Call her "Madam": The notorious Polly Adler

During the Roaring '20s, Polly Adler joined the sex trade just as Prohibition was getting started. In her new book, "Madam," Pulitzer Prize-winning author Debby Applegate traces Adler's rise from immigrant sweatshop employee to owner of one of New York City's most popular bordellos, catering to politicians, celebrities, and the mob. She talks with CBS News' John Dickerson about Adler's hip, young take on the oldest profession.
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[@deborahrigby5428]

I could see Debbie Allen playing this part🤗😘❣️❤️💖

[@terrifromm5085]

"It was a business pleasuring you." Priceless.

[@Nighthawk-8050]

Please Netflix make a movie about this lady

[@reneezancewoman]

Everyone in the comments saying she was passing, lol. I see it- she looked more and more like one of my grandmothers as they showed older pics. It is fully possible she made up the Russian background to help her pass if she was indeed black. Black ppl who passed often left their whole lives and families behind and changed their identities completely so they couldn't be found out.

[@davidcohen7881]

I would think a Black person passing would pick a more likely background than Russian. Spanish or Italian or perhaps Arab would fit that better. Polly Adler was a Russian Jew. Many Russian Jews have hair that looks almost African. My Father had hair like that, although he was fair-skinned. Some of my other relatives have olive skin and look italian or spanish.

[@lauraveney1412]

@@davidcohen7881 Many blacks who passed said they were Jewish to explain the hair.

[@Kim-427]

@@davidcohen7881 And what better cover to say you’re Russian? Who would even think you were black? The other ethnicities you named would easily be associated with blackness.

[@mattd501]

These historical pieces are priceless, am so enthralled by them!

[@finallythere100]

Yes, it is fascinating ...but I have to wonder about their souls in the afterlife ... ???

[@deegassaway6854]

"...a business doing pleasure with you" ICONIC

[@janices6140]

Really, how many options did a woman have back then to make a living? Like in Old West days. A single woman who had to work in a town was either a schoolteacher if she was educated, or a saloon girl if she wasn't. Yes, prostitution is awful for the women and the community as a whole. However, some women saw it as a good alternative to starving.

[@conorwinston6205]

Just finished the book "Madam", thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@huntingtonparkway]

I'm almost positive she was passing

[@megganreynolds8681]

I think so too. She defiantly looks black

[@kaleahcollins4567]

Absolutely

[@kaleahcollins4567]

You see it in her face

[@kaleahcollins4567]

She's a swarthy European look up swarthy it means dark of skin

[@Sharmichelle3]

For sure!

[@judd442009]

Sex, dancing, and music became sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll.

[@lewstone5430]

Or as I used to call it, Saturday night.

[@blippypippy8167]

They used drugs back then,too.

[@Chutney1luv]

@@blippypippy8167 Yeo! Cocaine was only for the wealthy! If you watch old movies of "Sherlock Holmes" he use to snoot it! Let's not forget the opium dens! 🕵‍♀️

[@TheMikester307]

I have read (and highly recommend) Polly Adler's book "A House Is Not A Home," which rips the glamour off of any image her business had. It is also an entertaining read!

[@bonitahobbs2097]

The older she became the more Black American she looked.

[@SheilaRamseySoprano]

Exactly! I kept wondering if she might've "passed" as a White woman from Russia during that time.

[@morsecode9787]

AND WHEN HER HAIR WET FOR SURE!! OR "FUH SHO"

[@morsecode9787]

