“7-minute rant track that splits into two sections with Lana narrating an anecdote that begins in her innocent childhood and climbs through her adulthood, where she becomes a sex addict.”

-Genius on A&W.

Thee weighty woollen garb clings to mine body, and the tightly laced corset constricts my waist, hindering my breath. The 14th century proves unkind to women, and for one such as I, a courtesan, it becometh crueller still. The town is resolute in its endeavour to shame me, despite the system’s support by the church. Yet, in the secluded recesses of mine thoughts, I dare to dream of a life unburdened by societal norms. I doth yearn for knowledge, freedom, and a voice resounding with purpose.

By a fortuitous encounter with Rew, a wandering minstrel, all is transformed. His harmonies doth speaketh unto the depths of my soul, and through his tales, I glimpse a world wherein women are peers in the pursuit of their aspirations. I embraceth the murmurs of liberation, shattering the shackles that confine me. It becometh not a quest for love alone, but rather, the experience of existing as a 14th-century harlot.

THE SOCIETAL STIGMA OF A WHORE:

At the beginning of 2023, American Indie singer Lana Del Rey dropped a lead single to her ninth studio album. The single was titled A&W which is a censored substitute for the phrase “American Whore”. Lana Del Rey takes the lens often shown on women cast aside as whores and makes it more personal. She tells a story starting at age 9 and rounding up in the 30s. 

The label whore is more detrimental to one’s image than being arrested for racketeering concerning crime syndicates. Sure you’ve dealt with some bodies but god forbid you to sleep with some… especially if you’re a woman. 

But was it always this way? What has been the experience of stereotypical whores? Prostitution which is popularly referred to as the world’s oldest occupation predates civilisation itself and is it possible for its history not to have any highlights at all? Well, there are degrees to sex work and once upon a time, we had them dictate the fashion trends. They climbed ranks, dated royals, and started trends a la 90s supermodel. 

“They also had to wear a yellow veil with a big, tacky yellow stripe on it known as “the whore’s mirror.” If you wanted to find a prostitute in Florence, you just had to follow the yellow stripes like a road map.”

-Carlyn Beccia. 

Historically, prostitution has been seen as a necessary evil. A notable example is Renaissance Italy. Shortly after the effects of the bubonic plague had set in, Italian men had little to no interest in restoring the desolated population. The Italian government opened brothels and passed laws encouraging prostitution in an attempt to steer men away from same-sex practices.

Though the church denounced prostitution as morally wrong, they played enormous parts in enabling it. The mediaeval church often drew upon St. Augustine of Hippo’s claims that, “If you expel prostitution from society, you will unsettle everything on account of lusts.” 

Prostitution was made a repository for male lust and society couldn’t close its eyes to the fact that cities with more brothels had smaller crime rates. Hence, the belief that prostitution deterred men from starting fires or killing people floated like a vaccine conspiracy. 

By the late 1300s, brothels had hit Italian society like crack in the 80s. Everyone wanted a taste of these brothels. Brothels for both regular people and people with eccentric tastes existed; themed brothels such as S&M brothels and gay brothels. 

There was everything for everyone and in a short time, it was a huge part of the community. Their fellow European nations weren’t any different, though the decision to legalise prostitution as a way of combating homosexuality and crime may seem like a choice between Scylla and Charybdis. It was a pretty easy answer for the church so they enabled it. Prostitution was a hit in France and had expanded into a 3 tier business model with guides that included each worker’s personality, age and skill set. Things got very interesting up north in England. The English saw no problem in naming places after the sexual practices closely affiliated with the prostitutes in the area. Street names like Grapecunt or Gropecunt Lane (now called Grape Lane), Cokkes Lane (now known as Cock Lane), and Whoresmouth weren’t uncommon. 

“The prince greets one of the visiting players – the adolescent boy who would have played the female parts in the all-male troupe – by noting how much “nearer to heaven” the lad had grown since he last saw him by the altitude of a chopine.”

-Hamlet 2.2 (William Shakespeare).

THE FASHION POLITICS OF PROSTITUTION:

However, prostitution wasn’t a respected occupation; it was regulated and controlled. Laws were set in place to differentiate prostitutes from the average townswomen. The business model of prostitution in Europe had 3 tiers to represent the 3 classes of clients. 

