$pread Magazine - Issue 3.2

Sweet Sting of the Scorpion: Interview with Raquel Pacheco

Bruna Surfistinha is the working name of former call girl, blogging sensation, and author, Raquel Pacheco. A teenage runaway from a conservative, upper middle class home, Raquel found her first job and a place to sleep in a Sao Paulo brothel at 17 and never looked back. After searching the Internet for other prostitutes' blogs and coming up dry, Raquel recognized a lack of support and first hand accounts of sex work online and immediately started blogging. Raquel's blog quickly became one of the most popular in Brazil, serving as a much-needed place for sex workers to identify with a fellow worker, helping clients understand their role and her experience, and piquing public interest.

Her first book, The Scorpion's Sweet Venom, Diary of a Brazilian Call Girl, was released in Portuguese in 2005 but only recently came out in English and has started to make a splash among American audiences. The book, which could best be described as a memoir (despite a complete section on D.I.Y. sex tips for non-working girls and guys), details Raquel's (and Bruna's!) life as she leaves home, finds work in various brothels--from swanky to seedy and back again-- and later develops an independent career working from home as a call girl, all before her 21st birthday. Raquel's job leads her to everything from violence and disappointment, to love and fame-inducing success. After less than three years in the business she begins to set retirement goals for herself, painstakingly calculating the number of clients she'll have to see before purchasing a home of her own and making plans to study psychology.

These days, Raquel is officially retired from the business and pursuing dreams that will no doubt lead her to full-fledged stardom. Despite our language barrier-and with the help of a translator-and the fact that we live on different continents, Raquel and I managed to pull off an interview over email.

How did you come up with the book's name? It sounds metaphoric: Does the scorpion represent you, the lifestyle associated with prostitution, or something else altogether? I also noticed you're a Scorpio and have a scorpion tattooed on your shoulder...

The title is all to do with my sign. Scorpios have got a certain inner poison, since they are vindictive and don't spare effort when they want to attain certain ends, no matter what may happen and no matter what consequences may result from getting where they want to be. I don't mind going along with those who say that we Scorpios have got some poison inside us. Because we are fair people, we do not like injustice, and we are extremely determined. If people fear us, it's because we are strong people, able to achieve what we want. We may not know how to lose, but that becomes a quality in us-being able to achieve whatever we want. But our poison is sweet. That's how the title came about: The Scorpion's Sweet Venom.

In writing the book were you aiming to reach any particular audience?

Honestly, I didn't expect my book to become a hit, a bestseller here in Brazil, let alone in other countries. I decided to publish it for the pleasure of giving the public a record of my life. The target audience of my book was couples, because while I was a sex worker I always thought about the men's wives. I always asked myself what women have to do in bed so that men don't feel the need to look for commercial sex. In the book I revealed the men's attitudes towards a professional sex worker, what they look for in extra-marital relations.

What kind of impact have your television appearances and media attention had on national perspectives on prostitution? Have you seen any backlash?

I had quite an impact when I started appearing in the Brazilian media, because I was the first Brazilian sex worker to come out and reveal intimate personal and professional details. I was highly criticized, which I expect and find normal, as the prejudice against prostitution is still strong, unfortunately.

Nowadays I realize I've got more friends than foes; I receive more than a hundred emails a day and people recognize me everywhere I go-people stop me to ask for an autograph or to take my photo. People are fond of me and that pleases me a lot. Often people tell me that after they read my book they started looking at prostitution differently and they started respecting it as an option. That is a great thing. I still get criticism, but I ignore it. No one needs to cheer me on or become a fan of mine, but I demand respect for the life I chose.

Your status as a sex worker celebrity seems like it would give you a hand in pushing for sex workers' rights. Have you had much interaction with other sex workers in Brazil or elsewhere?

I would love to be part of the NGO Davida [www.davida.org.br], which is a Brazilian organization that fights for the rights of sex workers, but I haven't had the time to do it yet. As soon as my professional life calms down a bit I will fight at their side. I don't do sex work any more but I respect those who do and I would have liked to have had labor rights.

When I was in Madrid, Spain, launching my book in the FNAC bookshop, I had the president of Hetaira as a guest. Hetaira [www.colectivohetaira.org] is a Spanish NGO that fights for sex workers' rights and for the legalization of sex work. So far I've only had contact with these two organizations and I wholly support them, though indirectly, as both do very good work. I'm still in touch with sex workers that look to me as a resource, so they ask me for tips on prevention and how to manage money.

Tell me about sex worker activism in Sao Paulo. Is there an active workers' movement? How about allegiance between trades, that is, between different types of sex workers?

There is no sex worker organization in Sao Paulo. Davida is from Rio de Janeiro. But this organization is very dynamic and it has a role in offering protection for sex workers all over Brazil. There are good relationships between different types of sex workers. Each group does what it can and they stick together in order to gain strength. Davida has launched a brand of clothing that is conquering a considerable market-it's not only sex workers who buy these clothes.

Since prostitution is decriminalized in Brazil, are workers afforded any protections by the government or the police? What would you change in terms of promoting rights, safety, and better conditions for prostitutes?

In Brazil prostitution is not recognized as work. It is not completely legal but it's not illegal either. Exploiting someone else's prostitution work is illegal and that is punishable by law. But it is not illegal for women to sell sexual services-they just lack rights.

As I started working in clubs and other establishments, I often felt exploited. I lacked protection-there was no one I could go to for help. If I ever wanted to report someone, they would just laugh at me at the police station, because my profession was never recognized as such. That's why it is important to recognize it-otherwise when sex workers need help they are looked down on and ignored.

I often needed a few days rest or a holiday. Those who exploit sex workers don't care whether they feel like working or not, they merely want to see the color of money. In the first house I worked in, I worked everyday from 8 am to 2 am the following day. That is 18 hours working and I had only one day of rest per week-and often I was even denied that.

