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by Aaron Lawrence

You do not have to fit a strict mold to be a successful male prostitute. Male escorts are as diverse as men's sexual tastes. Having said that, there are still a number of traits that most escorts have in common. You do not need to have all of them to escort on occasion, but you will need most to do this for a living.

Curious to learn if you have what it takes? Here is a quiz along with a brief explanation of how each point is important. Count the number of times you answer "yes" as you respond to following questions:

1 -- Do you look like you are age 35 or younger? There is clearly a beauty standard in our society favoring youth. It is not critical to be young, but looking like you are under 35 is a definite advantage. Fortunately for those of you who are outside of this range, taking good care of yourself in other ways can keep you competitive well into your late thirties, and in some cases into your forties or longer.

In regard to being too young to escort, I most definitely do not recommend, encourage, or support the idea of escorting under the age of 18. Do not ever doubt that there is some demand for this -- there is, although I will not discuss how or where young escorts ply their trade. Most legitimate clients are not willing to play with anyone under 18 because of the strict penalties involved. Clients who ignore these laws and specifically search for minors are potentially dangerous. Combine this danger with an underage escort's lack of worldly experience and inability to recognize dangerous situations, and you have a potentially lethal combination.

2 -- Are you in good physical condition? Many escorts, such as muscle boys and bodybuilders, use their bodies as their main selling point. Yet just as many clients prefer someone who is more slender or toned, or even a man with an average body. There is a fair amount of flexibility when it comes to being in shape.

When considering your body type, there is one notable exception to the rule that escorts must be in shape. "Bears," or "cubs" as their younger counterparts are known, have a "manly man" image. A bit like the stereotypical Canadian lumberjack, they frequently have a beard, a hairy body, and a bit of a stomach. Although the demand for bears is not so great as the desire for some other types of men, one could easily attract business in the escort industry.

3 -- Is your face attractive? Like having a good body, an attractive face is extremely useful for the aspiring escort. Precisely what is attractive will depend on the look you are going for and will also be determined by your clients. No two people have exactly the same taste, after all. As long as you have at least an average face, you should do fine as an escort.

Keep in mind that what is attractive for one type of escort may be unsuitable for others. For example, I look ridiculous in leather because I have an innocent and boyish look. Someone with a more mature and weathered face may look far more impressive, attractive, and believable as a master.

4 -- Do you have an average or large dick? When it comes to an escort's endowment, bigger is better. At least from an advertising perspective. Many clients prefer big-dicked men, which gives an advantage to those fortunate enough to have been born that way.

Although it may surprise you, dick size is not nearly as important as many believe. It clearly is an advantage, but even escorts with medium-sized ones find clients with little difficulty. Only those with small dicks will lose business with any regularity. Fortunately this is not an insurmountable problem. Many clients find dick size to be unimportant, especially if they are looking for a bottom during anal sex. There are even clients who seek out escorts with small dicks to learn how to bottom.

5 -- Do you have a college education, or are you working on one? A college education is exceedingly useful for an escort. Many clients prefer escorts with a college education, particularly if they will be traveling together. The escort's education may provide additional benefits as well, such as knowledge of human psychology or sexuality.

There are many specific skills that are clearly useful to an escort. For example, knowing how to design websites will give an escort an advantage when it comes to building an online presence. Massage skills will be useful for sex workers who prefer giving erotic massages to having sex with clients. Perhaps most importantly, business skills are extremely handy for anyone working as an independent escort. Escorting is a business like any other, and your services need to be marketed as such.

6 -- Are you comfortable having sex with numerous types of men? Escorts must be willing to have sex with a wide variety of clients. Virtually all of these are men; women hire escorts on only the most rare occasions. Some of these men are attractive, but many others are not. This includes men who are unattractive because of age, weight, appearance, hygiene, and more. Being willing to perform sexually with all types of clients is part of what makes an escort rise to the top. This does not mean there is not a point where you should apologize and leave; it simply should not happen very often.