💌OF COURSE SHE PASSED AS DID MANY!! THE UNDERGROUND AVYER HOURS SPEAK EASY WORLD WAS CENTERED IN HARLEM WITH THE GIRLS (DANCERS /PERFORMERS) WHO EARLY ON WERE OF THE LITE BRITE ALMOST WHITE VISUAL 💞 AND CLOSED MOUTHS DID GET FED... MANY OF THIS. GROUP WERE THE" HUSHHUSH" DAUGHTERS & SONS OF. THIS SAME PROMINENT GENRE OF MEN.. GIVING THEM PRIVILEGED HOME EDUCATION ACESS TO. STUDY ARTS SONG 💃 DANCE STAGE FILM SHE Was OBV A SETHARDIC ( BLK) JEW OF RUSSIA/EUROPE. DECENDA NTS OF MOORS AFICANS ARABS JEWS ON 🏃 RUN FROM. CATHOLIC CHURCH COMING TO A.MERICA AS THE 1ST COLONY SETTLERS SIR WALTER RALIEGH @ CARRIBEAN CENTRSL AMER MEX USA .. AMAZING 🗣 SHHH. SECRETS OF HISTORY mine💞

[@Chutney1luv]

She looked like a Black Russian, to me! Read up on Russia! May be one of the reason, she left there! Too cold!! (There is nothing new, under the sun!) 🙄

[@dashursaqqara436]

I was defnly wondering if this was a Black woman passing for White and a made-up story of her origin!

[@teleopinions1367]

As Sam Martineau said, "Ask not what Polly can do for you - ask what can you do for Polly."

[@tomiodeleye9236]

SHE WAS ALSO A BLACK WOMAN PASSING AS WHITE!!! BUT THEY WON'T SPEAK ON THAT PART.

[@cupcakes7015]

Yeah, I had to look twice. 11/16/2021

[@ebriggs3498]

For one thing the writer may not have any proof. You would have to read the book to find out. Keep in mind there are many other ethnicities that also resemble Africans. There are many dark skinned and dark-haired Jews and Arabs who could’ve possibly come from Russia also.

[@faraboverubieskerry]

I can't help but think of how we tend to glamorize things like this instead of think of the reality of all the diseases that were (or could have been) spread to people's wives & girlfriends without them knowing. Go read real history books about these diseases. There are many stories out there of women who were given syphilis for just being a wife. They had to deal with the physical & mental torture of the disease and sometimes passed it down to their newborns. Why do people always think they are immune to this stuff? I'm sure Al Capone thought that way too and he died from it. NOTE: there are experts who believe that many people with issues ranging from neuropathy to psychiatric problems are the descendants of people who had syphillis at one time. Nothing glamorous about it.

[@wombatcube]

"Why do people think they are immune to this stuff?" ....you ask. I'll take a stab in the dark and say....hormones. When you're frisky, you get risky, and hormones are what is in play. We're animals, after all. Imaginative animals. P.S: Mental illness has been "pinned down" to one "cause" over and over throughout history. The fact remains it's a complex issue and the more you try to pin it down to one thing, the more you'll find it's not one thing, not entirely.They also think my anxiety and depression is caused just by the environment in my guts....they must not examine too many C-PTSD folks.

[@wraithconscience]

Excellent and erudite comment. Thank you.

[@faraboverubieskerry]

@@wombatcube Thanks for the insight. I definitely wasnt trying to pin down mental illness or anxiety to one cause. It can be caused by lots of things including a combination of factors. I was just pointing out a connection to history that we never hear about in news clips since no one talks about the negative side of things in stories like this video.Historically speaking people went into mental institutions after getting syphilis. People also went crazy from the fungus that ruined rye crops in the medieval ages (ergot) and during many time periods.BTW they make LSD from a part of that fungus. I was poisoned by mold/mycotoxins from my HVAC years ago and dealt with serious anxiety and brain issues for a long time when I had never had that before. Healing my gut helped as did tons of supplements but since mycotoxins fried my nervous system I am still recovering. What we breathe in has a huge impact on our brain health and nervous system. Some people have mental imbalances in their family lines and others can get it from their environments. Getting out of the toxic apartment was key for me as well. Hope you find ways that help with your situation. They say that something like 90% of our neurotransmitters are in our gut so I can see the mind gut connection.

[@linak7155]

We are created beings who can choose not to give in to our hormones.. Elevating our appetites as being uncontrollable is saying we are doomed to live abased lives devoid of any real purpose or meaning. Truth is we can rise above our proclivities. I hv observed many who have at one time been promiscuous begin to live differently..

