• Langtrees.com will start paid advertising on the 12th April this year. (my mothers birthday) Wallet balances will still remain if logged in the last month. Advertisers that have not logged in wallets will be reduced to zero.

Dallas

Legend Member
Points
0
" Lana, the mumsy phone operator, places down the handset and puts on her specs to peer at her computer."

Mumsy WTF..... she mite have got my name from somewhere.... i'm far from mumsy and i DONT wear SPECS....
but i think i should:D

Yes as soon as I saw that I thought someone sure doesn't know you very well! :eek: But what a lot of journalists do is grab a few facts then "colour" it to give the feel that they want to convey. This was obvious thruought the article.
 

Dallas

Legend Member
Points
0
It just sounded like another person with preconceived ideas about the industry wrote the article.
They came in with what they perceive the industry to be, and so that's exactly what they saw.
So much for being open minded!! Could have been an interesting article, but wasn't. I hate the way they make it sound like everyone is a victim-that is certainly not the case with the majority of women in the industry.
It's like they have such a problem with it, they have to paint the whole industry as down trodden women and sleazy men as the only inhabitants!
I wish someone would write an article on the positives of the industry....the clients it helps, ie if you are disabled, someone who works too many hours so can't have a relationship, single fathers who have the kids, someone with a fetish, FIFO etc ...the list goes on and on!
I always say that the ladies I've met here are some of the most moralistic people I have ever met!
Maybe you should write an article Dallas! You'd show 'em!! xxx

Thanks for your confidence in me Sherry! Im no journalist but I'd like to think that a more accurate article could be written that would have the effect of showing that there is a good side to the industry and one place it can be found is with Langtrees ladies and staff xD
 

Dez

...the floor is lava
Legend Member
Points
0
The names have been changed, but it is quite an obvious give away to us ladies that work behind the scenes.

No they did use one of girls real names and divulged details about her personal life...
 

Bree Brooks

Gold Member
Points
0
"Contractors often fly into Western Australia from homes elsewhere for fast cash."

If you call fast cash 84 hour work weeks with 1 week out of every 3-5 weeks off then well that is fast cash, but it really seems like long work that takes a toll on your social life so I am not sure what the judgment on WA miners is all about.

The tone of this entire article is demeaning and belittling to anyone who has anything to do with the sex industry. It is a poor display of someone forcing their narcissistic opinion on a group of people. It is an incredibly negative portrayal of Langtrees, our staff, the girls, and our clientele. Making everyone out to be some type of demonized human being for doing one of the most natural things in life... having sex.

Shame shame on
 

chase3307

Bronze Member
Points
0
Looking back at the article with some of the word choices it is VERY judgmental. I think living in the United States, I'm just used to seeing those kind of moral judgments so it didn't ring in my brain. I won't defend the article, I just know that my take away was, "Hey, there's this cool place in Australia that has allowed woman to take charge of their bodies and throw off the shackles of the law and make it legal to be a courtesan!"

Ok, admittedly, that's the way I want it to sound like I thought. It was probably more like, "OHMYGOSH I HAVE TO GO TO THERE. SEXY WOMEN. SEX. WOMEN. YES. BOING."
 

honestman

Gold Member
Points
0
As written by a freelance journalist (for the "big outlets") - it's clear the writer's goal is to gain mass media attention highly as possible. Sensationalism attracts readership far more than reality itself.

So she's written for the BBC, Wall St Journal, and the Financial Times. Must be in it for the money herself.

As to whether all sayings and correspondences from the managers are correct or authentic however remains a debate. I may be a little shocked at reading Ms Sue's thoughts on the article, but still I have my personal faith that no one of the upper management would negate their own staff; or the entire industry itself by openly sharing with this statement - "selling their soul".

At least, in the best wishes and intention that I would hope that is not the case.

I may be young enough as a client under 30 years (however rejected at times) and I have had a brief glimpse on the grey sides of the industry. Right from remembering Vivienne's story; which compelled me to offer a little support.

Why can't the media and all of society we live in today focus on the brighter side of this life? Sex is after all for many - the only mean and way for mutual consolation. Considering that nothing else in the world constitutes it.
 

XLNC

Whatever happened to FREE love?
Legend Member
Points
0
If there are flagrant misrepresentations or outright lies in that article, perhaps LT (Sue or even MAK?) should write a rebuttal setting the record straight. Slate and news.com.au would probably be happy to publish it, as an insight into the industry directly from the horse's mouth so to speak, and might mean it gets picked up more broadly as well.