In Florence, Italy, a law which enforced prostitutes to wear gloves, wooden high heels, and a bell on their headpiece so everyone was notified of their presence was passed in 1384. Laws such as this were equally passed in other cities in Italy and across Europe. In Bergamo, a saffron-coloured scarf was required. 

In Castres, a man’s hat and a scarlet belt. In Pisa, a yellow headband. In Piedmont, they had to decorate their headgear with horns and Milan couldn’t make their mind up on what colour of the scarf a prostitute should be as they often shuffled between black and white across several decades. But the real plot twist began in Venice, these courtesans donned 20-inch plus wooden heels called le pianelle (Chopine in Inglese). 

They strutted into churches and walked the streets of Venice with their heels, often with the assistance of two people. They also drowned themselves in precious stones with pearls being a whore’s best friend. By the end of the year, the church found itself facing another problem- patrician women had jumped on le pianelle trend. 

Chopines weren’t an obscure fashion item, they were in everyone’s closet, plebeian and patrician.  According to Wikipedia, Chopines were originally used as a patten, clog, or overshoe to protect shoes and dresses from mud and street soil. 

The average person did have a chopine but a chopine higher than 3 inches? Those were pioneered by the whores for the elite and seeing the good women of the town following suit, enraged the church. They passed sumptuary laws that banned prostitutes and courtesans from wearing pearls, gold, various gemstones, or silk. 

They also banned chopines higher than 3 inches, this law was ignored by both the nobles and the onesta cortegiana (honest courtesans). But the prostitutes put away their jewels and decided to adopt new jewellery- A low neckline dress, that revealed and emphasised their cleavage. This led to the next trend started by the town’s whore, décolletage. 

Years have passed, calculus has been developed, germ theory discovered, penicillin created and a vaccine for a modern-day pandemic that claimed .0025% of the world’s population (which might seem favourable to a 14-century citizen considering the Black Death claimed a range of 5 percent to 40 percent of the world’s population at the time). 

Trends change, rumours fly through new skies but the décolletage is right where they left it. A décolletage is the portion of a woman’s body that is revealed by a low neckline; the upper chest, as well, sometimes, as the neck, and shoulders. It is borrowed from the French word of the same name which is a low neckline on a woman’s dress, that reveals or emphasises her cleavage. 

In the Middle Ages, a revealing neckline wasn’t style de jour, it was common knowledge that it was perceived as sinful. With the lack of jewellery, the courtesans got creative and introduced provocative necklines. 

These women boldly displayed their assets to attract attention and allure potential clients. The fashion-conscious elite of the time took note of this seductive fashion choice, and it gradually made its way into mainstream fashion. Necklines became lower, showcasing décolletage and adding an air of sensuality to the garments worn by noblewomen and courtiers. The influence lives on in modern fashion with plunging necklines and off-the-shoulder dresses that emphasise femininity and elegance. 

Italy wasn’t the only country whose fashion scene drew inspiration from the people of the night. Also, Italy wasn’t the only country where dress codes were required for the lovely ladies. In Marseille, France, prostitutes had to wear a striped tunic and in the country north of French La Manche, the cities had similar laws. For example, Bristol had them don striped hoods. But In that very nation, things would grow to be interesting… there was a fashion community that would favour the “he-whores” of the nation. 

The Lavenders (slang for sex workers in 14th century Britain, lavender was the typical fragrance of laundry houses) had more fun than their Italian counterparts. The church had tighter ideas on what kind of sex and sexual activities were acceptable, sex even in marriage was only for procreation. 

Every form of sex that can’t result in pregnancy was shunned so respectable members (mostly “good women”) of society refrained from oral sex and many more. Nonetheless, if your lust overwhelmed you, it was understandable to go to a lavender. With such regulations, everyone was a fan of the lavenders… even the clergy. 

They came in different shapes, sizes and sexualities. But with homophobic tendencies in the air and in a bid to differentiate themselves from their “looser” neighbours *coughs* France and Italy *coughs* The gay and cross-dressing Lavenders operate in secret. They came up with no gender-conforming attires to conceal their genders. However, the story of how they help grow a fashion community from their subculture strays from this. They wore elaborate wigs and outfits that would have been perfect for the 2019 Met Gala which was themed Camp. They would be tried, tested and arrested but their masquerade balls more lavish than the drag shows of today would go on. But that’s a different tale because they didn’t get their shine until the 18th century. Male lavenders no more, this period called them, Molly. But that’s a tale for another day.