- [Mark] All right, Snow White. - [Snow] Yes. - [Mark] Snow White, where'd you grow up? Where are you from? - [Snow] I grew up in Hawthorne. - [Mark] So kind of South part of LA? - Yeah. - [Mark] And where do you live now? - I live off of Broadway and 59th. - [Mark] Kind of South Central? - Mm-hmm. - [Mark] LA. And tell me what your childhood. You had both your parents? - No, I didn't have... Really, I didn't have neither of 'em. I kind of grew up with grandma. - [Mark] Where was mom and dad? - Mom was on drugs and dad was just... He wasn't around really. - [Mark] And how was your
childhood with your grandmother? - It was an okay childhood, up until about, maybe say 13, 12, then I started kind of rebelling and wanted to be with my
mother and stuff like that. And it wasn't possible. So I started rebelling with grandma and, kind of got into some
trouble and stuff like that. But yeah, probably about 13 years old is whenever I started
prostituting probably. - [Mark] At 13? - Yeah. - [Mark] And that was with
a pimp or on your own? - No, at first it was on my own, and then they were like, "Oh no, you can't be out
here on your own like that." You know what I mean? So of course I had to get a pimp. - [Mark] And how was that experience? - It's dangerous. It's very dangerous. I don't really like
having to give up my money but you can't be out here on
your own and stuff like that. Right now I'm actually,
I'm pregnant by a rape, so and then you can see my eye also-- - [Mark] You were beaten up? - Yeah. So I mean, it's a dangerous lifestyle. It's not... But you gotta feed yourself and you gotta feed your
kids and stuff like that. - [Mark] How far along
are you in your pregnancy? - Four months. - [Mark] Four months? - Yeah. - [Mark] And you're gonna keep the baby? - I don't think so. I don't think so but I don't
believe in having abortions. You know what I mean? So, I will probably give
the baby up for adoption. Yeah. - [Mark] Okay. - Yeah. - [Mark] And you've been arrested before? - Yeah, I've been arrested. - [Mark] And you've been
doing this since 13? How old are you now? - I'm 34. - [Mark] 34?
- Yeah. - [Mark] And do you have any other kids? - Yeah, I have two kids. - [Mark] And are you raising them? - No. - [Mark] Who's raising them? - My 17 year-old lives with her father and my two year-old is
with her grandmother's dad. I mean, her dad's grandmother, I apologize, sorry. - [Mark] Got it. And this is rough? - It's very rough. - [Mark] Lifestyle. I mean, have you had things happen to you? - Yes, very bad things. Yes. I've been cut. I've been, there's... I've been raped more than once, twice, three, four, five times. I mean, I've just been in places
where I just never thought that I was gonna be able to get out of, you know what I mean? Just by the grace of... 'Cause I still do believe in
the Lord, you know what I mean? So, I guess just having faith
with Him and stuff like that, but it's a very scary, scary lifestyle. - [Mark] Does it get you down sometimes? - Yes. - [Mark] You get depressed? - Yes. Yes, it makes you feel less of a woman, you know it does. Because you're supposed to like... Like they say, if you
don't respect yourself how you're gonna... You know what I mean? But I believe it's not what
you do is how you do it. But it's always, you always
got everybody saying something you know what I mean? It's never like... Everybody's gonna say something. You can't make nobody
happy. You know what I mean? Or you can't please nobody. I just try to keep my head up and just know that I'm doing
it for the right reasons. - [Mark] Right. Are drugs a part of the picture for you? - Yes. I just recently
started doing crack cocaine. Yeah. So, that's a rough one too. Yeah. - [Mark] Yeah, it's gonna
make it a struggle, isn't it? - Yeah. And it kinda makes you forget, not forget, but at that
moment like you're... Something that you wouldn't do you know what I mean? Ends up being okay and stuff like that. You know what I'm saying? And I'm not really too
pleased about that part but I guess it just goes along with... - [Mark] How did you first...? - But it makes it easier. It makes it easier, I guess you would say you know what I mean? at that moment or whatever. - [Mark] Easier to do these things that you normally wouldn't? - Yeah. - [Mark] And how did you
