SHAN: “I don’t know what you would call that, it was interesting and after it, he asked me, he asked me if I would’ve wanted to ever walk him around on a leash, that he has just ordered his collar.”
TRACK 1: “I’ve been broke a few times. College life, you have to pay rent, eat, survive. You know the deal. I’ve looked into some alternatives to make money. I would help friends with their homework, pick up some extra shifts at my job, sell clothes or other things I haven’t touched in years that I could find in my closet, but somehow I could always make some money. And everybody experiences struggles like that. But the problem with society, or with my little bubble world, is that we know that there are so many interesting things out there, and we’re okay with that, you know? We’re pretty open minded. Until you realize that these interesting things are happening right in your circle. Then they go from interesting to “wow, tell me more about it”. We are looking for pleasure, what makes us be who we are, and our unique way is what makes us incredible individuals. However, we still don’t like to talk about what makes us happy because you know, many people would see that as something weird. And that was my reaction when my friend Shan told me about her world of hustling. This is the first episode of What we do To…, and Shan is gonna tell us the exotic gigs she’s been through.
TRACK 2: “So, Shannon, you, being my source, you opened a portal for the unknown world of interesting, pecualiar, exotic gigs.”
SHAN: “I don’t think you even know these gigs existed until I started talking to you.”
TRACK 3: “Shan was right, I had no idea that gigs like that existed for what I judged to be a regular shift to get some extra money. So, I wanted to know more about what led her to discover this unknown world.”
SHAN: “I don’t remember which came first, but it was when I was about 18 I started like really digging deep into the craigslist gigs section. And I always been like really open and everything. There was one I did, what is this rated? This podcast? So I did, I was 18, and just like curious, you know obviously not gonna do anything that I regret. So, it was this swinger party that they wanted hostess to make other people feel more comfortable, and of course someone who’s never been to a swinger party, I got hired! So I really just had to be there, we ended up being topless and I was just serving drinks and massaging people exploring their, their lifestyle, which I’m totally fine with anyone’s lifestyle. But that was definitely was a shocker into my world of weird.”
TRACK 4: “Shan was new to the swinger world. Apparently, the party was too. They were looking for comfortable girls, and Shan was always comfortable with her body. What excited her about this gig? She was curious about what a swinger party was, and glad she didn’t have to participate. She would only work and observe.”
SHAN: “I don’t know, it really opened up my world to what was out there and I’m not gonna lie, it was easy money. 3 hours, I love being naked, we got to drink, smoked a little of the funny grass. It was a very cool atmosphere and you know, I got paid for. So at that time, and even now, it was fun for me. And you know, extra money, but there was one after that, that it was weird and showed me into the true like “wow, people have some weird fetishes. So, the odd was girls who look good in leggings and I have a great ass, so I said “oh, I can do this job, it’s a 100 bucks for an hour” to film me snapping leggings on my skin like in totally clothes, but to just be filmed, no face or anything, just of the leggings, and I had to say certain, a scripted thing, but that was an odd thing that I realized “wow!”
TRACK 5: “Shan’s list of weird gigs is very interesting. From an early age, she has experienced some crazy gigs. So, I wondered, how wasn’t she afraid of what was out there?”
SHAN: “I was always very safe about it, you know, send addresses and names and number to my friends before I went anywhere, just make sure you’re in a safe environment, but I’ve always been, you know, pretty open to doing things is why I guess I just kinda went for it, but yeah it was funny because the swinger gig I’ve had also done kid’s parties where I dressed up, painted faces, did balloons and there was one night where I was like Ariel in a kid’s party and then had to run from there to catch a train to the city and to go do the swinger party. Just the total 1-80 of side hustles, so that was always a funny thing I remember.”
TRACK 6: “We then got to the point where with one gig, Shan was able to actually learn about herself.”
SHAN: “My most recent weird gig was this foot fetish party, which I’m like “awesome, I get to keep my clothes on,” you know, I actually ended up liking it. You know, I was always interested in what the whole thing with foot fetish was or the psychology and I’m very interested in just humans in general, that’s why I also like these strange gigs. You see an inside into these little worlds, but it was so empowering actually because guys that are into that are very submissive and it just, I felt like I had the power, even though, you know, and I was being paid for all of, whatever, nothing that really, I was subjected to having to do things I didn’t want to do. Just to be worshiped pretty much, so that was like a “wow, I could maybe do this again” type thing. Is that weird?”
