I don't know what the deal is and I'm kind of confused to be quite honest. Not sure why or who would just make this stuff up but anyway. K this is going to be a little long but I'm really starting to be fed up with this bs popping up every six months. It seems pretty simple to me and I'm not sure why there seems to be so much confusion over the meaning of a word: Independent/Independence. I need to get this off my chest once and for all because this really pisses me off.
I think helping someone out, or maybe even perhaps two girls, that could be possible.
When you're talking about as many as the list seems to suggest (and some more not on the list, according to dunnochit) - and multiple locations...uh sorry, that's quite a bit different and you people seem to think the rest of us are stupid if you expect us to not see the difference.
The argument I've heard made in the past about other types of industries where "assistants" are accepted is bull for a few reasons. Most of these don't involve the huge risks to a gentleman's private, professional, family life. I'm sure everyone still prefers discretion all the time, but a breach that might occur as a result of seeing an escort is kind of a way bigger deal. Anyone who denies or downplays this fact only proves why they shouldn't have access to this sensitive info.
Second, other industries that may use "assistants" aren't actually marketing a service specifically on the claim that they're "independent" People they deal with are very aware they're negotiating with an agent, they're not mislead into believing otherwise.
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Third, whatever anyone says, when an escort identifies as independent, in this industry = escort herself is the one you can expect to be communicating, she has her own incall (maybe she's sharing/renting from another person - or even a hotel room). She may have hired someone to create/update her website but that is the extent of the involvement this person might have. I can see the web guy creating the girls email with the website domain but fail to see why he would need to create a free, generic email for her. (No offense but a free template website also raises some flags because then we're not really talking about an actually web dev guy and he's not offering a technical service or professional support but using a template anyone could also use to create a website. Please.)
I could see how the "help" provided might not qualify as dangerous pimping or be predatory or coercive in nature but the extent of it, how many girls and the fact that there are more than one locations, does qualify as pimping - as an agency owner would qualify. Am I saying agency owners are bad? Not at all. But technically, they are pimps. Just not coercive or predatory (in general). And the important difference here too, is that agency owners are up front about the way things work, up front about who you are communicating with. To a certain extent, they are making themselves accountable and are building a reputation or have established one by proving themselves already.
These types of faux-independent operations are not being upfront from the get-go. This means they see nothing wrong with being deceptive or not being fully honest. They are not concerned with building trust or being ethical and honest about the way they are doing things.
Being, calling or marketing yourself as an independent escort isn't just something you do because you just feel like it or because for some reason you think it sounds better (?) or clients prefer it (?) or just for the heck of it! There is nothing wrong or bad if you have no idea how, if you're not good at or if don't like or don't want to take care of all these things yourself and instead prefer to pay someone (however; cash or "exchange" of services) but then you are not working as an independent escort. It's really not much more complicated and that's just the bottom line.
I don't care what anyone says because if any of you REALLY believed you were still independent despite basically limiting your involvement to showing up for the appointment, then you would not be lying about or hiding how much is being done by someone else or who is doing these things for you. Nor would you have any issue stating this in your ad and website. You would state that someone else is in charge of responding to your emails, pm's and posting ads for you, someone else is in charge of providing and organizing your access to one of many incall locations you share with other ladies for who this person is also in charge of "helping" in the same way...etc...
But no one's up front about it...so why is that? Maybe it's because you all know the first thing people would say is: why are you calling yourself an independent if you're not actually doing anything yourself that independent typically do? Isn't that what the word actually implies? That you're doing these things yourself, that you're the person responding to emails we send you?
I don't give a shit what excuses you give about email being easier and phones, I'm so busy blah blah.... Hello? There are many real independent who seem to manage just fine, in case you haven't noticed! Don't fucking give me that shit. Not to mention most independents might gladly go through the booking process via email only but I've never actually heard of anyone who didn't absolutely require to speak over the phone at least once before meeting...except for faux-independents.
You all make the term "independent" meaningless by being deceptive. You essentially lie to clients, lie about how you do business, show complete disrespect for the trust they put in you when they provide their very private info at their own risk, you let us do the work for real, then try to ride our coattails and expect everyone to be cool about that?
There's no shame in working for an agency. So why bother calling yourself independent - if you're fucking not??