Arch. Myriam B. Mahiques Curriculum Vitae

Monday, March 7, 2011

"Wellness goods", "dating" maps

See these maps from 1991 and 2010. They are showing the sex market on the streets of New York. Of course, it looks pretty changed in the last year, see why, in the article by Sudhir Venkatesh for Wired magazine:
The economies of big cities have been reshaped by a demand for high-end entertainment, cuisine, and “wellness” goods. In the process, “dating,” “massage,” “escort,” and “dancing” have replaced hustling and streetwalking. A luxury brand has been born.
These changes have made sex for hire more expensive. But luxe pricing has in turn helped make prostitution, well… somewhat respectable. Whereas men once looked for a secretive tryst, now they seek a mistress with no strings attached, a “girlfriend experience,” and they are willing to pay top dollar for it.
Technology has played a fundamental role in this change. No self-respecting cosmopolitan man looking for an evening of companionship is going to lean out his car window and call out to a woman at a traffic light. The Internet and the rise of mobile phones have enabled some sex workers to professionalize their trade. Today they can control their image, set their prices, and sidestep some of the pimps, madams, and other intermediaries who once took a share of the revenue. As the trade has grown less risky and more lucrative, it has attracted some middle-class women seeking quick tax-free income.
Keep on reading:

2 comments:

  1. Que notables los cambios que va teniendo el mundo por la tecnología, me pregunto si reconoceremos algo dentro de 20 años!! Cariños

    ReplyDelete
  2. Y yo me pregunto si reconoceré Buenos Aires, jajaja
    Un beso,

    ReplyDelete

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