Of course, this can be a double-edged sword: if LT would rather the story sank without a trace, a new article would keep it alive, with undertones of "Oh goody, a catfight. Unfortunately, in cyberspace no one can hear you scream."
 

Sherry

Staff member
Legend Member
Points
211
" Lana, the mumsy phone operator, places down the handset and puts on her specs to peer at her computer."

Mumsy WTF..... she mite have got my name from somewhere.... i'm far from mumsy and i DONT wear SPECS....
but i think i should:D

Right on Lana! That she thought that was an apt description for you clearly shows the woman does not know what she is talking about!! Hence another reason why the article is a load of crap! I mean has she seen some of your posts on here?? Mumsy?? Me thinks not:D
 

XLNC

Whatever happened to FREE love?
Legend Member
Points
0
Although, like big guys called Tiny and bald blokes known as Curly, it could be an ironic nickname... Mumsy. :D

Who's with me? ... Anyone? ... :confused:

Maybe not then. Sorry, Lana. :coldfeet:
 

Ms Sue

Legend Member
Points
0
Hi All

I am back from my lovely cruise and spending time with family ....
1 more week and then back to work ....


Wow interesting was the article on news.com.
Thank you for the 28 people that took the time to send me messages.... it was appreciated

also I would love to say the photos where me but no lol........
For any one who didn't read it here it is......

Comment from
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_...y_expands_so_does.2.html#lf_comment=254692152



‘They are selling part of their soul’: Behind the scenes of Australia’s prostitution boom

“WHAT kind of girl would you like? Narrow it down for me. … Yeah, I’ve got a nice blonde. Young, size 8, double D. You won’t be disappointed.”

It is 2am on a Sunday in the back room of Langtrees, the best-known brothel on Australia’s west coast. Lana, the mumsy phone operator, places down the handset and puts on her specs to peer at her computer. She points to a profile photograph showing only an enormous pair of breasts. “Bridgette Blue. She’s 23.” She pauses and raises her eyebrows. “Natural.”

Bridgette is soon at the door. She wears gold sparkly stilettos, red lipstick, and thick foundation disguising poor skin. Her brown eyebrows are painted on, and her long, blond, Barbie-doll hair is curled and slung to one side. For 495 Australian dollars (about $400) per hour, Bridgette will come to your home or hotel for sex.

Outside, in the brothel lounge, about 17 other women — mostly Australian but also Asian, African, and European — bide their time waiting to be summoned for house calls or clients who walk in off the street. They gossip on glittery sofas and munch on chocolate bars from the snack machine under queasy, harsh lighting. The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night blares on the sound system.

Perth — one of the most remote cities on Earth — has gotten fat off the back of Australia’s decade-long mining boom. In years past, this city of 1.9 million people was a backwater, albeit one with long, sandy beaches and endless days of sunshine. Now, as residents have become richer, gleaming skyscrapers have sprung up in the business district alongside hip cocktail bars and swanky restaurants.



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Cashed-up FIFO workers come ready to splash some serious cash. Source: News Limited



But there’s a darker side to the upswing.

Contractors often fly into Western Australia from homes elsewhere for fast cash. They work for weeks at a time offshore or in isolated mines. Because they have scant chance of finding a relationship if single, or find themselves far away from their wives and families if married, many turn to sex workers for intimacy. As one working girl says, “They’re young, they’re dumb, they’ve got lots of money, and there is no shame in going to a brothel.”

Here, local newspapers are chockablock with classifieds ads for sex workers. Some charge as little as $40 an hour, often using the back seats of their cars (or stretch limos). Langtrees, one of the oldest and most expensive establishments, is more up-market. It is located a few minutes’ drive from Crown Perth, a vast Las Vegas–style entertainment complex consisting of a 24-hour casino, plush international hotels, a nightclub, and numerous restaurants and bars.

With its discreet door hidden down a dark side street, Langtrees is a different sort of night-life institution. But men also come here willing to splash serious cash. Of the $400 hourly rate, half goes straight to the brothel, and half is put in an envelope for the client to give directly to the woman. “Extras” cost more. Grubby laminated menus scattered on low bar tables list the prices for kissing, anal, and oral sex (from $50 a pop).

On this steamy summer night, a plump man in glasses loiters shyly near the reception. Seeing his resolve waver, the madam quickly whisks him away to introduce to a woman. A group of intoxicated Irish men from the nearby casino sway near the pool table, slurping beer. Later, two men in their early 20s — both good-looking, one with a mane of trendy dreadlocks — are introduced to a gaggle of women. “What’s your name, sorry?” Mr. Dreadlock asks politely. “Nice to meet you, I’m Christian.”



