I don’t usually buy Time Out, the London listings magazine, but did so last week. At the back of the magazine is Tania Glyde’s column. The strapline asks “Bored of agony aunts ? Then try our ecstacy aunt” Reader, I did…
Someone called Annie from Holloway wrote to Ms Glyde. Annie explained:
“I am 28 and single and like everyone else these days work in the media. I keep meeting women who are on the game, and I keep thinking: I could do that. My career isn’t really going anywhere, my body’s ok, and these girls are making so much money ! What do you reckon ?”
How do you think Ms Glyde answered ? A warning to gullible greedy young women that disease and violence await ? No. A lighthearted piece of banter about the uselessness of media studies degrees. No. Wrong again. This is how she began:
“After a batch of really cruddy one night stands, you might well find yourself going home and thinking: I should be getting paid for this. And why not ?” Glyde doesn’t list any of the numerous good reasons why not but instead explains without apparant fear of contradiction that “many marriages constitute prostitution, however prettily disguised”. She goes on to point out that many women kept going on with their life in prostitution because of the money and asks “Why should society condemn an activity which enables this much expenditure, when all the media tells us to do is buy things ?”.
Glyde appears to know what she’s talking about aswell. She admits to a half-finished novel about being on the game. It hasn’t been published but that’s not a reflection of it’s merit but because “the non-appearance of wedding rings at the end was a hurdle, for some, to taking it further, despite enjoying what they read. Which just goes how far we haven’t come in honestly discussing what women really want, or like.”
I would be interested if anyone has come across a finer example of cynicism and pathetic self-delusion. Anything that even approaches this heights attained in this ‘advice’ will be greatfully received and nominated for the Tania Glyde Prize.