[@wraithconscience]

@@linak7155 Thank you. Well said. 👍 And taking your excellent point further, as spiritual, sentient beings we can direct our appetites in productive, loving ways --- which is the whole point of the spiritual. Not to deny such drives. We all know about all that. The whole sense of customs, courtesies, politenesses, morals, traditions and laws -- not to force us, but to encourage us to not be so abusive to ourselves and to others. Thank you Lina K.

[@ajitchauhan8198]

I love that business card!

[@joannejohnson7006]

Really interesting! Always appreciate Sunday Morning 🌄

[@Kat_Beezy]

Those women were so pretty back then 😊 Their hairstyles, their makeup…vintage beauty 😍😍

[@SheilaRamseySoprano]

Thank you for this story. I had never heard of her until now. I thought she had quite a bit of melanin in her skin tone until they said she was from Russia. Could she have been a Black woman in Russia who "passed" for White here in America? Very interesting documentary.

[@Chutney1luv]

I thought the same thing! But then, everyone came from Africa! (If truth be told!) 🕵

[@SheilaRamseySoprano]

@@Chutney1luv You're absolutely right.

[@marymarysmarket3508]

Many Jews are dark skinned

[@SheilaRamseySoprano]

@@marymarysmarket3508 Very true.

[@julief634]

Why does that even matter? She was a human being and a very smart, amazing human being! That IS what matters.

[@bieassialaw6832]

The more and more they kept showing her pictures the more and more it’s beyond obvious that Miss Polly Pocket was passing. Her African features are too strong…

[@bonitahobbs2097]

JUST WHAT I SAID ABOVE WITH TONI BRAXTON PLAYING HER‼️‼️

[@dee2thedub]

I was thinking the same thing. I even paused the frame at one point just to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me.

[@SheilaRamseySoprano]

We were JUST talking about this! Interesting that we can't help but notice in today's society, but had no clue back then.

[@karenharper2266]

What difference does it make?

[@ncsnshine042181]

Yes, I agree! She looks like most of the women in my family! Strong African American women!

[@carrowxhex6891]

Russian? She looks black to me. I would have liked to hear more about how she became so profitable as a business woman.

[@izraelite2908]

A lot of people in the comments are noticing the same. Glad to know I am not crazy.

[@MsKewi-NYC]

SEX! The oldest profession in the world plus as the story said prohibition/no alcohol was on so she had the girls for the speakeasy clubs.💰💰💰💵💰💰🙂👍🏽Yeah she was Black/ passing or a Darker skin tone/Black/ Russian.😉👍🏽

[@skellagyook]

She was Jewish, not ethnically Russian. Her looks could also be Middle Eastern. Most Jews living in Europe had partial Middle Eastern roots (from ancestors that migrated to Europe from the Near East).

[@tbomb506]

If this book, Madam was ever adapted into a movie, I could see Maggie Gyllenhaal or Marion Cotillard playing the role of Polly Adler.

[@KingJules702]

I feel like a woman of color would play her…. She looked ethnic… I’m not sure what her ethnicity was?!?!

[@morsecode9787]

@@KingJules702 FOR SURE SHE 'S BLACK NO DENYING. LIKELY SATHARDIC JEW AS THOSE IN FATHERS FAMILY TREE ..

[@morsecode9787]

ARE WE GOING TO IGNORE THAT SHE WAS IS BLACK... MY ANCESTORS SOME FROM RUSSIA CAME HERE TO PASS IN PEACE & CLAIM THEIR PEACE OF THE AMERICAN PIE!! GREAT PART OF THE EARLY YEARS WAS 💌 LETTER WRITING POST CARDS WERE RELISHED TREASURED . PROTECTED & PRESERVED ..ALL OF THE TRUTHS & SECRETS ARE THERE GOOD INK GOOD PAPER🎤💌👼👼👼

[@anthonytaylor7928]

Is Maggie a black woman because this lady is clearly got some sister in her

[@erinmh]

@@morsecode9787 take your caps lock off it's obnoxious

[@lifewithcamille517]

Polly appears to have African Ancestry and is of mixed race. I don't believe she is from Russia. Her features are clear.

