HENDRA
EKA
Indonesia
Lisette
Not all sex workers want to serve people with disabilities and people with special needs. This does not apply to Lisette Mepschen, a professional sex worker from Breda.
At age 20, Lisette decided to become a commercial sex worker, or escort, at Relax sex agency.
For five years, she lived life as ‘a butterfly of the night’ until she had a hernia so severe that she needed a discectomy on her spine. She had to undergo bed rest for three months. This period was a turning point for her. Lisette then began studying psychology, expanding her knowledge of intimacy in forming relationships.
Lisette’s interest in psychology was well-founded. According to her, she meets many clients who are not confident in their physical appearance and feel insecure when they have sex. Her high-paying clients were never truly content emotionally. Lisette began to apply what she had learned to her work, encouraging equality in the pursuit of pleasure. Lisette embarked on a new career as an independent escort. She eventually decided to set up her own sex agency and manage six sex workers.
Lisette began to change her perspective. As a sex worker, she feels the need to satisfy her clients physically and emotionally, not providing merely fleeting pleasure but an experience that intertwines the physical and emotional. She puts her psychological knowledge into practice and builds relationships based on honesty and intimacy. “Since then, I’ve referred to myself as a pleasure activist and intimacy coach,” says Lisette.
For the past 12 years, Lisette has committed her life to sex work. In fact, she has spent the previous eight years serving clients with disabilities and people with special needs who are often unable to discuss sexual concerns.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Hendra Eka is a photojournalist based in Jakarta, Indonesia. He holds a master’s degree in political communication, works as editor, curator and project manager, and is the Secretary General of the Pewarta Foto Indonesia organization. He focuses on shooting stories about social issues, identity and human rights. His assignments include events like the civil-conflict in Wamena-Papua, victims of the civil war of Myanmar, and the AirAsia crash in Kalimantan.
