I think the article in Slate by sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh is a crock of shit. He goes from $75 average a pop streetwalkers for FS (too low from what I read, I don't participate in that part of the market) to this imaginary high end which he divides into lll tiers with the lowest starting at 2-5k per pop! This is for "women come in all ages and ethnic stripes" - yea, right
Tier ll is up to 7.5k (from 5?) college educated, white. I do believe in a tier ll that goes by referral but probably in the 1k to 2 k range.
For tier lll he brings an example of Melissa in Hoboken who gets 10k a month from a partner in a law firm who sees her three times a month. Even if the story is true what you have here is a kept woman and a unique situation and that's a whole different story. And if the guy fucked her 20 times a month she’d be a 500 a pop whore? What the fuck is this Sudhir talking about!
Whatever happened in his story to the $500 - 800 independents who are plentiful? If you have a hobby phone, they are probably a more discreet way to go than an agency. If you’re a recognizable public figure any mongering is very dangerous. I’m sure there’s plenty of blackmail against the rich and the powerful in tier lll (the real tier lll or imaginary).
The writer is incompetent and doesn't know much about the business but that didn't stop him, as he just made up what he didn't know and now it's in an article in a magazine which people read and many unfortunately believe.