Original sentence: They lived in brothels but did not make a living by selling their bodies
Edited sentence: ' A young geisha debuting is simply a woman who is just entering the workforce as a highly talented artist.Although the term mizuage has been used as a reference to the ceremonial deflowering of a virgin girl for a price, it is also synonymous with the English word, 'debut.Chiyo is (very) loosely based on an actual geisha, Mineko Iwasaki.Geisha are like ballerinas, opera singers, and other masters of high class art, hence the name, geisha (artist).It must be noted that geisha do not sell their virginity.Iwasaki never sold her virginity and never engaged in paid sexual favors of any sort with her customers.Just as a great artist, such as Botticelli or Michaelangelo, would never sell his or her body to patrons, true geisha never sell their bodies to those priviledged enough to join the geisha in the ochayas.Mineko Iwasaki.Not only did Golden shame Iwasaki, he perpetuated the myth that geisha are prostitutes, albeit high class prostitutes.Please note that geisha are portrayed as oiran, high class prostitutes in this book and movie, but are, in reality, artists, like ballerinas or opera singers.Sayuri's story is a Hollywoodized version of Iwasaki's story.They are in no way prostitutes and should not be thought of as such.They lived in brothels but did not make a living by selling their bodies, just like geisha in Japan.This belief is not founded on fact and is perhaps just another device Golden used to ensure the success of his novel.This is a common practice of oiran, who are courtesans, but should not be confused with geisha themselves.This misunderstanding caused great shame to Mineko Iwasaki, on whom Sayuri's character is based.This myth is completely unfounded and should be corrected