Every industry speaks its own language, so we've broken down the meaning behind the most common sex worker slang used.

Every industry, business, even team, relies on their own vocabulary in getting the job done.

Same applies to sex workers, who use slang and abbreviations to advertise the services they offer.

Sure, in your vanilla day job, you’re across the common business acronyms - COB (close of business), BAU (business as usual) and ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival), but can you guess the sex worker lingo? Here goes.

GFE

The Girlfriend Experience is your run of the mill, vanilla sex. Think of this as the standard things you’d do with your partner, like hugging, kissing, licking, hand jobs, oral and penetration - all acts of intimacy that come with sharing an emotional bond. But, it doesn’t mean doing his laundry or dealing with his family.

“I think there’s a very high ratio of GFEs who I deal with,” says Imogen Ashley, who’s been in the sex industry for two years and has received bookings through Rendevu, a new online platform connecting sex workers and users. She says GFE and BFE services emphasise “authenticity” and “connection”.

“We usually spend a few hours together, we have a drink together, maybe have a bite to eat, just chat about our day.”

“They never ask me about my job, that’s a significant aspect of the clients that like the GFE/BFE. They respect you as a person, as a woman. They rarely ask you questions that kind of push those boundaries.”

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DFK

Deep French Kissing. Usually part of The Girlfriend Experience, this refers to open mouth kissing including tongue. Yes, it’s a myth that sex workers don’t kiss clients (we’re looking at you, Pretty Woman) – clients just have to pay for the intimate privilege.

PSE

The Porn Star Experience. This is all bending, stretching, boob grabbing. Think the full on X-rated fantasy of deep throat, facials, swallowing. The more money, the less inhibition seems to be the prevailing description of the PSE option. And if it’s a legitimate porn star a client is after – you’re looking at an eye watering hourly rate.

A-Levels

Put simply, this refers to anal sex. End of.

OWO

Oral WithOut, which basically means oral only, no penetration – not to be confused with CBJ, or covered blow job (the good old latex condom to protect against STIs).

RO

Reverse oral. Because some people are givers, in the sex worker world, this refers to oral sex performed by the client on the service provider. Outside, in regular life, this term actually refers to a bloke performing cunninglingus from behind, rather than front, like the traditionalists among us.

The laws around sex work differ from state to state around Australia. NSW is the only state to have completely decriminalised sex work, and licencing and registering is not required.