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Perth's famous Langtrees brothel. Source: AAP



Langtrees, which has branches across Australia, prides itself on its lounge atmosphere. Women in skimpy clothes and sky-high heels still do line-ups for clients to take their pick. They all have profiles online with vital statistics listed: age, bust size, hair colour, and height. (Some show their faces; some don’t.) But more often, men come in with their mates, have a drink, play some pool, and chat with the women before heading upstairs. “It’s the whole experience,” Sue, the madam in charge, notes. “It’s not just a ‘wham bam thank you ma’am.’ [The bar and lounge] gives the guys the opportunity to relax.”

Relax, maybe. But when it comes down to business, things quickly become more regulated. Private rooms with names such as Double Delight and Golden Dreams are decked out with gaudy murals of sex acts and cheap sheets. Once the door is closed, the woman will ask the man to shower. Only after she has inspected him for genital warts, suspicious discharge, and rashes (if needed she will call downstairs for a second opinion) will the session start.

In Western Australia, the sex-work industry operates in a grey zone: Prostitution is not illegal, but activities associated with it, such as brothels and pimping, are. (In some other states, it is legal.) For years, however, authorities have turned a blind eye to places like Langtrees. And, like the miners, sex workers have flocked to Perth from homes elsewhere — sometimes travelling from as far afield as Europe or South America — for the high demand and wages. Known as “fly-in, fly-out” women, they spend intense stretches living, working, and eating in the brothel. Many rent a bunk bed and locker for a small fee in addition to paying the $50 per night to work the floor: Essentially they are renting the Langtrees brand.

The money makes it worth it. Working nine-hour shifts, women can expect to earn over $7,000 per week. The top women might double that. “There is no politics, no bitching. They are here to work, to do their job,” Sue says. “They are looking for that golden ticket.”



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In Western Australia, the sex-work industry operates in a grey zone. Source: Getty Images



“Eliza Champagne,” a brunette whose hair is tied back primly with a clip and whose girl-next-door looks are at odds with her too-tight leopard-print skirt, plops herself on the sofa with an instant coffee. Eliza, 25, divides her time between shifts at the hospital where she works as a nurse and escorting. (As an avid competitive horsewoman, she is also about to launch her own equestrian sportswear company.) While she comes from a middle-class family — her father is high up in government — she is fiercely independent. “I can’t stand people giving me money,” she insists.

Now she has no need to. When she was only 18, on her first ever escort job, Eliza made a cool $4,500. Bubbly, fun, and bright, she lives in Perth with her partner, who works in the mining industry, but keeps her sideline income hidden from him, as well as friends and family. “No one knows that I do it. The job is taboo as such — it’s not something to be proud of to say you sleep with X amount of men a day. That annoys me because it is purely just a job.” (“I just sneak off and my friends think I’m skiing,” a fellow sex worker, a university student named Ruby chimes in).

Eliza recently told her male best friend what she did, and the first thing he asked was, “ ‘Where do you stand?’ He thought I was a street walker!” she laughs, incredulous. “I only have sex around 50 per cent of my bookings. I’m more of a girlfriend experience. I’m not a porn star. I don’t do screaming and anal. I have a fake name when I work but I offer the real me —[men] appreciate the realness because real women turn them on.”

In the bunk room, Alina, the Russian, is taking a break. She adjusts her ponytail and pink body-con dress and takes a bite of her Big Mac. “The stigma that we are all alcoholics and drug addicts and we all have pimp boyfriends is not true,” she says in a strong accent.

Alina used to work in retail, earning just $20 an hour at the Christian Dior store. But when her partner left her to bring up their small son alone, she struggled and was forced to go on the dole: “I felt like a beggar.” Now things are different: She goes on holidays, buys luxury goods, and, when she’s not away at Langtrees, spends quality family time at home in Sydney.

“I’ll grab that handbag. I deserve it,” she states, wiping sauce from her mouth. “I have got a Louis Vuitton bag and I have Louboutin shoes. My baby can have everything.” This comes with sacrifices: Alina recalls once being pinned down by a man high on drugs, and just out of jail, who tried to force her to have sex without a condom. “It was rape,” she says matter-of-factly. It hasn’t put her off. “You go home with a grand in your hand and you have a good night. Why not?”



