Scarlet Street: Femme Fatale of Film Noir

The femme fatale is an alluring woman of great seductive charm who leads men into compromising or dangerous situations. No other film genre better captures her essence than the dark, brooding, gritty world of film noir. "Scarlet Street" (1945) tells the story of a sexy, tough-talking prostitute named Kitty and her scheming pimp who take advantage of a shy bank clerk and aspiring painter; her pimp urges her to bilk money from this man, whom they mistakenly believe to be a wealthy artist. He embezzles money from his employer in order to finance a lavish lifestyle for Kitty. Tragedy ensues for all involved.

Femme fatale: the fatal woman...

And To Work For A Pimp...

What motivated me to work for a pimp - however briefly - a few years ago?  He represented protection and stability, and  he made me feel special.  Of course, this had to do with the manipulative skills of pimps, but he was very good at at.  Working as a prostitute, particularly as a streetwalker, you can sometimes feel lost and alone, and when a pimp talks to you, he can make the future sound so much better, so you feel like hanging on to him.  And, for me, there is something very sexy about a pimp - he seems more masculine and stronger than a lot of other men, and as a sensitive lady, being around this type of man makes me feel safe.

There is another aspect to the relationship between a prostitute and her pimp which happens to be disturbing: violence, or at least the potential for violence.  This one particular pimp I worked for was not violent towards me.  (But then, I worked for him very briefly; he and his main lady were from out of state and invited me to accompany them back to their home town.  When I said "no", since I was content working in my own city, he accepted my response in a good-natured way.)

I'd had a previous encounter with another pimp, which scared me.  Although he did not hit me, he threatened to do so if I didn't bring him a certain amount of money.  When I got on the track that night, I mentioned this to the first trick who drove up to me, and he drove me to the apartment where I was living at the time.  (I was not living with this pimp - we had just met that same day - and he didn't know where I lived.)

Would I work for a pimp again?  This is not an easy question for me to answer.  My first response would be "no", since I do like my freedom to come and go as I wish, working my own hours; however, I also highly value and respect a strong man who could protect me and make me feel I can do my best in this world.