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The folks at CNN.com have been intrigued by the reporting going down at VICE’s broadband station, VBS.TV. So they took it upon themselves to post a recent VBS story about a retirement home for prostitutes in Mexico.
Casa Xochiquetzal — that is, The House of the Beautiful Flowers — is a retirement dwelling for prositutes in Mexico City’s neighborhood of Tepito, “one of the sketchiest neighborhoods in the city.”
The house has a minimum age requirement of 60 and can accommodate up to 45 women. Right now, there are only 23 retired ladies of the night living there. The majority of them continue working, because there are still people who want to pay to have sex with them.
While reporting on Casa Xochiquetzal, VBSers met Reyna, 86, “Who sang for [them] and told [them] stories of her youth. They met Lourdes, “a childless widow in her 60s who is still turning tricks.” They spoke with a woman in her 80s named Canela who had only recently stopped working, and Paola, who is still in the biz “and hopes to continue working for as many years as she can.”
The saddest part of the story? The VBS reporters ended up spending Mother’s Day with the women, some of whom were talking about their children — but none of their offspring came to visit. VBS.TV editor and producer Bernardo Loyola said of the experience:
I think the work that this house and its director Rosalba Rios do — as weird and unusual as it may seem — is incredibly valuable. Spending Mother’s Day with these brave women forever changed they way l look at prostitution and without a doubt has been one of the most intense parties I’ve ever attended.
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I think this house is a fantastic idea. At least those ladies will have somewhere they’re probably safe, surrounded by women who won’t judge them because of their job. While I wish they didn’t have to keep being prostitutes into their 60s, that’s not a situation that’s going to change any time soon; might as well make their lives better within reasonable bounds.
I think this is a wonderful thing, too. Not that senior citizen women having to sell their body to make ends meet is a wonderful thing, but that they have a place to be, where there’s no judgement swirling around.
These women have made their choices concerning their lifestyle, and hell, if that’s what they want to do, who’s to stop them? I’m just glad they have a safe haven. So long as it doesn’t turn into a “whore-house” in the literal sense, is an, they’re actually doing the deedies inside the house, I see this as a good thing.
Prostitution makes me sad. Senior citizen prostitution makes me even sadder. The fact that a retirement home for prostitutes is even necessary makes me downright morose.
I wonder if they had a whole bunch of lamp posts out front?
Prostitution makes me sad, I recently found out a former classmate of mine has turned to prostitution because she didn’t have anything else. Anything. Else. We are 21. It absolutely broke my heart to find out, and how we all found out – she admitted it on a TV show. Heartbreaking. Knowing there are people who want to give these women a hand makes me feel a bit better about this. Still, it sucks.
I’m sorry about your friend. That’s incredibly sad. I hope she gets the help she needs.
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Um, how is this a “retirement home” if they are all still turning tricks?