It's been eight years since prostitution was decriminalised in New Zealand. When the transformation occurs, a stranger's reflection is what she sees. Sheer stockings are rolled up, six-inch heels slipped on, and an undersized dress becomes sultry.
She is rolling a cigarette in the lounge of her Ohauiti home. Jade has been a prostitute for nearly two years and chooses to work from home. He wasn't much of a talker, but you get that.
At 23, Jade advertises herself as The younger you are, the more business you get. She's attractive, with long, straight brunette hair, a petite frame, and dainty features enhanced by makeup. Her home is tidy and modern, with a splash of her personality depicted in the black feather angel wings on the lounge wall.
A collection of painted skulls sits around the television. The mother of two moved to the Bay from Inglewood, thinking it would be a more lucrative market, but instead has found the opposite. It's quite hard for a nice, classy, working girl to get top dollar. She says she makes more from home than working in a brothel she had a three-week stint at one and her time is more flexible.
So many stories. I always have someone here just in case. I had a guy behind me and he pulled the sheet up around my neck and tried to Well, I don't know if he would have gone through with it.