TRACK 7: “This foot fetish party was for club’s members only, and according to Shan, many of the guys didn’t want people to know about this wild side. They had almost 35 girls working, all dressed up in sexy lingerie or costumes. Because of the nature of the party, Shan had to approach many of the guys. And the man with that had just ordered the collar, met Shan at this party.”
SHAN: “I love to be slapped or talked down to” like that is wild to me. And, you know, so the setting was couched, you know, everyone you see sit there, and obviously they like the conversation too, everyone likes that whole companionship to go with it, but you know, as I’m sitting and talking to one guy I would see a girl walking on other guy’s face. You know, it was such a “what a time to be alive.” No, it was interesting, open space though, nothing was what I would ever felt in danger or anything, but…”
TRACK 8: “Business talk now? In 5 hours Shan left with a little over a hundred dollars. She sat down with 3 guys only, but unlike previous gigs, she didn’t mind not making a crazy amount of money, she cared more about the experience. And how do you find these jobs? Do you think it’s safe enough, like do you do your own research before it?”
SHAN: “All of my friends ask me where the fuck I find these jobs. Craigslist. I’ve been a Craigslist hustler since I can’t remember, and you don’t go on the jobs of Craigslist, you go to the gigs, you go to the talent, you go to events, creative events, and you know, I’ve done modeling for live body painting even. I mean, and again, these I take because I am just comfortable with myself, but, you can kind of tell in the wording of certain gigs if you should totally not respond to that, but just to be safe I make sure, it’s you know, something public place at least to meet anybody if it’s a meeting before and send address, name, phone number to your friends, and again, I’m very comfortable person and carry pepper spray, but that would be my only advice in that regard.
TRACK 9: “What is the craziest thing you’ve seen in one of these jobs?”
SHAN: “You come across too many interesting people, but the craziest recently had, like was it put it at the top a little bit because I’ve never actually seen this. So, at these parties all the men are submissive and I was watching this one guy’s laying on the floor almost and the girl is just talking to him like he is dog shit, pretty much. “Idiot, stupid,” smacking him and just seeing the joy in his eyes, I’m like “this is some deep rooted issues” like, she might had even spit on him at one point.”
TRACK 10: “From these gigs, do you see society different now?”
SHAN: “That is a great question because it could be anyone, it could be anyone, you know, you have first these guys who at these fetish parties are telling you their personal lives and what they do, cause I kinda asked them, you know, you’re conversating with them so, what are we making conversation over, the whole reason we’re here, and one guy said yeah, he’s the, and he was a big guy too, you know, muscular you’ll be scared of him if you saw him walking down the street, and, he said “yeah, I’m the supervisor at my job and deal around bossing guys around all day” so the end of the day he likes to be bossed around and you know, kinda treated lessely, and so, that just, after even hearing that was like “wow, anyone, anywhere can have any type, you know, and it’s all very secretive too so you would never know. Sometimes I kinda look at people and try and guess, it’s a fun game I play with myself, but yeah, yeah, I guess you would look at the world very differently.”
TRACK 11: “What did you learn about yourself?”
SHAN: “What did I learn about myself? I’ve learned that depending how broke I am, my standards… no, I’ve learned that I love to be worshipped, maybe. I’m already a little narcissistic in real life, and I think doing certain parties where, you know, they’ll show such admiration towards you, and what not, it brings me this like rush and high almost and, you know, maybe that’s dangerous, but I don’t know, I like, I love control, I’ve kinda always known that, but this recent event that I did, it was like wow, this is almost like I could do this all the time.
TRACK 12: “So what’s coming next?”
SHAN: “Honestly, I was gonna deep dive into the old craigslist’s gigs after we end this, so maybe I’ll have an answer for you next time we meet.”
TRACK 13: “Thank you.”
Shan: “You’re welcome!”
