Lileet_Miriam: Work is Work Isn’t It?

 

Text by Lileet_Miriam, Copyright 2024

Photography by Tony Ward,Copyright 2024

Styling by KVaughn

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Work is Work, Isn’t It?

The concept, by design, is meant to be transactional. An even exchange. You provide “x” set of skills for a particular field so therefore you should be paid “y” in return, right? The good ole “employer/employee relationship.” But, what happens when you are both the employer/employee that must rely upon a third party (cash app, social media platform, or even a reputable banking institution) that is designed, let alone meant to provide you with the steady income you worked for only to be told in return, sometimes without warning, “no, we can’t provide you with your hard earned money because THESE set of skills you possess, we actually frown upon.” Welcome to the constant struggle of the current sex worker.

As The New York Times reported in November of 2023, “workers in sex-related industries – whether creating online content, or working in a strip club or even a legal brothel, – often risk their safety and face social and employment discrimination. But a lesser-known struggle is that it’s often difficult to maintain a basic bank account and other financial relationships that most people take for granted.” The ability to maintain a business bank account, a line of credit, or to generally use the financial services of banking institutions or service providers like Zelle or Venmo, are essential to commercial undertaking. In the life of a small business operator, that quickly bleeds into one’s personal life and ability to perform basic economic functions like use a checking account, obtain a mortgage, or even keep a credit card. Unfortunately, for many sex workers, who are disproportionally women, these basic rights are denied, forcing them into a continuous cycle of financial instability and hardship. 

Whether driven by moral condemnation or financial risk assessment, too often women involved in sexually explicit work find their access to banking institutions and financial service providers denied. According to a May 2023 report from the Free Speech Coalition, nearly 40% of workers in the adult sex industry have experienced account closures and denials of service in this past year alone. 

Some of the dangers are clear. The inability to access financial services and banking causes significant financial instability and prevents the creation of new businesses and wealth. This cycle in turn forces workers in the adult sex industry to depend on less reliable third parties or operate through the use of far less secure payment methods like cash and cryptocurrency. The negative impact far transcends the business end of the operation for most small business operators. Lack of credit and easily documented income can quickly have a negative impact on one’s personal credit, impacting the very basic needs of modern life. 

Work is work, except for when a bank decides that it is not the type of work that one should be doing. Then work becomes an arduous journey to secure a glimpse of financial security. For many women, who comprise a significant sector of modern adult sex work, this has become a reality which often compromises their ability to work for a living. 

 

Antoinette. AKA Scorpiana: You Cannot Pour From an Empty Cup

Beautiful tall black woman models a KVaughn couture jacket photographed by Tony Ward Copyright 2024
Antoinette. AKA Scorpiana. Photo: Tony Ward, Copyright 2024

Text by Antoinette, AKA Scorpiana

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You Cannot Pour From an Empty Cup

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You cannot pour from an empty cup. 

This was the single best piece of parenting and life advice I have ever received and my continuous reminder to take care of myself. Navigating multiple polyamorous partnerships requires a lot of time and effort but those relationships continuously fill my cup. It was thru one of those relationships that I was introduced to rope bondage, and with it a whole new world in the BDSM community.

Chinese woman hanging upside down in bondage in her bedroom
Savanna. Photo: Tony Ward, Copyright 2024. Rope Work by Scorpiana.

Rope spoke to me in a way nothing had previously. The artistry, the physical challenge, the emotional connection it can foster. Being restrained was the first time in my life I could turn my brain off and just be in the moment, in my body. Learning to tie others was the most fantastic puzzle that continues to challenge me physically and mentally years later. It is a rare situation where I have never gotten bored, and boredom is ever present in my life as a human with ADHD. Balancing my kink life with my vanilla life as a working mother of two kids has me literally and figuratively pulled in multiple directions every day. Yet it is thru rope that I keep my cup full for the rest of the things in my life. Rope bondage has provided a unique emotionally connective experience with friends and partners alike. It is an expression of my creativity and an artistic outlet unlike any other.

closeup bondage photo of woman's butt
 Tony Ward for KVaughn Scarves, Copyright 2024. 

Sculpture with the human body, a transient dynamic living piece of art. Expanding access to rope bondage for those who are traditionally not included due to body size and ability is this intersection between my professional life as a physical therapist and my personal life as a rigger that allows me to share my love of learning and teaching with other marginalized groups. Tying others, and being tied, has been a source of joy that has kept me happy and grounded and better able to show up in all other aspects of my life; as a parent, as a partner, and as a physical therapist. 

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Beautiful tall black woman models a KVaughn couture coat photographed by Tony Ward Copyright 2024
Antoinette. AKA Scorpiana. Photo: Tony Ward, Copyright 2024

Behind The Scenes: March Cover Shoot 2024


Text by Tony Ward

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BTS: Steve Feldman, Copyright 2024

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I first learned about Lileet and her modeling interests when she started following me on Instagram. After looking over her IG @lileet_miriam  I followed her back. Not long after the initial contact I decided to invite her to be photographed for The Vixen’s Series. Her response was brimming with enthusiasm and eager to set up a shoot date. She mentioned that she was going to be in Philadelphia for a party with her husband on 2-24-24. I thought that was a lucky number and suggested that we figure a way to shoot on that day before she went to the party. We settled on “the lucky date” and that she would be arriving at around 10:30am for hair & Makeup and to meet with KVaughn, creative director to discuss the photographic styling  and flow of the two hour shoot.

