"Building a Persona" (alternate personality while escorting)...Is this true?

[bcohen7719]

The excerpt below is from a handbook for male sex workers in Australia.

Does this ring true in your experience?

 

BC

 

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So much of sex-work is building a persona and performing as that character. On the surface, having a persona is for identity protection, think Clark Kent and Superman, but what you learn is that it’s good practice. You put on a persona because, as a sex-worker, you frame sex differently than you do in your personal life. I adopt a persona that enables me to provide a service to clients that book Tyson as opposed to my personal self, who seeks mutual sexual gratification. The separation of personal-self and occupational-self is something everyone does at work, it’s part of being a professional.

[Michael Wayne]

no. I try to be myself...one part of myself though is that I am a great actor and I can play most any character. Most clients want you to be yourself but others want to roleplay. I can play any role. One common request is bad boy straight boy. They want a tough guy who gets more pussy than is possible but whose huge dick can only be satisfied by gay ass.. Now that is a great role! http://www.rentboy.com/mikey9nola1

[jjkrkwood]

no. I try to be myself...one part of myself though is that I am a great actor and I can play most any character. Most clients want you to be yourself but others want to roleplay. I can play any role. One common request is bad boy straight boy. They want a tough guy who gets more pussy than is possible but whose huge dick can only be satisfied by gay ass.. Now that is a great role! http://www.rentboy.com/mikey9nola1

 

but Mikey, basically the END result is the same....

[down_to_business]

The excerpt below is from a handbook for male sex workers in Australia.

Does this ring true in your experience?

 

BC

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So much of sex-work is building a persona and performing as that character. On the surface, having a persona is for identity protection, think Clark Kent and Superman, but what you learn is that it’s good practice. You put on a persona because, as a sex-worker, you frame sex differently than you do in your personal life. I adopt a persona that enables me to provide a service to clients that book Tyson as opposed to my personal self, who seeks mutual sexual gratification. The separation of personal-self and occupational-self is something everyone does at work, it’s part of being a professional.

 

I think this is an excellent thought provoking subject. We also hear it in replies from the escorts on this board like Steve who I respect for his candor and honesty immensely. My perception is that this is true. It is also the reason I have a hard time getting to know an escort on a personal level and feel generally uncomfortable with conversations that center on me and my personal life. I feel weird trying to have a heart-to-heart experience between the real me and a fake escort persona. I then feel obligated to either avoid answering questions that are personal in nature about the real me or creating a fake persona of my own so I can share my fake persona with the escorts fake persona. On the same token, when an escort is willing to get real and personal with me about the real them, I am willing to get real and personal with them about the real me.

[healthguy]

Very interesting subject. I have often thought an escort must have some unique "switch" they can turn off and on with clients. Yes, I project a different persona in my professional life vs personal life. As a age however, this becomes less important. I don't feel the need to "protect" the person that I really am. In my professional life, I also have had the opportunity to be reviewed. Most of them have been positive. However, two of most memorable have been: "He's real," and, "A fantastic sense of humor." These comments had nothing to do with my professional ability, but rather who I really am. So my question(s) to escorts would be: Do you have that switch you can turn off and on? Sex is a different "job" than a 9 to 5 desk job. Would it difficult to to provide services if you got more intimately involved with clients than just sex?

[jankeedaddy]

Perhaps an escort building a persona is so you can get sex as you like it.

 

Someone once wrote:

 

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,

Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.

And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,

In fair round belly with good capon lined,

With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,

Full of wise saws and modern instances;

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,

His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide

For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,

Turning again toward childish treble, pipes

And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

[jjkrkwood]

Perhaps an escort building a persona is so you can get sex as you like it.Someone once wrote:

 

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,

Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.

And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,

In fair round belly with good capon lined,

With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,

Full of wise saws and modern instances;

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,

His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide

For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,

Turning again toward childish treble, pipes

And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

 

Sort of like Burger Kings "Have It your Way" ????

[maxwellissmart]

The excerpt below is from a handbook for male sex workers in Australia.

Does this ring true in your experience?

 

BC

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So much of sex-work is building a persona and performing as that character. On the surface, having a persona is for identity protection, think Clark Kent and Superman, but what you learn is that it’s good practice. You put on a persona because, as a sex-worker, you frame sex differently than you do in your personal life. I adopt a persona that enables me to provide a service to clients that book Tyson as opposed to my personal self, who seeks mutual sexual gratification. The separation of personal-self and occupational-self is something everyone does at work, it’s part of being a professional.

 

I think they are over thinking this a bit. None of the escorts I know have done anything to create a persona per se other than switching their name to something else—myself included. And any decent escort is going to have to get some level of gratification, because it would get old REALLY quick otherwise.

[jjkrkwood]

I think they are over thinking this a bit. None of the escorts I know have done anything to create a persona per se other than switching their name to something else—myself included. And any decent escort is going to have to get some level of gratification, because it would get old REALLY quick otherwise.

 

Making bank runs NEVER gets Old hon......

[maxwellissmart]

Making bank runs NEVER gets Old hon......

 

Oh yes it does. I'm actually in a state right now where I don't want to see clients at all because I'm just tired of it. Or so my persona is telling me. So I'm taking a couple of weeks off to regenerate.

[jjkrkwood]

Oh yes it does. I'm actually in a state right now where I don't want to see clients at all because I'm just tired of it. Or so my persona is telling me. So I'm taking a couple of weeks off to regenerate.

 

so basically, you are taking a break from Show Business ?

 

Therefore I will expect that you will have lots of time to contribute "exciting and thought provoking" topics to the board. I will be on the lookout for them.

[Guest macanema]

Yes, it's true. There's no dichotomy between "real" and persona. We all have various social personalities and a good hustler has the right personality for his job and for himself. It's not the same persona his mother sees, but if his personae are valid, then they're successful and functional.

[jjkrkwood]

Yes, it's true. There's no dichotomy between "real" and persona. We all have various social personalities and a good hustler has the right personality for his job and for himself. It's not the same persona his mother sees, but if his personae are valid, then they're successful and functional.

 

FYI - welcome to the site, and FYI, "hustler" is NOT a word we use around these parts

[youngclient2]

this is extremely true. it's scary how different they can be working vs outside... most are very fake

[Keenan]

I feel just using an alias starts to create a different persona. Most guys that hire me don't know the "real me", instead they know me from the few hours we spend together. I guess without intentionally doing it an alternate persona is built.

 

Keenan

The excerpt below is from a handbook for male sex workers in Australia.

Does this ring true in your experience?

 

BC

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So much of sex-work is building a persona and performing as that character. On the surface, having a persona is for identity protection, think Clark Kent and Superman, but what you learn is that it’s good practice. You put on a persona because, as a sex-worker, you frame sex differently than you do in your personal life. I adopt a persona that enables me to provide a service to clients that book Tyson as opposed to my personal self, who seeks mutual sexual gratification. The separation of personal-self and occupational-self is something everyone does at work, it’s part of being a professional.