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Pimp



 
 
A pimp (also called fleshmonger or Pander) finds and manages clients for prostitutes and engages them in prostitution
Prostitution

The word prostitution is used to indicate:1. The exposing or otherwise offering oneself or someone else with the purpose of tempting potential customers to exchange money or goods for the promise of cooperativeness in sexual intercourse from the exposed person;...
 (in brothels in most cases and some cases street prostitution
Street prostitution

Street prostitution is a specific form of prostitution in which the sex worker operates from the street. Although this form of sex work can be more dangerous than other forms of sex work, some street based sex workers claim that street prostitution allows greater control over when the person works and what services they offer....
) in order to profit from their earnings. Typically, a pimp will not force prostitutes to stay with him, although some have been known to be abusive in order to keep their prostitutes submissive or to maximize profits. A pimp may also offer to protect his prostitutes from rival pimps and prostitutes, or from abusive clients.






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A pimp (also called fleshmonger or Pander) finds and manages clients for prostitutes and engages them in prostitution
Prostitution

The word prostitution is used to indicate:1. The exposing or otherwise offering oneself or someone else with the purpose of tempting potential customers to exchange money or goods for the promise of cooperativeness in sexual intercourse from the exposed person;...
 (in brothels in most cases and some cases street prostitution
Street prostitution

Street prostitution is a specific form of prostitution in which the sex worker operates from the street. Although this form of sex work can be more dangerous than other forms of sex work, some street based sex workers claim that street prostitution allows greater control over when the person works and what services they offer....
) in order to profit from their earnings. Typically, a pimp will not force prostitutes to stay with him, although some have been known to be abusive in order to keep their prostitutes submissive or to maximize profits. A pimp may also offer to protect his prostitutes from rival pimps and prostitutes, or from abusive clients. They can also enable a prostitute to work in a particular area under his control. Pimping is illegal in many countries.

Most people who work managing prostitutes are men, but some women work in this capacity as well, though rarely in street prostitution. Women are rarely called pimps, as the word implies male dominance - a woman who manages prostitutes is generally called a mamasan or a madam
Madam

Madam, Madame, ma'am, or Mme is a title for a woman. It is derived from the French language madame , the equivalent of Mrs....
. (This should not be confused with the title of respect given to adult women in most English-speaking countries.)

Often low level pimps will initially present themselves as lovers or father-figures to prostitutes (who may be run-aways or otherwise lack a family network) before introducing them to prostitution
Prostitution

The word prostitution is used to indicate:1. The exposing or otherwise offering oneself or someone else with the purpose of tempting potential customers to exchange money or goods for the promise of cooperativeness in sexual intercourse from the exposed person;...
 and perhaps drug addiction
Drug addiction

Drug addiction is widely considered a Pathology. The disorder of addiction involves the progression of acute drug use to the development of drug-seeking behavior, the vulnerability to relapse, and the decreased, slowed ability to respond to naturally rewarding stimuli....
. This practice is called "turning out." The pimp-prostitute relationship can be abusive, with the pimp using psychological intimidation, manipulation and physical force to control the members in the "stable".

In the United States of America

In 2004 two pimps were convicted in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia serves the residents of forty-six counties. These are divided up into four divisions....
 of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization....
 (RICO) and of violations of other criminal statutes. Both of the defendants appealed their convictions. The 11th Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court in the following United States federal judicial district:...
 rejected all of the pimps' appeals, but because the court needed to support the RICO claim, detailed descriptions of pimp business, including jargon and tactics, came to light in the case.

Some pimps operate a multi-tiered business, with some producing videos prescribing business practices.

At the top there is the pimp who runs the business. Below the pimp is the "bottom girl." She acts in a way like an office manager, keeping tabs on the "track" when the pimp is away, keeping the pimp appraised of the law enforcement activity, and collecting money from the prostitutes. The bottom girl can be especially important when the pimp is incarcerated. In addition, under the bottom girl, the pimp may employ a "wife-in-law" who has similar duties as the bottom girl.

The pimps recognize a hierarchy
Hierarchy

A 'hierarchy' is an arrangement of items The word derives from the Greek language , from ?e?????? , "president of sacred rites, high-priest" and that from , "sacred" + , "to lead, to rule"....
 among themselves. The least respected, or newer pimps, are the "popcorn pimps", "wanna-bes", and "hustlers". A pimp who uses violence and intimidation to control his prostitutes is called a "gorilla pimp," while those pimps that use psychological trickery to deceive the younger prostitutes into becoming hooked into the system are called "finesse pimps." Lastly, the successful and established pimps are called "players."

