Red Hot Megan – Escort

What is(was) your professional/stage/working name?

When I first started working, I used my real first name (forgive me for not sharing that now).  My current working name is Redhot Megan, or Megan Morgenson

What city(ies) do you work in now (if you’re still working), or did you work in (if no longer working in the sex industry)?

Started in Toledo, OH.  Now travel US and occasionally abroad. Boston, Hartford, Stamford, NYC, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, have worked in London, and am hoping to do some more travel overseas in 2010

How old are you now?

39 (and fine!!)

At what age did you engage in your first professional sexual experience?

22

Describe your first professional sexual experience, including what happened, how you felt, what you were thinking, how you felt afterward.

I was *excited*, and looking forward to the adventure.  My first client was at a lingerie modeling shop that offered full service.  He did not get full service, but I did not know how to negotiate at that point either.  I danced my ass off and got naked for next to no money because of not knowing how to address tipping and all of that.  I was afraid to count the money in front of him for fear of seeming rude, so I didn’t know how much he was tipping me.  He was really just tipping like he was at a strip club tip rail, but got a private nude show and jacked himself off.  I was a little disappointed that I hadn’t made more money, but knew I’d get the hang of it.  I honestly don’t remember my first full service client.

At what age did you entertain the first (serious) thoughts of going into sex work?

Jr. high…probably age13 or 14 I had day dreams about it, but never seriously thought about it until I was sitting at the lingerie shop realizing what type of place I was at and asking myself, “can I do this??”

What made you decide to enter the line of work you’re in?

Money.  I had created credit card debit by taking money off my Discover Card and not realizing the fees involved…had a 2 or 3 thousand dollar bill (which is huge for a 22 year old)  from using cash advances while trying to relocate to Charleston, SC for an advanced culinary arts program.  The program was for shit, I told them to shove it, but tried to stay in Charleston and find a restaurant gig.  Ended up coming home after a month…started waitressing, but money is slow in the summer, so I wasn’t making any headway with the credit card…then got pregnant.  I had to borrow money for my abortion, which was the last straw for me to buck up.  When I graduated high school I had planned on backpacking in Europe, now 4 years later I was still in Toledo, never went to Europe and was now pregnant with credit card debit.

When I went in to the “Lingerie Modeling” studio to try and get a second job, I naively thought it was something more legit, and that it was an actual lingerie shop where guys could have models try on outfits before deciding to buy them for their wife or girlfriend.  Once I got in the door, I realized it was a brothel type set up, and was not conflicted in the least about making the choice to enter sex work.  At that point in my life, I was not interested in committed relationships and was fairly promiscuous and thought, “why not get paid for what I already love to do??”

What do you enjoy most about your work?

The freedom to set my own schedule.

What do you like the least about your work?

The stigma…that I have to hide what I do to some degree (even though I am out to most friends and family), the worry/stress about legal repercussions.

Does your family know what you do?  If so, what do they think?

My mother, maternal grandmother and brother all know what I do.  I don’t talk about it in front of my grandma at all, my mom will get *small* details about travel and other “general” info (i.e.: I’m meeting a friend for dinner, I’m going to a conference…), my brother I can talk openly with…  I came out to my mom and grandma when I was about 29.  My mom thought I did Domination and mutual masturbation shows up until that point, but there had been a raid at the massage parlor the night before and the one detective was trying to threaten that he was going to come and arrest me in front of my friends and family.

I refused to stress about that embarrassment if that did actually happen (or give that asshole that much power in my life), so I told them the rest of the truth.  My mom handled it well, although expressed her concerns for my safety and desire for me to choose another career.  I explained it to her the best I could, but she could only grasp so much at that point.  Now she has seen me be happy, healthy and take care of myself for the past 10 years, and looks to me for advice often about how to handle some of her interpersonal relationships.  It is obvious to me that her attitude has shifted about my work over the years, even if she has not said it directly to me.

She does tell me she is proud of me and loves me often, but those conversations are not attached to us having any in depth discussions about the work.  I can feel that she thinks I am a good person that does good things in the world, and that is what counts.  While dealing with a stalker issue, my mom was actually my greatest support…even more so then some of my sex work friends were at the time.

How much longer do you think you’ll do what you’re doing now, and what are your plans for when you quit?  If you’ve already left, what made you decide to leave and what did you decide to do for work when you left?

I don’t *think* I will do this forever, and would like to be doing other things within the next 5 years.  Not because I don’t like the work, but because there are other things I still would like to experience in life.  I love helping others explore their sexuality, and will continue to write, lecture, etc. about sex positive topics, and anything that helps break down the walls of shame surrounding personal sexual choices.

Describe your educational background.

Vocational high school for culinary arts, some college, no degrees.  I learn by doing most of the time, but long for structured learning environments.

If you had to go back and tell your younger self (mid to late teens) that you’d be doing what you’re doing now (assuming you’re still working in the sex industry), what do you think your younger self would say about it?

Wow!  Cool!!

What advice would you give someone who was looking to get into your line of sex work?

First, that you have to have a certain mental and emotional strength to do the business, as this life is not for everyone.  I have helped 5 of my friends from my personal life with no previous sex work experience enter escorting.  The things I talked about first were the unglamorous details, the realities of hygiene, dealing with rude to rough behaviors, unskilled lovers, safety and security issues, how to handle money…if they were still interested, I would then tell them about the fun stuff and financial freedoms.

A sixth friend has talked to me numerous times about escorting, but I talk her out of it every time.  Her interest is from a place of desperation, which is not uncommon, but her self esteem going in is my concern.  She has stated to me she feels she would be “damaged” after making that choice, and that it would effect future relationships, etc.  Anyone saying that *before* they even start has no business doing sex work if they can help it…that is a recipe for emotional disaster in my opinion.  One should be somewhat confident after they know all the facts, as there are still plenty of pitfalls to navigate even then.

Megan’s Professional Site:  The Ultimate Muse
Megan’s Blog:  Adventures with a Muse
Megan’s Twitter:  @RedhotMegan

Tagged as: Escort/Prostitution, Megan