first get introduced to crack? - Through a trick of mine? A trick of mine. Like every time, you know what I mean? Like whenever we would do
our business or whatever like that's what he would like to do. And like they say, you go to a barber shop you're gonna end up getting in a haircut. So that's pretty much what happened. Not his fault. You know what I mean? It's just part of what goes on. Like they say you're around it, you're gonna end up doing it. - [Mark] Yeah. Do you recall your first
time doing this at 13? - Yes. And it's not something
that I like to remember because my very first time, was one of the times that I was raped. I was left in a desert
in Lancaster, California. - [Mark] Your first time doing this at 13, you end up getting raped
and left in the desert? - Aha and left in the desert, yeah. - [Mark] And that didn't
make you think twice? - I mean it did, you know what I mean? But like you say, whenever you kind of... 'Cause whenever I lived with
grandma, I ended up leaving you know what I mean? I ended up getting on the bus and coming out here to
California on my own. I was 13, 14 years old. - [Mark] Where was your
grandmother (mumbles)? - In El Paso, Texas. - [Mark] Oh, I see. - Yeah. So I ended up coming out here, 'cause this is where we're
from my family and everybody. So, I mean, how was I gonna eat? How was I gonna do anything? How was I... Where was I gonna live? Where was I gonna... You know what I mean? So, I didn't have those answers and that's the quickest and fastest thing that I knew what to do. And I knew that I could do it. - [Mark] How much would
you make in a night as a 13 year-old? Or as a young girl, teenager? - A good night, probably 500 bucks to 700 bucks a night. - [Mark] And how is it now? - Now it's a little bit... You've got a whole lot more competition, I guess you would say. I'm not as young. I'm not maybe as pretty anymore. You know what I mean? So it's like... But I still have my clients
and stuff like that. - [Mark] You have regulars that... - Yeah, I have my regulars. I try to stay with that
now more than anything but, I've made up to 17, $1,800 in one night. - [Mark] Wow. But that's out there like... - [Mark] Yeah, (mumbles). - Yeah, that's 10 toes to the ground. (Snow White laughs) As you would say. - [Mark] What do you think
the most misunderstood thing about this lifestyle? Like for people that don't do it, people that just look at it and go, "Oh, this is terrible." - They say like, because you're giving out your body, you're giving your body out. And supposedly it's
supposed to be something that's supposed to be
sacred and stuff like that. And just because we are
out there doing this doesn't mean we're any lower, any less, because let me tell you what. A real person, a real prostitute, you know what I mean? Takes care of herself,
because this is her job. A lot of people have their, "Oh, she's this. Oh, she's that. "Oh, she's the other." You know what I mean? And we're human beings also. You know what I mean? Just like everybody else's. And maybe somebody hasn't hit
that point in their lifetime where they have no other option. You mean, are you gonna fall? Are you gonna stand for...? What are you gonna do? And I'm definitely not
gonna depend on nobody, because I don't like
to be told what to do. But... - [Mark] So needless to
say you're on your own now without them? - Yeah. - [Mark] Yeah. What was the best time of your life? - [Snow] The best time
of my life I could say, I had a sugar daddy, I
guess you would call it. You know what I mean? And I really wasn't out there like that. I was 22 to 27 and he took care of me very good. And I had a lot of fun. He took me... You know what I mean? He would take me out and stuff like that. And he would tell me like, "I'm not gonna tell you not to do it." You know what I mean? "But I'ma tell you that
you don't have to do it." And he gave me the choice, "What do you want to do?" Where a lot of men will just be like, "Oh, you're not gonna do
that no more or whatever." Because I always say, "Okay, if you don't want me to do that, "then can you support me like
I can support myself then." - [Mark] Did he take
care of you financially so you didn't have to do it? - [Snow] Yeah. - [Mark] And did you continue to do it? - [Snow] No. - [Mark] You didn't?