[@annzeeg4217]

I thought the same thing but she spoke Russian so I doubt.

[@lifewithcamille517]

@@annzeeg4217 She could have had a parent that spoke Russian.

[@lifewithcamille517]

I believe a parent or grandparent was African American. Her African features are too defined. This was in the 1920s so I'm sure it was hush hush back then. Alot of African Americans who passed said they were Italian or some other nationality to explain their complexion or differences. She was definitely passing.

[@CRSDelta]

My thoughts exactly.

[@anndavis725]

Absolutely ! Some DNA through young woman

[@robertafierro5592]

I like the art and the tasteful photos! Just look at some of those costumes!! Good video. Thanks!

[@ryanamari2233]

We have Polly in NY and Odessa Madre in DC….I wonder what it would have been like if there could have met

[@Chutney1luv]

I've never heard of her but; she made her tragic situation work for her! She came before the "Mayflower Madame and Heddi Fleiss and countless others! A man's want and need was so Scandalous and Dangerous for her and her girls plus; she lived to write a book, that I must read! The roaring twenties were doing more than roaring! 🙄

[@andyroo9381]

A profession as old as time.

[@Chutney1luv]

Since, the beginning of time! World's oldest profession! There is nothing new; under the sun! 🙄

[@MsKewi-NYC]

Kudos to Madame Polly for still "Passing" and making fools of so-called journalists Elites. 👏🏾👏🏾🙌🏾That Russian story was/is still a good one because anyone coming from the Mediterranean region could have her olive skin color that includes poor Russian immigrants of her day. By the way as an African American I have family members lighter than Ms. Polly they choose not to "Pass" it was very difficult for them growing up in the 40's-50's. We come in all shades CBS Sunday morning don't feel bad learn.

[@blippypippy8167]

YEP.

[@kkpenney444]

eye roll

[@Tere999]

You should watch the Human Stain.

[@pcbacklash_3261]

I must admit, the only time I've ever heard the name "Polly Adler" was in an episode of MASH. It was the name given to a cookout and benefit for Sister Theresa's orphanage. And now I'm scratching my head as to why Father Mulcahy would endorse a party named explicitly named after a madam (whose name and profession surely would have been more well known in the 1950s).

[@DianeWilliamsCurvyGoddess]

MASH was filled with irony.

[@Yasharala3]

Hollywood should never surprise you ~

[@Chutney1luv]

Honey, Father Mulchy, was in a series on MASH! (One of my favorite shows, by the way!) You would have to ask the writers of the show!) Art, imitating life! Life does imitate Art! 🤔

[@pcbacklash_3261]

@@Chutney1luv While it's true that life and art do imitate each other, Father Mulcahy naming an orphanage benefit after a well-known madam doesn't seem very realistic. I suppose only the writers will ever know...

[@ebriggs3498]

Because Hollywood likes to sully the name of Christians!

[@sandiehoward2762]

Polly was my grandma’s very close friend . My grandpa was never happy about it . My grandpa was an actor though he NEVER partake .

[@Kim-427]

It’s funny how certain people romanticize what’s the criminal side of life when some do it. When it’s others you hear that they came from a broken home, the wrong side of town and was destined to be criminals. Lol America is something else. Smh

[@dewaynesmith6924]

🤛🏾🤛🏾🤛🏾

[@musicartlover963]

So true

[@morsecode9787]

NO ONE GOING TO MENTION THAT SHE WAS IS BLACK????

[@lifewithcamille517]

Yes, I mentioned this days ago.

[@TranzVangal]

This woman host keeps getting younger and younger 🙂

[@michaeldougherty8344]

"A house is not a home" Polly Adler

[@michaelscot4816]

Truly amazing.

