How a Reed Freshman Became a Prostitute, as Told to New York Magazine

A former Reed College student turned high-end prostitute is the subject of a New York magazine cover story, out today.

The 21-year-old woman, using the pseudonym "Chelsea Lane" for the story, says she got her inspiration to join the sex trade while a freshman at Portland's elite liberal arts college.

Lane says she was 18 when she learned about sex work from a fellow student in her humanities class who had a Tumblr account about working as a prostitute.

The idea led to discussion with other students. "And within Reed, it was like, 'That's cool. That's edgy,' " Lane, now age 21, tells New York.

She started meeting clients her freshman year at Reed.

Now 21, and a student and sex worker in San Francisco, Lane is an aspiring lawyer, who wants to represent fellow sex workers. The New York story uses her saga as a lens through which to examine the issue of legalizing sex work.

Willamette Week