Thanks for joining us for our interview series 'A Tryst With...' We're joined by Milwaukee escort Jerikah Marrs!
We’d love to know a little of your backstory - how did you get here and what do you do?
Since my teens I’ve had an unwavering curiosity of what it would be like to be a sex worker. How thrilling it would be to be that lady that men chased after and fantasized about! I admired glamorous women like Dita Von Tease, Jenna Jameson, Shannon Tweed and Traci Lords since my teens. But I never thought I’d pursue it because I knew it would wreak havoc with my family, if they found out. I was born into a Roman Catholic family and I can honestly say I had a very good childhood and upbringing.
When I graduated high school I joined the United States Air Force. I really wanted to save America and help the American, tax paying people. I was stationed in Alaska. My MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) was Survival Equipment. I packed and repaired parachutes and floatation devices like life rafts, life preservers, and inflatable slides for the C-30 aircrafts. At some point I asked my sergeant when I will get to jump the parachutes that I pack. He told me that I wouldn’t be jumping with any parachutes, not even the ones that I packed myself.
I was told that no one in our shop would jump because then they would have to pay us hazard duty. This made absolutely no sense to me. I wasn’t taking no for an answer, I wanted to jump and was persistent on finding a way because I really felt this was part of my job and the sergeant that told me no was an idiot. I never did get to jump and was so discouraged that when my four years was up, I got out. I was done with my service.
Around this same time my dad was diagnosed with cancer and within two months he passed away. Months earlier, the doctor had misdiagnosed him. I still wonder had he been properly diagnosed in the first place, if he might still be here. The military had let me down and so had my father’s doctors, I felt.
I was already not having this “normal” nine-to-five job nonsense! Just the thought of getting up early and taking orders from some bozo of a boss was more miserable than I could stand. I’ll never forget that forbidden curiosity I had just a few years earlier of what it would be like to be a sex worker. I was on my own, and still in Alaska, so I applied at a strip club in Fairbanks. That changed everything and opened many doors. I absolutely loved it!! And here I am still working as a sex worker. No other work has given me the freedom in both time and finances. For me it’s been good paying work that allows me to keep my life intact.
How has the industry changed since you started?
From what I have been seeing, it’s become a heck of a lot more diverse in both sex workers as well as with clientele. The internet has made way more opportunities available for cam girls, content creators, and escorts, especially after Covid.
I hear from a lot of other sex workers that many clients, including so-called Sugar Daddies (I say “so-called” because if a guy is cheap and stingy, he’s NO Sugar Daddy in the first place!) have gotten cheaper, and unfortunately for the most part, this is true. For me, I’ve found changing up my style, my hustle, has helped me continue attracting good paying, quality gentlemen clients. Target your market!
Can you tell us some benefits and drawbacks of the sex industry?
Having full control over my schedule! Being able to sleep in, go to appointments, and participate in activities I enjoy. Being able to be selective of the clients I choose to work with. The financial freedom allows me to do things like buy more healthy food and work with a personal trainer. The drawbacks for me are: one, having to be secretive about what I do for a living, especially around my family. Two, the disrespectful douche bags that contact us escorts tirelessly, usually just to harass and lowball us. Another drawback is being shunned to a degree by society.
With the high number of hateful guys that contact us, being selective in who I choose to work with is not only nice, but totally mandatory! The wrong client can drain you mentally, psychologically, emotionally, as well as sexually, an absolute abomination when working as a sex worker! On top of all this, we have to watch out for those that want to kill us. Being highly selective can be difficult and very tedious, requiring much patience and discernment. But totally worth it. Not to mention, it’s literally a matter of life and death! My work is much more enjoyable for myself as well as for the gentlemen I do choose to work with.
Is there a common assumption people make about sex workers that really ticks you off?
OMG! So many! I am going to mention two that I think kind of go hand in hand. Number one: people assume that all sex workers are “sex addicts” and will have sex with anyone. And assumption number two: sex work is easy money. Neither one of these are true whatsoever!
This kind of work requires so many different skill sets, any sex worker must also be a good judge of character and very discerning when dealing with every single client they interact with. A sex worker must show clients why they should select her and spend their money on us. We must be truly special and stand apart from the crowd. Doing this does not only takes genuine hard work, but intelligence and strategy as well.
As much as I enjoy sex, I respect it and treat it as the sacred energy that it is for me. I share myself exclusively with my significant other, and those few clients that respect me. That pay me well for my time, appreciate me and put my derrière in the seat of a first class flight. Settling for anything less is unacceptable for me!
You're a veteran. What was your experience like? How do you feel about your civvie work? Does it inform or relate to the work you do now?
Yes, I did four years in the United States Air Force. It was a worthwhile experience. I love the training it gave me, especially the arctic survival training. Very unique kind of job, and it gave me skills I use to this day: One particular skill is paying attention to details. One mistake packing a parachute can cost someone their life. Overlooking a red flag when screening a client could do the same. It’s the little things that bring big results.
What are some skills you’ve developed through your time as a sex worker? Do they have broader applications in the civvie world or in civvie work?
Adaptability, this is a must with the constant changes in trends, technology as well as changes in our economy. This skill has helped me in my personal life as well as in sex work.
Time management, attention to detail, problem solving and critical thinking – these skills I’ve used together, identifying the real clients and those that I’d rather avoid. This allows me to be fully present, and give good service to clients while blocking time wasters and those with malicious intent. Time wasters and people out to harm escorts are some of the problems that we deal with.
In addition to caring for my two pet rabbits, and spending time with friends and family, I also actively partake in things that help me improve my skills in both sex work as well as civvie work such as: exercising, a healthy diet, sewing, taking classes, reading and watching educational material that enriches me as a person as well as a sex worker.