[@chrisfinch8637]

Such memorable times in the Roaring 20s to look back at, right here.

[@chrisfinch8637]

@@ohmy9479 Heavens, no! I’m in my Roaring 26’s.

[@lewstone5430]

I had the roaring ‘30’s! Almost blew out my kidney. Now I’m in the calm ‘40’s.

[@brucelee4996]

They were Roaring until the 1929 crash. 🤑 📉

[@ertfgghhhh]

During prohibition, u could make ur own beer and wine for private consumption

[@gemmab8626]

The client list! WOW!

[@JoseMorales-lw5nt]

I hope the new-found attention Polly has received from this recent book helps bring attention to Texas Guinan. Here's a woman who essentially ran her own speakeasy in NYC, frequented by no less a celebrity than Mayor Jimmy Walker!

[@eddiebrindley4815]

How about showing the downside of Prositution,diseases,deaths,beatings,when they lose there looks, pregnancy ,drug ,alcohol abuse!

[@john-smith.]

Prostitutes usually are already in a bad place before they start hooking.

[@pauln8913]

lit'l Eddie crys too much

[@Cherell-ugc]

Those are the downsides of dating in general

[@roxannemitchell6112]

@@Cherell-ugc Absolutely Correct!

[@davanmani556]

Her own autobiography mentioned that.

[@flwrfan1752]

People here seem to putting down the “ working girls” but aren’t saying much about the “ clients”.It’s the world’s oldest profession.

[@TT-di4qz]

I LOVE this chic! She made a choice to live life her way.

[@keithkoenig5320]

She was a criminal...but whatever.

[@normanbrown9225]

In this Life I learned; For every Gain, there is a Loss and for every Loss their is a Gain. U choose the Gain U need.

[@sandiehoward2762]

She was my grandma’s very close friend . My grandfather was not happy about it. My grandpa was Shemp Howard

[@LindaCasey]

Alas, 'success' to an American generally equates to a person of means .. money, power and a high brow reputation.

[@annescholl420]

So sad 😞

[@LindaCasey]

@@annescholl420 Actually, it's never noticeable to us on the inside .. it's what the outsiders aspires to .. America, the land of milk and honey, yet why then is it so fraught with discord and opposition? It's the 'let them eat cake' mentality. I'm rich, I have everything, but I still want more so why should I share with you? Go get your own money!

[@dawittywats1934]

Grow up - that is what it means across this planet.

[@katherineyanagihara2909]

Aloha! Thank you!

[@nevincaulfield]

Sunday Morning baby!

[@USA50_]

❤️ the flappers!

[@Clintsessentials]

None of us can judge. This was a tough time for women.

[@Chutney1luv]

Not judging, just commenting! If there was not a need for men to be pleased, then it would not be a business! The only problem is that sex and drugs seem to be associative! The problem is the danger they were in to themselves! Most were on drugs and it was fashionable back then! They did what they had to do to make a dollar under difficult circumstances; during that time!

[@lindag4544]

not passing from russia. my grandma looked like that. our genetic history is 99.9% ashkenazi jew

[@kowriebluesage6196]

Without a doubt, she's got some strong black genes from somewhere....but indeed, those genes are world-wide.

[@skellagyook]

True. Her features could also look Middle Eastern/Mediterranean to me. Ashkenazi Jews are around half Middle Eastern on average (the rest European) and often have looks that are a bit "exotic" by European standards.

[@bonitahobbs2097]

Toni Braxton could do this role too. I won't explain that there are different kinds of people there. She looks almost just like an Aunt of mine.

[@libertyann439]

At that time it was survival of the gutsy girl.

[@anthonytaylor7928]

U can't tell me she wasn't a black woman is that in her book was that even reported?

[@lifewithcamille517]

She is definitely of African American decent. As far as Russian this is also visible. Possibly with a Russian parent or grandparent. But her African features are clear and most defined. It was the 1920s so I'm sure it was the don't ask don't tell of passing. Most Black people notice other black people right away.

