Now retired, these two ladies command huge respect in the famous Amsterdam’s red-light district for their commitment and rare achievements.
No one is believed to have practiced the trade longer than twin sisters, Louise and Martine Fokken.
They are credited with more than a century of experience between them, doing nothing else other than satisfying the sexual needs of men.
They were given the title of the District’s ‘oldest window girls’ back in 2012 before their retirement.
The siblings have even had a documentary made about them called ‘Meet the Fokkens’, as well as a book all about their incredible lives.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Louise explained how she got into the sex industry.
She said: “I was beaten on to the streets by my husband in my early 20s.
He told me unless I earned money for him he would leave me, and I had children and loved him, so I had to do it.”
Meanwhile, Martine was giving birth to her first child when she was told her twin sister was working in the famous windows.
She didn’t realise Louise was struggling for money, so she offered to help.
Louise added: “Later on they needed a cleaner in the brothel and Martine took the job and the men asked her for business.
“So we started doing threesomes, and that was how we ended up working in the same house [window brothel] together.”
The sisters said it was much easier being in the sex industry together because they could keep each other safe.
Martine spoke of one experience to the BBC, when she told a client to take off his clothes and suspected something was up.
It wasn’t until she felt under the pillow that she discovered he had hidden a massive knife.
Talking about how they kept their clients’ interests, Martine said she decided to specialise in bondage for older men and targeted those who have a penchant for pain with pleasure.
She said in an interview with the BBC, “We know the tricks, we know what they want. We know how to talk to them and we know how to make them laugh too.”
The twins said they look back on their days in the red light district with fond memories.
Louise was the first to retire, due to arthritis. Her sister followed suit shortly after.
Louise told the Guardian that the industry became worse, with the authorities demanding for more tax and the clients becoming wilder and more dangerous.