- [Snow] No. - [Mark] So that was a nice arrangement for you and maybe for him. He was married? - [Snow] No, he wasn't married. He was just an older man. - [Mark] That was taking care of you? - [Snow] Yeah. And what ended us was he
ended up passing away. Yeah, so... - [Mark] That'll put a
wrench in the works-- - [Snow] Yeah (laughs). But he was a very good man. He was a good man. And I had a lot of fun. That was the... And I had my daughter at the time. I got it together to where
like she could come over and it was like a normal living
and everything like that. You know what I mean? So, I guess that's why I say also that was the happiest
part time in my life. - [Mark] What's been the worst time? - The worst time is, I guess, - [Mark] Maybe right now? - Right now is the worst time because - [Mark] You're pregnant? - I'm pregnant. I didn't know if I
wanted to keep the baby. I didn't like being pregnant because of how it came
about, you know what I mean? But like I said, I don't
believe in killing a baby. - [Mark] A woman pregnant with a black guy working in the streets. That's not-- - Right, it is not. Right now is pretty difficult. And I'm by myself. I'm by myself, I don't have nobody. - [Mark] You have no family? - I have nobody. You know what I mean? So like, I turned to the streets for
something, you know what I mean? And there's a lot of times where I don't get what I'm looking for. And... - [Mark] Have you been in love before? - Yeah. I was in love with that
one man, that old man, I ended up falling... It took me a long time,
you know what I mean? But I did end up falling in love with him. Yeah, definitely so. - [Mark] And when he passed
away it was probably... - Yeah. It still is. It's something that's never... I don't think is ever gonna go away. Yeah. - [Mark] What do you
think in your childhood, could've changed, would've
made a biggest impact in where you are today? - To know, just to be heard. You know what I mean? Just to be heard. Just for somebody to say, "How are you?" But... I hate crying, sorry. - [Mark] It's okay. - Just to know that somebody cared, just to know that somebody had a ear, because it wasn't... Not that my grandma was a bad
person, you know what I mean? But she always believed that like, children are supposed to be... How do they say it? Heard not... - [Mark] Seen and not heard. - Seen and not heard. And my grandma was a very busy woman because she was taking
care of me all on her own and she was older. So she did try to keep it all together but it wasn't very much... There wasn't very much
of like, "How are you?" Or "How was your day at school today?" Or "How are you feeling?" Or anything like that. And my grandma was very strict. She was very strict. She didn't understand how to just... She didn't take very
much time to just sit. We didn't have a lot of one-on-one time, I guess you would say. I didn't have any kind of
one-on-one time with anybody. I guess that's also why
I turned to prostituting because a man will tell you what you want to hear real quick. You know what I mean? So that, I guess it
felt good at the moment. So I guess that was another reason why, because some of them do know how to, like they say, they got
that good talk or whatever, you know what I mean? But yeah. - [Mark] Despite the fact that you're going through
some tough times right now, do you think you're
generally a happy person? - Not really, but I try to be. But I try to be, I don't try... I don't want to be negative,
you know what I mean? But, no, really and truly, no. No. - [Mark] How do you think
all your years of doing this has changed you? - Oh, very much so. Very much so because, thing like just your morals,
you know what I mean? And like how people look at
you, how people treat you, how you feel about yourself. Things that you've done,
you know what I mean? I don't regret anything. Like I'm not ashamed of
anything that I've done. You know what I mean? Because if I'm doing
it I'm not gonna be... If you're ashamed of
something that you're doing then you shouldn't be doing it. You know what I mean? But I just wish that it
could have been different or something. Because it's a lot of on your... How do you call it, your self? - [Mark] Self-worth? - Your self-worth and your... Exactly. Perfect word, self-worth. You feel less. You feel definitely less. - [Mark] How you're being treated? - Yeah. And (mumbles) yourself. I could be my worst... What would you call it? Critic or what? Or something like that. You know what I mean? I could be very hard on myself sometimes. And yeah. - [Mark] What would you
say to a young girl, who's maybe a young teenager who's considering doing
something like this? - No. Unless you absolutely have to. Unless you absolutely have to. Please, please, please,
if you hear somebody, hear me when I say this. Do not do it. Do not do it. Is not easy. Is not... Sometimes it's not worth it. It doesn't... Like they say