[@marvinhagler4721]

@@lifewithcamille517 EXACTLY

[@biplobprasad7354]

All the best

[@romecottrell4558]

This woman 👩🏽 Polly Adler was a tough lady and she made a good life for herself. And this was part of U.S History and should be taught today in our school 🏫 system as part of our American History.

[@janebishop5885]

Would have no interest in a movie about her life. She was just a person who had the ability to fit in with all the slime no matter how much she or anyone else would justify it. The oldest business is an exploitative one.

[@dorishanoum5573]

There was a LOT of drug use in those days-- opium, heroin, & cocaine & laudnum,, -- TRUE STORY-- you just don't here much about it!!!😨-- I've never heard of her either,, very interesting👍

[@lewstone5430]

Laudanum sounds cool . . . JK

[@evelynvazquez1101]

If she came from Russia, what was her Russian name before she became “Polly Adler”?

[@Zootofanthrax]

Pearl! ETA - her name really was Pearl, I wasn't guessing at a name. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polly_Adler

[@April-201]

Gertrude!

[@julief634]

Ivanka Vodka Slutzukskanova

[@asdfghjkl3003]

Bessie anne.

[@aliveandhearty7321]

@@julief634 lol especially the first name 😄😄😄

[@michaelcoyle487]

Anyone else learn about Polly from the latest Lucille Ball podcast?

[@faraboverubieskerry]

yep! I'd never heard of her until that podcast and now here is a story about her. Desi was lucky he didn't catch syphilis although I bet he caught other stuff and spread it around without knowing. let's just be real

[@sandrasanders706]

Thought I knew the name..yes from the current Lucy podcast.

[@MarcusAurelius7777]

Completely unlike today...

[@ibdam1]

Not at all. Research the “Huntington Woods Michigan Madam. Marci Devernay is her name.

[@MarcusAurelius7777]

@@ibdam1 Oh I was being sarcastic, stupid person.

[@ibdam1]

@@MarcusAurelius7777 😂😂

[@MarcusAurelius7777]

@@ibdam1 Respect.

[@montemccarty6512]

Desi...ah ah ah ah...it's just so ridiculous 🤪

[@cassandramcknight2416]

Did she have children or get married?... where was her family?...

[@puddincup9879]

Skin color privilege makes her glamorous eh?

[@cashed-out2192]

Some historians say Prohibition should have never started or existed.

[@anthonytaylor7928]

CBS u should be ashamed of yourself challenge this chick on her ethnicity

[@lindawilliams429]

Looks like Polly was passing!! Maybe her claiming to be from Russia was a fairytale!!

[@pamelapolk7128]

Sentiments

[@lewstone5430]

Linda good for you! You just learned that term a few weeks ago on this program and now you’re using it! Smart girl!

[@Nikki-nt4pt]

I thought the same thing!

[@xs5783]

Kathrina Kaif[Hues-Till.Asad-Black.Middle-Point] Lucy Pinder[Abu.Bakar-Middle] Gemma Merna[Moosa-Middle] Pacific Comps Next.East-West

[@syl8723]

America's got talent

[@franks.2544]

Today Polly could have easily been a reporter for any MSM outlet.

[@erinmh]

cool story Frank.

[@indigowolf556]

Interesting that this woman came to America as an immigrant and made that money. Almost comical in a strange sort of way.

[@Chutney1luv]

Not comical! It is still being done. Since hooking is the world's oldest profession; it has been around for millions of years! There is nothing new, under the sun! 🙄

[@tobehonest7541]

No #MeToo

[@Billhatestheinternet]

And part of that classic American success story is the beginnings: she was an immigrant with nothing.

[@tamikolowery-guerin6896]

Polly look African American a Russian black ??? Or was her Daddy Russian and mom black

[@marvinhagler4721]

Obviously black....somewhere

[@leiutley4083]

Passing it is

[@NovemberChristine]

This woman is clearly Black. Which makes her story even more interesting.

