You know what's boring? Feminist outrage. But it's so easy to be strident, especially in the blogosphere. Especially when a gal writes an article like Jessica Pilot's now-infamous profile on Manhattan's so-called "Hipster Hookers" in Radar. In the piece, she profiled high-end working girls, and even met with a madam herself—although she chickened out on actually going through with a call. Fine, whatever! The members of the blogosphere—you know, when they were not busy watching porn and having casual sex—had a field day with Pilot. She's been reduced to defending herself on her Facebook page: "I AM NOT A HIPSTER WHORE."In short: Pilot wrote an article about a topic that interested her, which was obviously just a huge mistake, due to the nature of the blogosphere. She was attacked in various on-line arenas—I mean, we're all desperate for content these days. We all need to chime in with an opinion, and then commenters can have their opinion, and thus—the status quo is upheld. (The status quo—"whore!"; "Feminism: Is It Being Set Back 30 Years?"—is just so incredibly boring.) Plus, there's a bit of bitchy media-jealousy thrown in—"she only did this article to make a name for herself, etc." Yeah, so? From Pilot's Facebook page:

"After I wrote a first-person exploratory expose, an independent report I spent a year on profiling high-end call girls, and posing as one myself, for the love of the "gonzo" form. The reactions, once published were beyond my expectations. Though there were plenty of readers and editors who support me, those who chose to question my journalistic intent did so, quite viciously.... Here's an excerpt from one well-known blogger, who met me on a Sunday, and interviewed me for over an hour about my experience, reporting on call-girls, and to discuss my thoughts on the mixed reactions from readers who read my piece: Blogger Babe 1: "How important to you is it to have this interview published? Honestly i dont think it's going to do much in the blogosphere, and i'm not sure it's right for my blog — although of course i respect you and think you discuss your topics and work intelligently but, i've been doing this for a while, and I'm pretty sure the only way this material would attract attention— if it does — would be in a negative way. if they find something to make fun of again, or just use it as a platform to go on the same old rants. I dont think we're going to change anyone's opinion I'm tired and don't have time (sorry — it's the truth!) 2. it's not quite the right content for us 3. if it was really critical to you, i'd do it, but i dont think it is." The other blogger acknowledged that I am not in fact, a "desperate, young aspiring journalist", who wrote a story about the oldest, still most taboo profession, just to make a name for herself", but all told—-said she couldn't publicly acknowledge this."

Honestly, I don't know who the blog editors she's referring to are, but if her re-telling is accurate, you all sound like a bunch of little old ladies. Also: doesn't anyone here ever want to read about worlds they have no access to and know little to nothing of? That's basically what the piece was about. Oh, you know who wrote a really great investigative book about prostitution—from low-end street girls to the highest levels of prostitution and pimping? (At the highest levels, it was explained, very little money changes hands.) Gail Sheehy—wife of the late New York magazine founder Clay Felker and successful writer in her own right. I'm pretty sure she did not have to deal with this bullshit when her investigation about the landlords of the prostitution hotels in Hell's Kitchen was published—but only because blogs weren't invented yet in the 1975.