Re: Rent a friend.
I’ve heard of escort agencies but not heard of “rent a friend” before.
I suppose it’s the modern version of it, the main difference being that the escort was nearly always someone of the opposite sex in the old days because it was “socially expected” to attend social occasions as a couple, whereas the modern day “rent a friend” can be used by either sex for a variety of platonic reasons.
I had to look up the phrase to understand what it was about and found this article interviewing someone who works as a “rent a friend” - she seems to have a variety of clients who hire her services for all sorts of reasons.
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/re...b799c241670b62
I can’t imagine using such a service for myself but I can see why someone may choose to if they felt more comfortable attending an event with a companion and they didn’t have any friend, family, acquaintance or neighbour to invite.
My main worry would be whether the stranger I hired turned out to be dodgy. I don’t know what checks and vetting these companies do but it would be so easy for a “hired friend” to insinuate themselves into the affections of a lonely, vulnerable person and rip them off.
Equally, I wouldn’t fancy working as a “friend” - some of the experiences the “friend” in that article talked about would freak me out - especially the client who offered her $50 if she would give him her worn knickers to add to his collection! aaarrrggghhh!