You can be a woman, love sex and have it all. Lipstick feminists have contended this for years. Their opponents within the movement have spoken out critically time and time again about women "bowing down" to the needs of others. Meanwhile, escorts of both genders prove that it's their autonomy, beauty, brains and abilities that truly empower them and make them unstoppable.

Escorts, their actions and attitudes have helped to not only support the modern-day feminist movements, but propelled it. Through these 11 ways, the escort industry supports and motivates the feminist movement of today:

1. The escort industry is a choice. In days past, a woman left on her own, either through the death of a husband or patriarch, might have had to resort to prostitution or other "companionship roles" in order to survive. In the Old West, women who moved to the frontier country and found themselves without a man often had to work in a saloon or brothel in order to pay her way. She could own no property, nor could she make a respectable living doing this or anything else. (Of course, there was laundry to wash or mending to do, but neither paid well enough to stay fed, clothed and sheltered – just like today.) Even women of higher morals were forced into a life of quick encounters with wild cowboys or gold seekers. As times progressed, not only were women critically judged for these careers, but they were restricted from engaging in them due to legislation prohibiting the act of exchanging sex for money. This left many women in difficult situations without anywhere to turn. However, today women have many choices about their careers. They can choose to be rocket scientists, financial consultants or CEOs among a limitless list of options.From this list, some choose to engage in providing companionship for clients: they use their talents to entertain, pleasure and encourage clients.
2. Escorts are their own bosses. Part of the feminist movement is based on the premise that women should be given equal roles in management and business establishment. Through becoming an escort, a woman becomes her own boss. She makes her own business decisions, determines her salary, oversees marketing selections and sets her own hours. She uses her personal boundaries to set guidelines for encounters with her clients, and she answers to nobody besides herself. She manages, oversees and reaps the benefits from her own business. She is not stuck in an office, confined by a glass ceiling, getting someone else coffee or fetching his newspaper.
3. Higher salaries are achievable. In 2010, women, who are not commonly employed in high-risk industries like fishing, mining or security, still managed to earn 80% of what men did. However, escorts set their own salaries. They make their own wages and rake in the cash. In corporate America, set salary ranges for specific job descriptions are quite common and have little to do with the market forces, but escorts are able to set their own rates based on the actual market. Many escorts make over $500 per hour; several make considerably more than that, many make less. In the civilian world, one would need to be a laywer for these hourly rates. Being able to control your own rate of income is certainly a feminist goal and is supported by the escort industry.
4. Escorts control their own money. Even though women are entitled to own property and engage in financial transactions today, escorts are even more capable of doing this than many women who do not work in the industry. Because they have such cash flows, they make decisions about how to spend their money themselves, instead of having to share their incomes in joint accounts with a partner. They know how much they are making, they know where it comes from and they are in control of where it's spent, most definitely supporting feminism.
5. Escorts have power over men. Critics of the escort industry insist that escorts are demeaned by patriarchal societal norms and that the roles fuel violence against and oppression of women. However, escorts often are in control of the men they see as clients. They seduce their clients through their "assets" and watch as they jump through hoops to please them. Escorts can choose which clients they see and when they see them. They determine what activities are allowed during an encounter and which ones are not. Escorts often become a forbidden obsession for clients, thus causing clients to become regulars in order to feed their obsessions on a consistent basis. This power as an escort is also personally empowering. Escorts who can turn every head as she enters a room often feels as though she can accomplish anything.
6. Escorts can control their own destinies. Stuck in a dead-end job with a stagnant salary is not a way to fund your dream of traveling, building a dream home or having a family. But, escorts who make good money can fund their goals with realistic plans and strategies. They are capable of grabbing the brass ring and feeling as though it's a reachable plan. For smart escorts who can budget and foresee the future, they can set themselves up for the destinies they choose, instead of the ones they simply fall into.
7. Many women are empowered as clients of the escort industry. More and more women are seeking no-strings-attached sex with good-looking, educated and personable male escorts. Women are reaching executive levels in management and running their own companies, which leaves them little time for dating or maintaining a relationship. But, that doesn't mean they are without carnal desires or impulses that need fulfilling. Women can turn to male escorts to explore their sexuality and satisfy their needs for companionship, just as men can. This advancement in gender equality is huge for the feminist movement, and it's possible, in part, because the escort industry has made it acceptable for a woman to seek out a man based on the shallow part of her that wants some eye candy in her bed, regardless of his other attributes.
8. The escort industry allows a woman to embrace her sexuality. In lifetimes past, it was completely unacceptable for a woman to discuss her enjoyment of an orgasm or of being touched in an intimate way. But, today it's becoming more acceptable for a woman to talk about such things. Lipstick feminists of the 1960s encouraged women to take control of their sex lives and that meant not only enjoying sex but talking about it, too. Escorts must be comfortable with their bodies, their sexuality and the pleasures that come from intimacy. The escort industry encourages women to get in touch with themselves (in more than one way) for the good of their clients. Finally, it's acceptable for strong, smart women to be sexy and to love pleasure. A sexy woman is not only smart and attractive, she is also passionate and open to exciting encounters.
9. Women are superior in the escort industry. Even though men are beginning to explore the escort industry as a career choice, women still reign supreme and demand the higher fees and booking numbers. It's just human nature that men are booking more escorts and are willing to pay more for an escort than female clients are at this point in time. And, for once in history, women are better at something than men are. They are more skilled at marketing within the industry, attracting clients and cornering the market. They are the superior gender and are recognized as the experts. They are given credit by outsiders as knowing what they are doing and being professionals in their careers.
10. They use their assets to their advantage. Escorts have learned from men to utilize what they have to offer others as part of their entire package. Men use their charm, good looks and stature when they work in corporate America. Guys who are taller and better looking make higher salaries, negotiate promotions and overall have more successful careers. Their success is not always based on their abilities or what they accomplish in the office. Women have successfully learned from this and put all of their alluring qualities to work as escorts. They use their brains, common sense, education, work experience and beauty in order to put together an escort package that clients can't resist and are willing to pay a bundle for. They photograph the best parts of them for their websites and profile photos, they greet and entertain clients with their wit and sparkling personalities and they "wow" clients with their other skills in the bedroom. Women are natural nurturers, so those skills, in addition to sexy bedroom eyes are part of what helps escorts excel. Their determination to get ahead and their sense for business sets them apart for success. Their efforts to utilize everything God gave them emulates how men conduct themselves, which is core to equaling up the genders in the feminism battle.
11. Escorts break free of typical gender roles. In traditional roles, a woman is considered the "little wife" who is keeping the home fires burning when her husband is away at work. She is subordinate to her husband, and she takes care of the children. But, women who are escorts break free from these molds. They are powerful and sexy. They call the shots. They are successful business women. They make more money than men. They control and love sex. Escorts are smart and independent. By proving they are no longer tied to these stereotypes, escorts help to promote the feminist movement.

Escorts are helping to build a world where women are different, but equal, through being capable and independent. No stereotypes, no binds that set rules for women's "proper" behavior and no limitations about how much money a woman can earn are stepping stones for the feminist movement, and each of these are supported and propelled by the escort industry.

Even if feminists don't like what an escort does for a living, they have to admit that women who work as escorts live on their own terms and consistently fight the system, just as they are doing. Escorts fight against discrimination every day, both as escorts and women. But, they fight the stigma and degradation passionately and forcefully, because their livelihoods and personal beliefs depend on it.