An important part of the business of pimping is obtaining, and maintaining, a selection of prostitutes. The rules allow prostitutes to move from one pimp to another by "choosing." To choose, the prostitute is first supposed to make her intentions known to the new pimp. This intentions period is most likely to allow prospective pimps to reject the prostitutes intentions. If the prospective pimp wants the new prostitute to work for him he will then accept money from the new prostitute. This money exchange is referred to as "breaking bread." The new pimp is then supposed to inform the old pimp of the change, and possibly some of the money from the moving prostitute is exchanged. Losing one's prostitute to another pimp is known as getting "peeled". Informing a pimp that one of his prostitutes has switched pimps is a professional courtesy, and any attempt to respond to this courtesy with violence will quickly get the violent pimp labeled a "Gorilla" or "Godzilla". Prostitutes that move between pimps often are labeled as a "choosey Susie." In addition, a prostitute may "bounce" from pimp to pimp without paying the "pimp moving" tax.

The pimp business has an internal structure for dealing with rule breakers built around violence. For example, pimps have been known to employ a "pimp stick," which is two coat hangers wrapped together, in order to subdue unruly prostitutes. A variation is a "pimp cane", a cane used for similar purposes.citation needed Another punishment for unruly prostitutes is to "trunk" them. The pimps lock the prostitutes in the trunk of a car to teach them a lesson. In addition, although prostitutes are supposedly free to move between pimps, the movement between pimps sometimes leads to violence. For example, a prostitute could be punished for merely looking at another pimp; this is considered "reckless eyeballing."

Etymology

The word "pimp" is of unknown origin. It appeared around 1600 in the English language, already in the modern meaning of "a person who arranges opportunities for sexual intercourse with a prostitute." In the 18th and 19th centuries, the term was commonly used to refer to informers. . A pimp can also mean "a despicable person". The term can also be applied to a person who is considered a ladies' man
Ladies' man

A ladies' man is a male seducer of women.Ladies' Man may also refer to:*Ladies' Man , a 1931 Lothar Mendes film*The Ladies Man, a 1961 Jerry Lewis film...
.

The stereotype of the inner-city pimp was popularized in the 1970s, making terms such as pimpmobile
Pimpmobile

A pimpmobile is a pejorative term used to describe a large luxury vehicle, usually a 1970s or early 1980s-model Lincoln or Cadillac vehicle, that has been customized in a garish, extravagant style....
 or pimp walk (a kind of swagger which was mainly popular among African-American men) widely known. Many blaxploitation
Blaxploitation

Blaxploitation is a film genre that emerged in the United States in the early 1970s when many exploitation films were made that targeted the urban black audience; the word itself is a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation." Blaxploitation films starred primarily black actors, and were the first to feature soundtracks of funk an...
 films of that era glamorize a pimp lifestyle.

The verb "pimping" came up in the early 17th century. In the first years of the 21st century, a new meaning of the word has emerged in the form of a transitive verb which means "to decorate" or "to gussy." This new definition was made popular by Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride

Pimp My Ride is a Television show produced by MTV. Each episode consists of taking one automobile in poor condition and restoring it, as well as custom car it....
, an MTV
MTV

MTV is an United States cable television network based in Media of New York City. Launched on August 1, 1981, the original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJ ....
 television show. Although this new definition paid homage to hip-hop culture and its connection to street culture, it has now entered common, even mainstream commercial, use. In medical context, the verb also means "To ask (a student) a question for the purpose of testing his knowledge."

Notable pimps/madams

  • Jason Itzler - The "King of all Pimps" (born 1967 as Jason Sylk), founder of NY Confidential
    NY Confidential

    NY Confidential was the largest, most expensive, and well known New York City escort service running from 2003 until January 2005, when it was raided and the owner arrested....
     Regular guest on The Howard Stern Show - Interviewed on CNN
    CNN

    Cable News Network, almost always referred to by its initialism CNN, is a major US Cable News Network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first station to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television network in the United States....
    's Larry King Live
    Larry King Live

    Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN. The show debuted in 1985, and is CNN's most watched program, with over one million viewers nightly....
    .
  • Iceberg Slim
    Iceberg Slim

    Iceberg Slim , also known as Robert Beck, was an African American author of transgressional fiction and urban fiction....
  • Al Capone
    Al Capone

    Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone , commonly nicknamed "Scarface", was an Italian-American gangster who led a crime syndicate dedicated to smuggling and Rum-running of alcoholic beverage and other illegal activities during the Prohibition in the United States Era of the 1920s and 1930s....
  • Sydney Biddle Barrows
    Sydney Biddle Barrows

    Sydney Biddle Barrows , known as the Mayflower Madam, was a modern American madam#Alternate use. After her escort service was exposed and disbanded, she gained worldwide notoriety, in part because she was part of the upper-class Biddle family of Philadelphia and is a Mayflower descendant....
     - the "Mayflower Madam"
  • Dennis Hof
    Dennis Hof