[@carolynholmes8486]

She looks like a black women...I agree the older she got the more she looked black. That's not all 100% Russian...

[@conorwinston6205]

Or maybe, just maybe, Polly Adler really did emigrate from Belarus, just like she told us. People see one movie about passing, and suddenly they are all experts. They never met or spoke with Polly Adler or any of her family, but are ready to re-write her history for her.

[@bjs2022]

Shame on the video editors who are guilty of committing the video atrocity of BBC (Blow-up, Blur, Crop) 4:3 aspect ratio films and video (or 4:3 films transferred to video) to fill the 16:9 frame. Doing "click to fill" may look OK on a computer screen (other than the unnaturally overly large images) but on a TV the loss of resolution is terrible. You are taking standard definition video and degrading it to substandard definition video. You are also altering/censoring the carefully composed and framed 4:3 aspect ratio images by the historical cinematographers and photographers. Leave 4:3 content alone!

[@patrickbush9526]

That would have been an exciting time to live in

[@theressamurphy2996]

It does not matter what color ....

[@NativeAmerican10]

Awwh. Yeah. She is. Beautiful black women trust me

[@pains4109]

I don't wipe it won't go back to Time Is Love races that year

[@cashed-out2192]

FDR?????

[@beckywentworth5070]

I could listen to Jane Pauley much easier if she had a normal sounding voice, I feel like the extreme inflections and patterns of inflection that she uses feels very "made-for-TV "

[@julief634]

Wow! I was just thinking that. Almost like it was very fake sounding.

[@tonymarchesseault4272]

Another great SUNDAY MORNING segment. An early NYC Madam story. Sorry the industry didn’t make itself mainstream instead of men and women being guilt ridden over a very natural and needed activity. Don’t you agree? Why is it that people think sex is dirty, unnatural, sinful,,,, There is beauty in sex we need not be traumatizing people over it. Give me a break.

[@topfacemod]

Amen! Puritainical America expouses freedom and libertarian civilcs all while criminalizing people I would call entrepreneurs.

[@roxannemitchell6112]

Agree!

[@blondjon]

Agreed. People shouldn't be so ashamed of sex.... (Almost) All of us do it!

[@JeanetteFaith]

@@blondjon but these rich and powerful men have to pay poor women for sex and that is not beautiful or natural.

[@blondjon]

@@JeanetteFaith "but prostitution is the oldest profession in recorded history."

[@misstekhead]

When I first saw the pics I thought she must be at least mixed. Then I looked down to the comments and notice I’m not the only one who thought she must have some black in her. What a shame if she was having to hide that aspect of herself.

[@Susieq26754]

So now were praising hookers? Are we leading up to Gislane Maxwell's innocence? The media is pathetic. Who is the broad bragging her up?

[@annzeeg4217]

OMG is a book people. It's history. Why do people think you're only suppose to tell the nice stories? 🙄

[@Susieq26754]

@@annzeeg4217 If you think a Madam's life in the sex industry is a good story then good for you. I personally think it's disturbing and disgusting. Not putting this woman down, but I'm sure she would of chose another path if she had more options. Do you think Heidi Fleiss was a success story? Her life was destroyed. Would you want your daughter idolizing this lifestyle? With all the sex trafficking going on today, you would think people would be advocating for those who are the victims, instead of glamorizing it.

[@kgrimes4934]

What nonsense! I never liked the “Polly”. I think she is just famous bc she was a constantly self promoting big mouth. But You have no idea why Maxwell is a horrible person- so why bring up her name? Adler recruited college age women, abandoned wives etc who were broke and while it could be correctly argued she exploited they’re needing money she wasn’t as horrible nor violent like pimps or 90% of other madams. The worst thing she did is take a cut of other women’s earned money & failed to give women the same standard protection w powerful clients. (Which I hate) What Maxwell did was force and sell children for sex and harm them. Also, no one needs to have a good story in order for you to learn from that story. You don’t respect sex workers. That’s your take. So you don’t think their stories should be told. Good thing what ppl get to hear abt is not based on your personal likes.