I felt I needed support, but at that time I didn't know Davida existed, because it was never talked about in the media. So I had to learn everything by myself, with no help at all. If I could, I would change all that. To start with, I would legalize prostitution and that would gradually get rid of pimping. If the profession were recognized, women would be able to work independently; they would not need third parties.

Legalization would also bring a boost of self-confidence and self-esteem. Sex workers would no longer feel like "trash" because their work would not be seen as something wrong or a sin.

In your book you are very liberal about all forms of sexual desire. But I noticed that you were openly squeamish about gay (male) sex. That surprised me. Any thoughts?

If I gave you that impression it was totally accidental. There's nothing wrong with being gay. On the contrary, I trust a gay person more than I trust another woman. They are more sincere and loyal.

When it comes to work, I admit I didn't like it when clients asked me to penetrate them with something. I often felt disgusted, but that was when clients were not very clean. It took me a while to come to terms with it. I did it because I got money for it but I kept thinking: "If they like being penetrated, why don't they look for a man?" After some time I came to terms with these kinds of desires and I even began to understand why these guys look for a woman and not for a man.

I didn't like these kinds of services because I was afraid of hurting them, I was afraid to do it so hard they would bleed. I always looked at anal sex as something aggressive. I do it with my boyfriend and I get pleasure out of it but I still see it as aggressive to my own body. When I fisted a client I was totally scared. My hand is not very big but still I thought that was impossible. I wasn't disgusted since the client had told me he was thoroughly clean in the region, but I was afraid I would cause him to swell up and then my hand wouldn't come out!

At one point in your book you mention that it is sometimes impossible for the men you date to accept your job, even if they knew about it when getting involved with you. I think that most sex workers struggle with this at some point in their careers, if not everyday. You put it eloquently when you said that someday, after you retire from prostitution, you will still be you and it will be their loss. That's very reassuring. Any other words of advice on this topic?

A sex worker is usually a vulnerable person. Very few can count on the support of their families and the men who look at them as professionals would most often not consider dating them. I used to say that the worst thing about being a prostitute was that you slept with many men during the day but when it was time to go to bed, you were alone.

So you've got many men and none at all at the same time. This feeling of loneliness is awful. I felt the need to have someone to love and someone who would love me.

I stopped selling sex in October 2005 and my present boyfriend was a client. We've been together for two years and now we live together. Of all the clients I fell in love with, he was the only one who was able to accept my profession. The others just bragged about it but couldn't really accept it. Whenever I met a man outside my professional circle, I always told him about my job. They say it's easy to catch out a liar and I always thought it was better to tell them than for them to be told by someone else. That would be worse. I believe people must accept you as you are, and that includes your profession.

I say it wasn't me who lost men, it was men who lost me. I never felt inferior to them or incapable of making them happy. I always believed sex workers make the best girlfriends, since we learn how to make a man happy in bed and we learn all the qualities they look for in a woman. Moreover, with time, we come to appreciate every little moment in life, including moments in a couple's life.

My advice for sex workers is to accept their profession and stop feeling guilty-stop feeling your work is sinful. You must accept yourself before you can be accepted by others. And I also advise them never to lose their self-esteem, or ever feel inferior, if a man they're in love with is unable to accept them. They are the ones who lose. And never give up looking for a great love. If I found my great love in a client, everybody can.

You wrote about always having had definite plans to retire. Once you decided to move on from sex work, did you ever look back? Was it all at once, or did you continue to see the occasional client? I know it can be hard to abandon the money and freedom that can come with sex work for a "straight" life, and many find that they stay in the business longer than they'd planned

When I started selling sex-I was 17 at the time-I was sure I wouldn't be working for long. It was only temporary. I was determined on this point, so it was as easy to stop as it was to start. I reached my limit at 20, because contrary to what most people think, it's a difficult job. Time brings emotional and physical burn out. I met many women who were working for more than 10 years and they were not able to stop, even though they wanted to. I never wanted to be like that. I always knew I wanted to be happy with one man, to build a family.

I think it's important for sex workers to set targets and goals for themselves. They should make a list of the things they want to buy and that should be their target. I also think they shouldn't stop studying and they should think about the future. The older you are the more difficult it gets to exit the industry. I admit I was afraid I wouldn't be able to stop working. I was afraid I would miss having several sex partners and the money. Earning money through prostitution is not easy-but it's quick, as you get money every day. I actually don't miss it. I'm happy with my life and with my relationship. I see sex work as a phase in my life-a good phase. I met many interesting people and I had a lot of fun. I've got many great memories, although I've got some bad ones too.

How has your life changed since the release of the book? It's hard for us non-Portuguese speakers to read your blog, so we can't keep up with you like your Brazilian fans can

I get many emails from people from different parts of the world and they all say they would like to follow my blog but they can't understand it. That's why I'm planning to create a blog that will be translated into English, since that's the language that half of the world can read. I hope to set it up soon.

But after launching my book my life changed quite a bit. There were interesting job opportunities and there was an enormous impact in the Brazilian media. Last year I was in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay to publicize the book, which was published all over Latin America. And in February I went to France, Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Italy, and Spain. The book was translated into several different languages. Last November, I launched my second book, titled What I've Learned with Bruna Surfistinha. I may publish a third this year but that's not certain yet.

A Brazilian production company bought the rights to turn the book into a film. They plan to launch it next year, in Brazil. This year I will also have my debut as an actress in a theatrical play on the theme of sex work. And besides all that I'm studying-next year I want to start university to study psychology, which is my greatest dream. I've also got a personal project-I want to open a sex shop here in Sao Paulo and that will include a cosmetic and bath products line.

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