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Originally posted by Gunhand:

If he were competely against companioning (can I use that as a verb?) and/or whoring, then I seriously doubt he would have helped the Heart of Gold girls out.

Pain is scary...

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If he were competely against companioning (can I use that as a verb?) and/or whoring, then I seriously doubt he would have helped the Heart of Gold girls out.

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Originally posted by howdyrockerbaby1:

So in all essences Mal is helping himself, whether he sees it that way or not, its a subconsious thing.

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Originally posted by zoid:
I reckon Mal might dislike prostitution because nobody should sell their body, and certainly not their intimacy. I think Mal was deeply attracted to Inara from first sight, and that it hurts him that she sells herself. It's not that she sells to others what he can't have; but that she is hurting herself. That's what tortures him. Even though she plays it off with a straight face, and he at least half believes her, he can sense that sex-for-money diminishes her.

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Inara's crying scene in HoG could certainly be seen as evidence that Inara is not as nonchalant as her facade would indicate...

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Originally posted by Delia:
Mal seems to value honesty (can't say that I can point to a particular scene to prove that, just a general impression). Companioning (if Wash and GunHand can use it as a verb, so can I, darn it) is about artiface and acting. He says as much to Inara in Shindig.

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Finally, I think calling her a whore, or diminishing what she does, is Mal's way of keeping some sort of barrier between them, picking fights to push her away when there's a danger of her getting too close.

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Finally, I think calling her a whore, or diminishing what she does, is Mal's way of keeping some sort of barrier between them, picking fights to push her away when there's a danger of her getting too close.

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Originally posted by zoid:

Didn't your daddy ever tell you? When a boy's mean to you -- calls you names or sticks your pigtails in the inkwell -- it just means he likes you. I don't know about barriers; I think he just plain likes her, but doesn't know how to approach her.

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Originally posted by Ankhagogo:
Frankly, I personally have always wondered why Inara runs around the ship in her perfectly lovely gowns, all made-up and perfect when there's no-one but the crew there to see her. I'd be runnin' around in jeans and some trashy t-shirt as soon as we broke atmo.

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Actually, Zoid, it was my Mama who explained all that. (Though she left out the inkwell part). She also assures me that they grow out of it. . . but she never told me when. Maybe long around their 90th birthdays?

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While I definitely agree with you on a personal level that no-one should sell their body, I suspect that attitude is a build-up of hundreds of years of the influence of Western religion/culture on a sociological view, and is perhaps peculiarly American. You know,the whole "sex is special thing and it should alwaysmean something so you shouldn't sleep with just anyone" line -- which is a view most often influenced by some religion. But it definitely hasn't always been that way -- someone mentioned courteseans, which was a very good point to bring up. Courteseans were having sex with men and getting paid for it, but there was alot more to it. It is a very European thing, and it's fairly hard for me to actually understand,due to the growing up in a fairly puritan country, but I do kinda think that may be the vibe they're going for with Inara.

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Originally posted by zoid:

(Of River) "Little Sis? I could see big things for her all along. Her and her brother both. I always knew they'd be worth something, y'know?"

- Jayne Cobb, Game Warden and co-proprietor, "Cretaceous Park", Hera; from A Child Shall Lead Them: A History of the Second War of Independence Wilkins, Richard

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Originally posted by Ankhagogo:
This is a very good point that I'd totally forgotten about. Frankly, I personally have always wondered why Inara runs around the ship in her perfectly lovely gowns, all made-up and perfect when there's no-one but the crew there to see her. I'd be runnin' around in jeans and some trashy t-shirt as soon as we broke atmo.
It is a very artifical profession, and the fact that she keeps up the facade when she's among people I assume she considers friends is a little odd to me.
Interestingly, now that I'm thinking about it, the moment I started liking Inara was when she was dressed the most casually I can remember seeing her. It's in Our Mrs Reynolds, the whole "I only fell is all" scene -- she's got on a very simple dress-skirt combo that's really nothing like most everything else we see here in.
I'm kind of a costume dork, in the sense that I will often notice how clothing changes are meant to express some mood/attitude/important point we should be getting, and I think that was the whole point of that outfit -- to make her seem less stand-offish.

I could not agree with you more, and maybe Inara's staying pretty all the time is part of her version of keeping Mal at a distance. When she's all dressed up, the difference in both station and education between her, and everyone else on the ship, is very obvious, and I find it a little off-putting. However, it doesn't really seem to bother any of the crewexceptMal. They're mostly not intimidated by her at all.
Someone said that maybe Mal thinks he can't "afford" her, which I took to mean he thinks she can do better than him, so he has no chance with her. I do kinda get that impression from Mal sometimes -- that he feels Inara couldn't possibly return his feelings because he's not rich, powerful, or educated.

"We're just happy to be doin' good works."

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Originally posted by Jahzara:

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I always saw Inara as gliding around Serenity in all of the expensive clothes as perfectly natural, especially for the character. Although next to nothing is known about her childhood or "companion training" it can be assumed that Inara's from a well born family. This can be evidenced by the fact that she was born on Shinon and people are a lot richer there. Remember Zoe's comment in Ariel about everybody being happy and rich in the Core?
It could be a series of combinations that keep Inara from dressing down, beside the visual asthetics and contrast she plays to the rest of the crew. It could be her upbringing (it's never really crossed her mind to dress down), her training (she feels more comfortable or her costume could help keep her composure, or artificiality, as you said), or simply part of the elegance that we love.

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I hadn't considered the "part of her upbringing" possibility, probably because I never really took Mal's "everyone's rich & happy" remark seriously. I mean, Badger lives on Persephone, and he's kinda, well, you know -- skanky. But Simon started as being Mr Spiffy Dresser all the time, and by the time we'd gotten to The Message, he was already starting to dress down more frequently.
Perhaps it's the opposite. Perhaps Inara had a very poor upbringing, and she likes to stay dressed up all the time because she wore gunny sacks and no shoes as a kid.
And I don't mean Gunne Sax either, for all you 80s-prom going girls.

"We're just happy to be doin' good works."

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Originally posted by zoid:
Point Two: European courtesans were the product of a Judeo-Christian ethos, as well. The trick of being a courtesan was in doing what was culturally banned -- having sex out of wedlock with typically powerful, married men -- without getting caught out-and-out doing it. (For an interesting exploration of the complications of courtly life, read Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' novel of 1782, Les Liaisons Dangereuses available in English translation, or see any of the three movies based on it. I personally prefer 1988's Dangerous Liaisons with Glenn Close and John Malkovich)
My point is (again, in my very obscure way) European courtesans were playing against the grain of their culture's belief system. The ones who were good at playing the game became legendary -- like Jesse James, Bonnie and Clyde, or Bill Gates in American folklore -- but they were not strictly smiled upon by proper folks, and you'd certainly not invite them to Sunday dinner at your folks.

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There are at least 3 separate instances from the show where Inara's facial expressions or spoken words indicate that a customer has injured her feelings, her heart, her inner child after a sexual encounter.

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I'll leave that fascinating (I think) topic

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