Legalized Prostitution in Germany by Annegret Staiger

Author:Annegret Staiger [Staiger, Annegret]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Prostitution & Sex Trade, Pornography, Women's Studies, History, Europe, Germany, Law, Gender & the Law
ISBN: 9780253058959
Google: 6KNKEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 2022-02-01T05:20:43+00:00

Natasha: “Why Do You Stare at Us Like an Idiot?”

I met Natasha in December 2009, on the first day I returned to the Flamingo that winter. I was busy trying to get acquainted with some new rules, such as no more smoking at the bar, which had been condoned during my previous visits. A police officer in uniform had come into the lounge area earlier that day, an uncommon sight and one not particularly welcome by staff or clients. I was told that in the past, the club had allowed smoking and just paid the fine if they got caught, but the presence of police at the club was a more formidable threat than a fine.

Sitting at the bar, I was getting settled to watch the scene around me. Natasha walked straight up to me, without any introduction, took my hand, and, in a gesture of joint conspiracy, whispered something into my ear. I was unprepared for this unexpected intimacy but pleasantly surprised. After we exchanged a few words, Natasha suggested, “Why don’t you get undressed and we have fun here together?” Flattered by her invitation, I told her I did not think I was attractive enough to work there, and I was too old for it anyway. Natasha waved off my concerns. She herself was forty-three years old, and there was a demand for more mature women like us, she said. She’d just had a guest that afternoon who was adamant that he preferred older women.

As we got into a conversation, she asked me what my role was at the club. As I was about to answer, she interrupted me and told me she would give me a miniskirt so I could start working. I was charmed by her insistence and the sense of instant familiarity but of course thought she was joking. She ignored my protests and after a while suggested we go upstairs to her room, where we could drink some wine she had bought. Then she could show me the miniskirt and shoes that she had for me.

Her bedroom had six twin beds. Next to each bed was a matching nightstand, looking like one of Ikea’s lower-priced models. The black carpet, purple walls, and minimalist white Formica furniture made for a sobering ambience compared to the extravagant luxury of the public area of the club downstairs. Opposite the beds were industrial-style metal lockers—not exactly hotel furniture—for personal belongings. Natasha asked one of the girls in the room whether she could get us a couple of glasses from the kitchen. Then Natasha pulled out the two bottles she had bought at the gas station and opened them: one was a sweet spiced wine (Glühwein), fitting the wintery Christmas spirit, the other a red table wine. When her roommate came back with the glasses, Natasha filled them, mixing a bit from each bottle—to make it a bit sweeter, she said—and cheered. “Drinking a bit of wine first makes it easier for me to work,” she said. Natasha relaxed as the alcohol began to take effect.

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