From Courtsean to Video Vixen: The Similarities

The courtesan as defined by wikipedia, a mid-16th century mistress, who was associated with wealthy, powerful, or upper class men who provided luxuries and status in exchange for her companionship. Courtesans were well paid, well dressed, and highly sought after.

They eventually became independent wealthy women who were being paid for being beautiful and serving the men who desired them. Courtesans appeared to have it all, but were actually bound by their titles to have no family contact and only to be passed from one "master" to the next or be forced to fend for themselves.

Intro the gold digger, a term found in the urban dictionary, used to define a female motivated by the wealth of man. These women, unlike courtesans are not forced or coerced, but are instead driven for their own reasons to seek out men of wealth.

Some women genuinely seek relationships based on emotion, but reserve those emotions for the rich. The phrase gold digger was popularized in the eighties by a rap song containing the word and revitalized recently, which leads to what I believe is the courtesan evolved from a gold digger, the video vixen.

The video vixen was debuted by longhaired metal bands of the 1980's. Females seeking their 15 minutes of fame by appearing in a rock video with the hopes of maybe even catching the eye of the artist. Due to the rise of hip-hop, rap, and cable TV, video vixens are now associated with bass lined music and lyrics that rhyme.

Yes, these women are paid for their time spent barely dressed in front of the camera and given their 15 minutes of fame. Again, there are those who hope to be made a part of the entourage and a fixture for the artist.

If lucky video vixens even appear on magazine covers, TV ads, and may even be passed onto another artist to appear in the video of the next chart topper. All the while, living the life and what being a video vixen brings with it. Just as the courtesan, she too understands her part excepts its benefits and appears to be the envy of other females who aspire for their 15 minutes of fame and wealth.

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