Placage or Prostitution??
One question, I had never heard of placage, so I read some articles online about the history of this custom. The articles I read did not clarify whether these situations were also purely sexual in nature. Meaning did these placages also have situations where the man only slept with the woman and did not provide for her?. Like prostitution. One article I read said that Placage was not prostitution, but that the new French and spanish settlers came to America without companionship and wanted a woman. It also stated that some of them did not go on to marry white women, but stayed with the color women. It also stated free financially fit black men were not in abundance so color women were seeking other men. Then in the very same article it stated that some of the Quadroom balls got wild and some even turned into Orgies. So yea,the article was contradicting to say the least.
In the movie, Dolly Rose told Christoff that Cecile decided it was best for her not to associate with Dolly Rose anymore. I don't understand why she stopped associating with Dolly Rose since Placages were supposedly acceptable. Dolly Rose was merely setting up placages, no? I was a little confused because Dolly Rose's seemed more like a live in Placage or a whore house rather than the ball where Cecile met Phillipe. Why were the girls living there? Dolly Rose also told Anna Belle that she risked her reputation by coming to her place. Why would she be risking her reputation by going to Dolly Rose's when she ( Anna Belle) was also in a Placage of her own with Michi Vince? Then Marie, when traumatized was stating that she belonged in Dolly Rose's house because of the sexual desire that she felt when she was with Richard. Then Richard's father said that Marie had made a mistake by going to Lola Dede and then to Dolly Rose's(as if it was disgraceful). It just seems that the characters associated stigma and negativity with Dolly Rose's. Was it a prosituion house?
Sorry this was so long, I just wanted to give the background information to support my questions.