Jacqueline, former brothel receptionist, has written: "I found the punters repulsive. They were entitled, rude, sexist, abusive, and violent, and many had appalling hygiene. They talked about women like they are slabs of meat, complaining about their “quality”. I found it unbearable sometimes just being near them. Can you imagine what it’s like to be naked and having such men grope and penetrate you? Many women report mentally escaping that reality by dissociating.

Dissociation is psychological detachment from your surroundings because they are too awful to bear. One woman described it to me as astral travelling. Others said they focussed on the money and what they’d buy with it.

Another way of dissociating is by using drugs or alcohol. Most of the women I knew in the brothel were addicted to drugs of one sort or another.

But whichever way they did it, dissociating like that takes a terrible toll on women."

All history is here: https://nordicmodelnow.org/2018/07/01/working-as-a-receptionist-in-a-legal-brothel-prostitution-is-anything-but-a-normal-job/

Jacqueline Gwynne has written articles for Collective Shout and Nordic Model Now! Her story is included in the book “Prostitution Narratives,” edited by Melinda Tankard-Reist and Caroline Norma, published by Spinifex Press. Jacqueline is a board member and secretary for Pink Cross Australia.