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“The stigma that we are all alcoholics and drug addicts and we all have pimp boyfriends is not true.” Source: News Limited



Not everyone agrees. “The worst things are the secrecy and the late nights. You’ll be here until 9 in the morning sometimes,” says Laticia, 27, one of the two dominatrixes. She adds: “Older guys are more respectful. Younger guys just think that they shouldn’t have to pay. They think they should just get it for free. One guy [at a house call] said, ‘Can we be quick because my wife is coming back from the shops?’ Some men have no boundaries.”

At times, when men have gotten too pushy, Laticia has felt abandoned by the law. She shrugs: “The police, as soon as they find out you’re a working girl, they don’t care. They figure that it’s your fault for getting only that industry.” None of the women claims to have experienced violence at Langtrees, and the brothel will hire only women who are legally allowed to work in the country.

But rape, sex trafficking, and physical safety, especially regarding sexually transmitted diseases, are all concerns in the industry. Fierce competition — and resulting loss of morale — can also take its toll. When Sasha, the transsexual, started to gain popularity, the other women became jealous. Some started to tell groups of their male clients that she wasn’t a “real” woman. Management, afraid that Sasha might become subject to a hate crime, suggested that it might be better for her to leave.



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Rape, sex trafficking, and physical safety are all concerns in the industry. Source: Getty Images



Sue adjusts the security cameras to check that everything is in order, draws on a cigarette, and slumps into her chair at the desk in her office. The middle-aged madam — she has four children — wears black-framed square glasses and a grey T-shirt. She is tough but kind. Sue calls the women “sweetheart” and listens to their problems. On this evening one has to leave early to bathe in Epsom salts; too much sex has left her smarting. Sue understands: In the past she also worked the floor at Langtrees. “My husband and I really wanted to get ahead,” she says.

Sue sees sex, at $400 per hour, as an “art”: She gives the women respect and in return expects them to perform. (Men can review them online on popular forums.) Yet problems persist. Toilets are decked with fluorescent blue lights to flush out drugs — the brothel has a zero-tolerance policy (“I saw ice and what it did to one girl — she went from beautiful to this horrible scrawny woman. So sad,” she sighs). Sue insists the women have the last word: “I always say to the girls, the first time you say to the gentleman, ‘Honey I don’t like that. No.’ The second time you sit up and say, ‘I said no, if you do it again, end of booking.’ Third time you put on a towel, walk out, and give them the envelope back. When a lady says ‘no,’ that’s it. [The men] generally behave. Once guys are naked, they’re vulnerable.”

“Langtrees is good — we see a lot of success but we also see a lot of failure,” she acknowledges. “I lost a really good friend to suicide. It all was too much for her. She hung herself in a Perth Park.”

Then Sue stops. She adds: “Today a 36-year-old woman came in to ask about work. Even though she was 36, we still sent her away to think about it. We always send them away. It’s very important. Because, you know, each time they are sleeping with someone, they are selling part of their soul.”

Some names have been changed to protect identities.



Any way hope all have had a great Christmas and New Year
Ms Sue



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Bree Brooks

Gold Member
Points
0
I thought it was just a great example of someone shoving their preconceived ideas onto an article. It was also a great example the oldest industry being portrayed in one of the most over used negative ways by vilifying anyone who is related to our industry at all. It lacked discretion, and professionalism; it could have been educational and fresh, but was just an old stale repeat of ignorant opinions about the industry, staff, and clients.
 

Taslyn Pierce

♥Exotic Dancer of Langtrees♥
Diamond Member
Points
0
I did not enjoy the article, I've even had a few friends read it and say that it doesn't sound true and that it seems the reporter was casting her own opinion rather then writing the actual truth about what it's like.
The way she was talking about the girls as well- very distasteful.
 

Pandar. B. Ear

Gold Member
Points
0
The thread was called
"Article about Langtrees"
Last post was Thursday evening, sorry I don't know how to link threads together.
 

Kitty

Private Escort/Pro-Domme
Gold Member
Points
0
Ugh.. I have had so many problems with this since Paige first showed me. But I know I'm just preaching to the choir.

However...Selling my soul?

Last time I checked,
a) I don't keep my soul in my ladybits.
b) I'm not selling anything except my time, *checks to see if body parts are missing* everything else is pretty well intact.

All labor is exploitive, anyone that says otherwise is kidding themselves. I felt more degraded working in hospitality and nursing than I ever have in 2 years of full time escorting. The sex industry is unique and surpasses so many social constructs, whether you come from aristocracy or the streets, you can be successful. What is more empowering than that?
 
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