I knew this show existed, one of our pals at Starz told us to check it out, we’ve seen the press alerts, and heard the buzz, but with Outlander, traveling, all the reading regency smut and killing plants I’ve been doing, I haven’t had 30 minutes to try out the pilot episode yet. Until Wednesday night when 30 minutes turned into an hour making me very sleepy the next morning because I stayed up too late. One episode in, I was hooked.
*a new thing from this moment forward
Is the Girlfriend Experience a lesbian how-to-guide?
No, but I made the same assumption. The Girlfriend Experience is the story of Christine Reade, a second year law student in Chicago who lands a prestigious internship and is intrigued by her law school friend’s “side job” as a GFE- a woman who provides emotional and sexual relationships (expensive ones) known as “The Girlfriend Experience” to rich men.
Christine is skeptical at first, and then she dips her toe into the world and becomes “Chelsea” and a very successful GFE.
Does Christine look like Kristen Stewart?
Yes.
They look so shockingly similar I actually didn’t love her at first but soon realized they carry themselves much differently and she is much less awkward to watch having sex. Which is good since she has a lot of it!
Christine is played by Riley Keough (26) and actually starred in The Runaways with Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart. Riley is the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley and is the oldest granddaughter of Elvis.
What’s the drama?
Lawyer by day, CHELSEA by night, Kristen Stewart Cosplayer for shits n’ giggles
It’s an escort service, what COULD go wrong? Well, let me tell you: I’m only 5 episodes in but so far there has been a friendship fall out, there HAS been a bit of lesbianism, there is jealousy, someone’s “pimp” is going crazy (are they called pimps?) and, come on, do we think the premise of her being an aspiring lawyer and at her first coveted internship isn’t going to come into play somehow? My money is on her being asked to “date” one of the partners in the firm. Or the partner finds out she’s an GFE and blackmails her into sex or else she’s fired. Her job and future career is definitely in jeopardy.
Is this world real?
Oh yeah, her lingerie is to die for!
I know SO little about escort services. Most of what I know about sex work is “the bad kind” (In quotes, because many would disagree on what is bad and what isn’t. What I mean here is the shady, dangerous, cheap sex that most women don’t choose or only do when desperate) So I did a little research:
Is an Escort service legal? From what I can tell, yes. It’s advertised as a companion service. Sex is not promised. Sex is not paid for. Companionship is. Direct from the semi-professional looking website I found (not linking here):
Our elite and elegant escorts and courtesans are vital and refreshing company, providing educated conversation, interesting energy and wonderful talent. If you’re looking for a beautiful and accomplished young lady whose company you can enjoy, be she a model, businesswomen, performer, flight attendant, university student or other professional, we can deliver.
This company seems like the type of place that Christine would book through. They even refer to it as a GFE (GirlFriend Experience). This escort company offers girls who are three star to six star quality. Want to know the difference? Okay:
When booking an escort companion at this level, what does one seek? Why book a more expensive models versus a more affordable one? Quality. In a word. While the entry level models do provide excellent quality, for the gentleman seeking elite luxury, he will be looking to pay a premium for exceptional beauty and class, charm and intelligence, talent and skill. You want to be enhanced, refreshed, delighted, entertained. otherwise why book anyone’s time, let alone a premium VIP?
Are these women trapped? I have no idea.
In the case of Christine, she is an escort because she loves sex and loves the money. She has mentioned she loves to be alone- so it’s not an emotional thing for her at all, and she’s really good at making men feel cared for.
What is up with the dudes- shouldn’t rich guys get beautiful women without paying for them?
Well, that’s definitely what I thought. But now when I see an older, clearly wealthy man with a gorgeous younger woman on his arm, I’m going to think twice about their arrangement!
In the show, many of the men have a real emotional need for connection. Most are married, one is recently widowed. They are lonely and want a beautiful companion to listen to them (and… ya know, get them off)
It reminds me so much of the mistresses men kept in regency eras (and.. all throughout history) these women are cared for and paid for and “kept up” by the rich men in their lives. And sex and companionship is expected.
Wait… do you want to be an escort?
I re-read this post and asked myself that very question. I’ve been VERY positive about the escort world during this post, and I would like to clarify, NO: I do not want to be an escort. But I do want to continue binging The Girlfriend Experience so I can find out if everything falls apart in Christine’s world, or if ultimately, The Girlfriend Experience is the life for her (or for Chelsea…)
Season 1 of The Girlfriend Experience is available from Starz Now
