I was familiar with the source material, as I devoured the Belle de Jour blog contemporaneously, in the early aughts. However, the series is only lightly based on this source material. Seeing the story of GFE provider treated comedically was jarring at first, but it gives the series heart. After all, intimacy, vulnerability, sexuality β and yes, the pursuit of money β can be screamingly absurd and hilarious. True to life, no? Seeing a sexy girl cavort through London is fun.
Seeing her fuck up from time to time, then get right back up again? Hell yes. She buys a London flat. She is invited to a sex party with a client β commenting, in voiceover, that this professional gig overlaps with her own fantasies Yahtzee! She gleefully walks us through the ritual of getting ready for a date β the delicious dolling-up, anticipation, and delightful work of choosing an outfit and lingerie.
She fires her manager, strikes out on her own, and has a friend take photos of her in her flat an experience I am all too familiar with. On the other hand, a scene of a long lunch date where we talk about our favorite books, movies and travel destinations, smile at each other a lot, and make a lot of significant eye contact β that would bore viewers to tears.
And yet, the latter is closer to what GFE providers offer, at least in public. Is it visual? Not particularly. Well, maybe if you are riveted by two people holding hands under a table and discussing the best pizza in the city are you? Also, this series β and similar series β are, in my view, unfair to the clients. With the exception of a few regulars who get a slightly more nuanced treatment, clients are mere props in the series β depicted primarily as vehicles for a offbeat sexual fantasies barnyard animal role-play; cake-smashing; an elaborate James Bond fantasy.
Plus, I want to know more about these men and couples β their pasts and their presents. What series of events and decisions drove them to Belle? How do they view her? How do they leave their interactions with her? Who are they as individuals? We live in an era where certain escorts, including yours truly, feel free enough to tell our stories. The next frontier is clients speaking up and telling their your? Done well, it could help de-stigmatize the men who seek the services of companions, as well as add some much-needed nuance to male sexuality.