Your willingness to have sex with men who are married or have lovers is similarly important. Married men make up a high percentage of an escort's clients, and it would be virtually impossible to run a business without them. If your ethics find this behavior reprehensible, then escorting may not be for you.

If you are unsure of how well you can handle having sex with so many different types of men, try this test. Walk through a crowded store and begin surveying the men present. If you escort for any length of time, men resembling almost everyone in the store will hire you. If the idea of having sex with those men makes you feel ill, you may want to choose another career.

7 -- Are you sexually flexible in bed? To succeed as an escort, one must be willing to provide a variety of sexual services. Deep kissing, cuddling, and giving and receiving oral sex are critical. Being able to both bottom (receive) and top (give) during anal sex is important as well. It is possible to succeed as an escort as just a top or a bottom, but it will limit your number of clients.

Some escorts take flexibility in bed to greater extremes, offering a variety of fetish services including watersports (sex with urine), role playing, and SM (sadomasochism). These escorts will attract clients who enjoy those activities but lose some others who only enjoy more "vanilla" forms of sex.

8 -- Are you gay or bisexual, and comfortable with your sexual orientation? Your sexual orientation is a serious issue when it comes to the qualifications to be an escort. Men who are comfortable being gay tend to do best in the industry, with openly bisexual escorts following not far behind. Escorts who identify as predominantly or completely straight tend to do poorly in the industry and generally prosper only from the strength of their looks and advertising. The reason is because clients overwhelmingly want someone who will affirm their appreciation for having sex with other men through sex, intimacy, and companionship. It is impossible for a straight male escort to be completely comfortable providing these services.

9 -- Do you avoid the use of drugs? Being drug-free is extremely beneficial for an escort and is critical if you want to rise to the top levels of the industry. Escorting is an effective way to make money, but it does have its risks. Most clients are not willing to work with an escort they know may be under the influence of drugs. Those clients who seek out escorts who "party" are at a much greater risk of becoming physically dangerous.

Prostitution is work you should want to do, and not something necessary to support a drug habit. Joey Stefano, porn superstar and six-figure male prostitute, is the classic example of how dangerous an out-of-control lifestyle in the profession can be. After years of struggling with depression and heroin addiction, he died of an overdose. Every year others in the porn and escort industries turn up dead as well. If you are prostituting yourself to fund a drug habit, it may be you one day.

10 -- Do you live in or near a medium or large-sized city? Living in or near a major city is extremely useful for the aspiring male escort. It is not impossible to escort in rural areas, but it will severely limit your business. Access to populated areas is one of the keys to being successful in this industry.

11 -- Do you have ready access to a computer and the Internet? Access to technology has revolutionized the prostitution industry by making it easier than ever for clients and escorts to connect. You can still run a successful business using traditional print advertisements, but the use of online advertising can attract large amounts of new business. The more access you have to computer technologies, the stronger your business will be.

Scoring Yourself

If you want to be an escort, you should be able to answer "yes" to at least eight of these questions. These are all important factors for an escort, and having most of them in your favor is necessary to succeed. Indeed, if you plan on becoming rich in the profession, you should be able to answer affirmatively to almost all of the questions.

If you answered "yes" to fewer than eight of the above questions, it does not mean you need to give up the idea of becoming an escort. It just means your business will be limited, and you will experience difficulty building and maintaining a clientele. If you are interested in escorting for extra money or the thrill of it, you may want to enter the profession anyway. Or, perhaps you just need to continue thinking about the questions until you can honestly change some of your answers or decide you are comfortable with a career in another field.

Always remember that these are the basics to enter the profession. Your success as an escort will ultimately be determined by how well you meet the needs of your clients.

Read the pro's and con's of escorting by clicking here.

Editor: Taken from The Male Escort's Handbook: Your Guide to Getting Rich the Hard Way by Aaron Lawrence.