all money isn't good money. You know what I mean? And money will not bring you happiness. Money does not bring happiness. It just makes it a
little bit easier to live but it will not bring you happiness. And these streets, it's a
doggy-dog world out here. And men don't give a about women. And especially our category of women. They don't... It's not what they say. Trust and believe that
it's just for that moment of whatever was going on. And they'll tell you anything
that you want to hear but please, if there's any
other options that's possible please go about that option. I don't care if it's selling drugs. You know what I mean? Excuse me, but don't go to prostitution. It's not fun. It's not easy. - [Mark] And very dangerous. - Very dangerous. Very, very dangerous. - [Mark] And you've
been in prison, roughly? - I've never been to prison, I've only been to the county jail. - [Mark] That's what I mean, jail. How many times have you been arrested? - Probably, six, seven times probably, yeah. - [Mark] That's pretty good for most. - Yeah. - [Mark] They've done
it as long as you have. - Yeah, six, seven times. Yeah, I'm not... I try to stay away from the police. I don't like going to jail. So... - [Mark] You work Figueroa? - Yeah. - [Mark] Exclusively? - Yeah. - [Mark] There's so many girls out there. - Very many. - [Mark] I mean... - And that's another thing,
you know what I mean? You've got to deal with these women all day long also. - [Mark] A lot of competition, right? - You know what I mean? Tons. And not just your pimp, if you have a pimp or whatever you mean. But if you're out there on your own, it's pretty rough too. I mean, 'cause you ain't
got nobody to have... Unless you got some homies
or something like that, you know what I mean? Which that's kind of like my situation. I don't have a pimp but I do have somebody that'll go for me. You know what I mean? Luckily. Because men will try to
do all kinds of things, you know what I mean? And if you don't got
somebody to have your back, it's pretty scary and pretty dangerous. And then you have different areas where there's different
gangs and stuff like that, you know what I mean? And if you don't belong to their gang or if you're not part of their... You know what I'm saying? You can't be on those streets right there. And then you got the females
that, "Oh, this is my corner. "This is my street. "This is my block. "This is my..." You know what I mean? So, you got all day long,
you got all kinds of things that you gotta look at and worry about. - [Mark] Has doing this
since you were a teenager changed the way you see men? - Oh definitely. Oh yes. - [Mark] Instead of seeing men
as a Knight in shining armor you see them as-- - Dogs (laughs). - [Mark] As (mumbles), right? - Yeah, definitely. - [Mark] And they run the range from one of the other in reality. But, your lifestyle attracts the latter? - Yeah, definitely. Yeah, I know. It's not that pretty or when they're walking down
the aisle and they look so, you know what I mean? No (laughs). No, definitely not. No. - [Mark] And that's why this
career is not cut out for every female, right? - No, it's not. - [Mark] For some-- - I thought that-- (Mark mumbles) There was a minute where I'm just like, "Man, I can't do this." You know what I mean? But like they say, when you're hungry, you're hungry, and you'll pretty much do anything to... Because it's not a good feeling
to be thirsty and hungry. It's not. I've been there. I've been... You know what I mean? To where... I have a real problem with begging and asking for something,
you know what I mean? Like I gotta do something
to get something... Like I just can't go up
to somebody and be like, "I'm sorry, I'm hungry, can I get..." You know what I mean? I've never been able to do that. I haven't and so I don't know. I wish I could. (Snow laughs) I probably would get some money too but I just haven't been able
to bring myself to do it. I don't know. I guess 'cause grandma was
always on me about that. "Be independent. "Work. Get your own stuff. "Don't depend on nobody." You know what I mean? That way you can make your own... Our family is very... The women in our family are all Pisces. And I don't know if you
know anything about Pisces but they're controlling. You know what I mean? And they rule the roost. So grandma was always like, "Don't depend on no man, honey. "You ain't gonna get nowhere with no man." And I like it the way I like it. And so like that's why
I make my own money. I can't live up underneath a man. Tell me what to do all the
time and stuff like that. It's the same thing, like with a pimp you know what I mean? And then plus you got to give your money and everything else. And then sometimes they're
on some bullshit too. And you know what I mean? So I was like, "Yeah man, I can't do it." Yeah. - [Mark] All right, Snow White. Thank you so much for sharing your story. - No problem. Thank you. - [Mark] Good luck with everything. - [Snow] Thank you.
