Escorts Need Love Too - The Story Behind Our Story
Playboy Africa|April 2021
How do escorts find love? We spoke with a writer who spent more than a year answering that question
Helen Sibila
Escorts Need Love Too - The Story Behind Our Story

Being single can suck, but finding someone worth dating isn’t easy either. Now imagine what it’s like for “providers”—sex workers who are paid for their companionship and physical intimacy—who want to find that someone special. Do you tell a potential boyfriend that you sleep with others for a living? If so, how do you tell them? And when? And how do you find them in the first place? Those added layers of difficulty are the focus of journalist Tim Struby’s new Playboy feature article, “How Does an Escort Find a Boyfriend? Hint: It’s Not Easy.”

Struby, a New York City–based writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, ESPN the Magazine and New York, to name just a few, is no stranger to subcultures. His reporting and research often span multiple years—“I’ve done stories that take a month to a year to four years,” he says—in which he immerses himself in various underground communities, including South Africa’s illegal street racing scene and the East Coast’s mafia connected boxing crowd.

For this particular feature, Struby spent more than a year conducting in-depth interviews with high-end escorts about their attempts at starting and sustaining long-term romantic relationships while pursuing an often stigmatized career. We wanted to know more, so we spoke to Struby about what it was like to get to know these women, what the process taught him and whether dating can ever be a walk in the proverbial park.

PLAYBOY: I’m curious about how you came up with the concept for your article.

This story is from the April 2021 edition of Playboy Africa.

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This story is from the April 2021 edition of Playboy Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.