The Commercialization of Intimate Relationships: An Analysis of Practices of Mistresses

The practice of exchanging services of an intimate nature for material values has been common since ancient times. This activity in a "pure" form is prostitution. But in the process of social development, more "socially acceptable" forms of such exchanges, in particular keeping mistresses, were formed. In Russia, the revival of this practice was ascertained back in the late 90s of the 20th century. This is due to the fact that in a fluid world, in the consumer society characterized by emotional capitalism and corporal commodification, intimate relations become market-oriented. They are carried out on the basis of the selfish interest of rational actors. At the same time, empirical studies show that intimate relationships are also considered in the context of the sincerity of emotions and the sublimity of feelings. They are based on love, free of charge and more irrational than capitalist ones. In turn, the keeping mistresses are not approved in terms of public and ecclesiastical morality: it’s seen as a threat to the institution of family and marriage. In this regard, the research interest of this work is focused on studying the practices of organizing these relations, which connect commercial, intimate and moral components and function in conditions of public disapproval. The kept mistresses, who publicly announce this on specialized sites or groups in social networks, are considered as the empirical object. As a result of the research, the interpretations of the keeping mistresses, the motives and the practice of organizing these relations have been identified and typologized.