The husband and wife of 12 years (impressive by most standards these days) took the 2 hour ride from their home in New York only to arrive a little early. I already had the coffee on and some snacks, but I didn’t expect a request for champagne.  I guess Lileet and her husband knew this would be day worth celebrating. So I ran off to the nearby state store for a couple of bottles of Corbel.  Bottles  were popped and the mood was set.  The champagne was finished by the end of the shoot. Everybody was in a good mood.  KVaughn directed  Tara through a medley of costume changes including personal items from her wardrobe like the corsets she loves to wear mixed in with some of KVaughn most eye popping fabrics. For the  grand crescendo, KV would paste on blue costume jewels over her Tara’s spectacular naked torso! That was a tough shot to frame, just kidding!!

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Relaxing after the shoot. Photo: KVaughn

TW: A Visit From the Dead

Portrait of Ed Simmons photographer from California who passed away not that long ago
Linkedin Page: Ed Simmons 2024

Text by Tony Ward, Copyright 2024

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A Visit From The Dead

A dear friend, Ed Simmons visited me recently. No. Not in the flesh.  Ed passed away a little over two years ago on September 22, 2022.  Never the less, there have been a series of events that I’ve experienced recently that gives me a feeling his spirit is very much alive.  As friends for over a 30 year period, our bond principally developed by our mutual love for the medium of photography and the memories good pictures can provide us. Ed and I shared many of those photographic memories in conversations we had about each others work and our dedication to making weekly phone calls to keep in touch. Although Ed lived the remaining 15 years or so of his life in Los Angelos, we never lost our commitment to a lasting friendship.

black and white landscape by photographer Ed Simmons
Dunes. 2008. Photo: Ed Simmons

The first thing that happened recently that made me feel his spirit was very much alive, was when I visited a mutual friend of  ours that was seeking my advice about selling some old photography equipment she was know longer using.  I suggested that I should visit her in person so that I could access the condition of the equipment.  When I arrived and after looking at the equipment, she opened a box that contained several photographs of which ran a chill up and down my spine.  The first three on top of the pile were photographs that Ed Simmons produced while he was spending time photographing the American West during photography workshops in 2007 and 2008.  My friend didn’t know Ed very well, although they were part of  a group of artists who regularly met on South street for coffee during that time period.  She wasn’t particularly attached to the photographs that wound up in her possession through a mutual friend, so she offered them to me as a gift.  Ed had to have been smiling down on us a that moment knowing how much I cherished our friendship and his legacy. In an instant I became the proud owner of three Ed Simmons landscapes. What a pleasant surprise that was.

Dellenback Dunes Oregon photo by Ed Simmons
Dellenback Dunes, Oregon. Photo: Ed Simmons

So I brought them home and have had them on display in my studio just so that I can continue to reflect on the life of a dear friend. And just yesterday while  I was browsing LinkedIn there  was an automated message from Ed congratulating me on a work anniversary. As I looked at the picture closer, I could see that he was wearing one of my t-shirts!  The memories of a lifelong friendship continues.

Bandon Oregon beach photo by Ed Simmons
Bandon, Oregon. Photo: Ed Simmons

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To learn more about the life and times of Ed Simmons, link herehttps://tonywardstudio.com/blog/ed-simmons-in_memorium/

Hamburg, Germany: A Brief History of the Village Hotel

Albanian sex workers at the Village Hotel, Hamburg, Germany
Albanian Sex Workers. Village Hotel. Hamburg, Germany. Photo: Tony Ward, Copyright 2024

Text by Tony Ward, Copyright 2024

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A Brief History of the Village Hotel

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Looking through the archives recently I came across this portrait of two Albanian sex workers. I cast them for a shoot for Penthouse Magazine in 2003.  My producer, Suzaan Talib introduced me to the young performers while I was staying at the Village Hotel, in Hamburg, Germany. The rooms at the hotel hadn’t changed much since the 19th century. Take note of the mirror ensconced  over the bed!

Village Hotel has a long and storied past, spanning over a century of history in Germany’s second largest city. Originally built in the late 19th century, the building first served as an upscale brothel catering to wealthy businessmen and politicians who passed through the bustling port city.

At the time, prostitution was legal and regulated in Imperial Germany. The four-story brick building featured lavishly decorated rooms, a bar, restaurant, and in-house musicians to entertain guests. The brothel operated openly under the management of well-known madam Ida Schmidt, who ensured only the most beautiful and cultured women worked there. It gained a reputation among Hamburg’s elite not just for sex services, but also as a social venue for men to drink, dine, and be entertained.

Following World War I and the social changes of the Weimar Republic era, the brothel’s business declined but it remained open. During World War II, the building survived the devastating Operation Gomorrah bombing raids on Hamburg with only minor damage. Prostitution was banned after the war, forcing the brothel to close in 1949 when police crackdowns shut down Hamburg’s red-light district.

The building stood vacant for several years until a local businessman bought and renovated it in the late 1950s. In 1960, it reopened as the Village Hotel, named after the neighborhood where generations of sailors and merchants had caroused. 

Today the Village Hotel is a modest but comfortable lodging destination in Hamburg’s lively St. Pauli district. The original 19th century brick facade and open staircase hints at its history. Long-time residents still refer to it by its old nickname “Hansel and Gretel’s House”, recalling the brothel era. While the rooms no longer host sensual delights, the hotel continues to thrive by catering to tourists and conference attendees. For over a hundred years, it has survived war, social upheaval, and shifting moral standards to become an integral part of Hamburg’s heritage.