Is there anything you think the general public should learn from sex workers?
Yes! We are everywhere! It is too bad that society marginalizes and outlaws sex workers. Anyone who thinks they do not know a sex worker probably does. We blend in very well, we could be your neighbor, relative, friend or even coworker. Sex workers are people. People with family, friends, morals and standards.
Me personally, I think one of the reasons why sex workers are shunned by the majority of the general public: sex workers think outside of the box and live lives outside of the box. Anyone can learn a great deal about life from a sex worker if they just chose to set aside their judgments and give sex workers the time of day.
Do you find that there is a type of client who seeks you out, who you really enjoy seeing?
The gentlemen that are patient, that allow things to happen organically and have shared similar life experiences. One of my favorites has been my client for over ten years and to this day flies me round trip to him and home again. The other gentleman is a businessman, we love sharing stories and having intelligent conversations. Another favorite is this super sweet, and irresistible electrician! I absolutely love our time together. And it felt so good when he told me that I helped him see his value. This made me so happy!
Many guys out there demand the girlfriend experience from escorts. I roll my eyes at this! Not everyone is going to be everyone’s cup of tea! I normally do NOT do girlfriend experience, but with the right client, like my electrician gentleman for example, and allowing it to happen organically, I end up giving the ultimate girlfriend experience.
You’ve mentioned that you’ve stripped, escorted, and sugared. Can you talk about how these differ and how they are the same?
Stripping was my introduction to sex work. I’m pretty thankful for that because, for me, it was one of the harder forms of sex work. But it was a great start, and the fact that I took dance lessons growing up really helped! It introduced me to other types of sex work. I loved interacting and learning from the other dancers. The club patrons and even other dancers were enthralled with my goth rocker aesthetic and the dark wave music I danced to. No matter what kind of sex work I am doing, I will always naturally play the part of the Moody Goth from the nineties.
I enjoyed performing on stage, and giving patrons lap dances. I liked the fact that it did not require having sex with anyone. But it did require a heck of a lot of energy! You are around so many people for several hours giving out lots of energy. I remember how exhausting I’d be at the end of every shift. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.
I tried sugaring a couple of times and my experiences were not that great! Sugaring makes it harder to draw boundaries and there’s not as much free time as escorting. The guys I dealt with just completely turned me off sugaring.
When I finally got into escorting, I made more money and did not have to sacrifice so much time or energy. I like escorting best because I get to pick and choose who I work with. I’m not the flirtiest person, not with most people anyways. But those that I like, I am able to give them my all.
Sex workers have been known to end up in interesting work situations, do you have any funny stories that make you belly laugh?
Years ago I was planning on going forward with getting a boob job. At the time I was still working as a dancer. One night I was nearly running late for my stage so I was running as fast as my stilettos could carry me. I did not see the other dancer around the corner, nor did she see me. We smashed right into each other.
The other dancer had a boob job and they were super hard! I had a bloody nose from the impact of my face colliding with her boobs. We were both very embarrassed as well as apologetic. Club staff, patrons as well as dancers came to see if we were okay, and I could tell that they were trying not to laugh.
You’re from Alaska! It is a landscape of extremes. What was your experience of living there?
I absolutely loved it! I’ve met some amazing people that I keep in touch with to this day. Breathtaking scenery and totally its own world like no other!! I strongly encourage anyone to at least take a vacation there. However, if you’re thinking of moving there, do you due diligence and research!! It’s a very difficult and dangerous place to live.
Alaska does have a very rich history with sex workers! I recommend the book “Good Time Girls Of the Alaska/Yukon Gold Rush” by Lael Morgan. This story crosses many geographic and social frontiers. It tells about sex workers from back in the day that braved a dangerous journey of more than a thousand miles, into the harsh wilderness of Alaska.
To this day, I’d say living in Alaska is still pretty harsh. I would know, I lived there for 17 years.
What’s your favorite way to relax and recharge after a long week?
I am fortunate to live a couple minutes drive, or hour walk from Lake Michigan. I enjoy relaxing by the lake drinking beer with friends or just by myself with my rabbits Steve and Stephanie. They enjoy playing in the grass and sand. Playing with them and watching them is like therapy to me.
Is there a book, blog, tv show, or movie that has had a major impact on your life?
Peter Steele, bassist and singer of Type O Negative. This is the one individual and his goth rock band that I will shamelessly never get tired of geeking out over. I am currently reading his biography, “Soul on Fire” by Jeff Wagner. So far, I am really enjoying it, and have a heck of a lot more respect for Pete Steele now than I already did.
I also love comedy!! Mitch Hedgeburg, Trailer Trash Tammy, and Charlie Berens, are among some of my favorite comedians. Currently, I am watching a series by Tammy called Tammy Bangs. The series is about a workplace mockumentary that follows porn impresario Tammy and her ragtag crew as they ride the rocky business of running a porn empire. Perfect blend of sex work and comedy!! Absolutely creative and hysterically funny!!
My favorite color is: Green, totally green!!
My biggest pet peeve is: Being approached with crap like, “hi”, “wyd rn?”, “available?”, “rates?” and really anything along these lines that expresses such laziness.
Something thrilling or exciting I want to try is: Stand up Comedy, it's extremely rewarding to make others smile and laugh, especially when they are going through hard times.
The secret to getting to know me is: I do have a couple, however the personality trait that makes me fall head over heels is a genuine, good sense of humor.
I feel most sexy when: Doing a photoshoot right on the lake, recently, that’s been Lake Michigan.
My social handles are: X (Twitter): @SpaceNinja414
Want to meet Milwaukee Escort Jerikah Marrs in person?
Head over to her profile! 👇👇👇