[@kgrimes4934]

@@Susieq26754 You are literally putting them down.

[@julief634]

@@Susieq26754 There are women who CHOOSE to be a sex worker. No sex trafficking involved. Go back to the puritan miserable days and stay there, while the rest of humanity evolves to free will and beyond.

[@denisehall4818]

Russian girl makes good.

[@maxlinder5262]

Why didn't someone comb her hair???

[@sclogse1]

They did, but it took time to get all the way to the top, and time's money.

[@JeanetteFaith]

@@sclogse1 ??????????

[@andrearenee7845]

Sounds like 2016, when trump became Prez. The possibility that a criminal could actually be a US President...

[@amyt2400]

🤮

[@elizabethelliott3175]

This author's hair is terrible! It looks like it's either dirty or she has pulled a shirt over her head and messed it up. She looks so unkempt.

[@yasminehayles692]

That’s mean. Maybe she has very thin hair due to a medical condition like autoimmune issues, scaring alopecia or something.

[@wraithconscience]

Well, she was probably channelling Polly on that day.

[@ohmy9479]

I hope she repented of that wicked lifestyle. Don’t dress it up as anything else.

[@docej3025]

WICKED!?! *TSK! *TSK! *TSK!

[@bzh7648]

I don’t think it’s any more wicked than that of the greedy, unscrupulous, unethical, immoral, often sinful, overpaid corporate executives, and those on the boards of large multinational corporations today. Those greedy people are responsible for everything from opioid addictions to polluting our water, air, and foods with toxins and radiation. Who knows how many genetic diseases they’ve created. What do you think creates gene mutations? It’s toxins.

[@JeanetteFaith]

these young girls don't enjoy it.

[@elisemiller13]

Not hoping for reform of the system that drives someone to the life choice, nor the clients, nor the compassion to look into the life she endured before probably having escaped life in Russia...just judgement? What happened to "judge not, lest You be judged" ? oh judgemental one?

[@ohmy9479]

@@elisemiller13 Please don’t quote the Bible when you don’t live by it. Please do a study on “judge not”…..for starters, it means don’t judge when you’re doing the same thing! God told us to “have righteous judgement” and to “judge all things” but those scriptures wouldn’t fit your narrative. Jesus loves you…❤️

[@wraithconscience]

My role model is not a Russian sex madam who was hanging out with Democrats (gee, what a surprise), but rather Mary Newson, who got her PhD in Mathematics in 1896. And my grandmother, a medical doctor, who graduated in 1927 and often had to treat women who had been abused in the profession of people like Polly. For someone who came out of the sweatshops, she seemed to have landed in the fire -- and taken other women with her. Sad and pathetic, but leave it to liberals to glamourize this. Thanks but no thanks.

[@absatwell8163]

It’s part of history, and I find it fascinating. I am not a lib.

[@annzeeg4217]

OMG. It's just a book. Every person who has a book or movie made about them isn't being pushed as a role model. People have written about Hitler and Bin Laden, clearly they aren't role models. Most people are independent minded enough to listen to someone's story without glamorizing or judging it.

[@CathyS_Bx]

The Shelley Winters movie glamorized and sanitized the woman. If you listened to this video, you would have learned that the new book is a realistic portrayal and not a glamorizing one, and certainly not one that casts her as a role model. Use your words! Listen!

[@saraho9568]

@@annzeeg4217 Yea. Books are bad. Learning about history is bad. That's what religious nuts think. They think learning about the past is glamorizing it. That's why you have book burning events with these clowns. If you don't learn about the past, you'll repeat it. Education is always good.

[@janetpartyka5968]

Like the conservatives didn't behave in the same way, keeping your head in the sand was a favorite past time of theirs.

[@rashodlewis2918]

That’s a black woman.

[@marvinhagler4721]

EASY