The story of "Belle de Jour" has received much coverage in the middle class press this week. For those unfamiliar with this tale, it concerns a PhD student who moonlighted as a prostitute and thereby funded her studies, helped also by an anonymous blog which was turned into a television series. The lady in question now works as a science researcher in Bristol - or did until her cover broke.
Although this story may seem - and indeed is - rather sensational, the fact is that there have always been clever women who worked in the sex industry, as illustrated by the histories of royal courtesans across the world.
However, by far the majority of women engage in prostitution through necessity rather than lifestyle choice, often suffering injury, illness and death as a consequence. So whilst "Belle de Jour" may have made the right choice for herself, many young women - in countries such as Zimbabwe, for instance - would prefer not to have sex with their teachers to pay for their studies.
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