlessly, she exposed her innermost self. She shows the reality of life for women working in prostitution, the effects it has on them psychologically, emotionally, with relationships with men, how they are viewed and how they feel they are viewed by society, as outsiders and outcasts, often judged and looked down on.
In Her Own Words... Interview with a London Call GirlRuth Jacobs