    Dennis Hof , is an United States entrepreneur, restaurateur, and legal bordello operator. He is best known as the latter, owning two legal brothels in Nevada His brothels are in Moundhouse, Nevada, a few minutes outside Carson City, approximately an hour by car from Reno, Nevada....
     - owner of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch
    Moonlite Bunny Ranch

    The Moonlite BunnyRanch is a legal, licensed brothel in Mound House, Nevada, United States, some east of Carson City. The Ranch , a set of connected trailers, is owned and operated by Dennis Hof....
  • Heidi Fleiss
    Heidi Fleiss

    Heidi Lynne Fleiss , known as the "Hollywood pimp," is an United States former pimp....
     - the "Hollywood Madam"
  • Don "Magic" Juan
  • Sally Stanford
    Sally Stanford

    Sally Stanford was a pimp, restaurateur, and the mayor of Sausalito, California.Born Mabel Busby in Baker, Oregon in 1903, she came to San Francisco in 1924....
  • Polly Adler
    Polly Adler

    Pearl "Polly" Adler was a Russian-born pimp and author.The oldest child of a large family, Polly Adler emigrated to United States from Yanow, Russia, near the Poland border at the age of 14 just before World War I....
  • Lucky Luciano
    Lucky Luciano

    Charles "Lucky" Luciano was a Sicilian mobster. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime and the mastermind of the massive postwar expansion of the international heroin trade....
  • Deborah Jeane Palfrey
    Deborah Jeane Palfrey

    Deborah Jeane Palfrey operated Pamela Martin and Associates, an escort agency in Washington, D.C. Although she argued that the company's services were legal, she was convicted on April 15, 2008 of racketeering, using the mail for illegal purposes, and money laundering....
     - called the "D.C. Madam" by the media
  • Elizabeth Needham
    Elizabeth Needham

    Elizabeth Needham , also known as Mother Needham, was an English Procuring and brothel-keeper of 18th-century London, who has been identified as the bawd greeting Moll Hackabout in the first plate of William Hogarth's series of satirical etchings, A Harlot's Progress....
  • Snoop Dogg
    Snoop Dogg

    Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg , is a Grammy Award-nominated American rapper, record producer, and actor....
  • Anna Wilson (madam)
    Anna Wilson (madam)

    Anna Wilson was a pioneer pimp in Omaha, Nebraska. When she died she bequeathed her life savings to the City of Omaha, along with her 25-room mansion brothel, which was used as a hospital....
     - Pioneer madam in Omaha, Nebraska
    Omaha, Nebraska

    Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River....
  • Suga Free
    Suga Free

    Dejuan Rice, known by stage name Suga Free, is an United States rapper from Los Angeles, California, California. He is known for his unorthodox flow ? his ability to rap at high speed with wild variations in meter ? his highly syncopated and staccato delivery, and presentation as an authentic and flamboyant street pimp....
  • Al Swearengen
    Al Swearengen

    Ellis Albert Swearengen, known as Al Swearengen, was a pimp and early entertainment entrepreneur in Deadwood, South Dakota, running the Gem Theater, a notorious brothel, for 22 years, and combining a reputation for brutality with an uncanny instinct for forging political alliances....
  • Ah Toy
    Ah Toy

    Ah Toy was a Cantonese people prostitute and pimp in San Francisco during the California Gold Rush, and purportedly the first China prostitute in San Francisco....
  • Xaviera Hollander
    Xaviera Hollander

    Xaviera Hollander is a former call girl and pimp. She was born Xaviera de Vries in Surabaya, Indonesia, Dutch East Indies to a History of the Jews in the Netherlands father and a France-Germany mother....
     - author of The Happy Hooker
  • Cynthia Payne
    Cynthia Payne

    Cynthia Payne was an England party hostess who made the headlines in the 1970s and 1980s when she was accused of being a madam#Use as a job title and of running her brothel at 32 Ambleside Avenue, in Streatham, in the south-west of London, England....
  • Gippeumjo
    Gippeumjo

    The Gippeumjo is a collection of groups of approximately 2,000 women between the ages of 13 and 40 , which are maintained by the Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea of North Korea for the purpose of providing pleasure and entertainment for high-ranking Workers' Party of Korea officials and their families, as well...


See also

  • American Pimp
    American Pimp

    American Pimp is a 1999 in film Documentary film that examines the pimp subculture in the United States. It was directed by the Hughes Brothers, the filmmakers behind Menace II Society and Dead Presidents....
    , a 1999 documentary by the Hughes Brothers
    Hughes Brothers

    The Hughes Brothers is the collective name for United States fraternal twin brothers and film directors, film producers and writers Albert and Allen Hughes....
     consisting of first person interviews with people involved in the pimping lifestyle in the U.S.


External links

  • , radio show from This American Life
    This American Life

    This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by Chicago Public Radio and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast....
     featuring an interview with a former pimp.