n November‘th, the Women of Color Collective hosted a discussion exploring the various moral and philosophical facets of sex work. This broad profession, which ranges from stripping to prostitution, is wont to warrant a certain degree of uneasiness in most people, perhaps most interestingly in women.
One of the issues broached in the discussion dealt with the possibility that female empowerment could exist within the realm of sex work. Throughout western history, women’s sexuality has been perceived as secondary or even non-existent. In her seminal’49 work The Second Sex, French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir attributes this inequality to women’s inherent “otherness”, claiming that “man is defined as a human being and a woman as a female – whenever she behaves as a human being she is said to imitate the male.” This makes us question whether a woman expressing her sexuality through stripping or voluntarily prostituting herself is truly liberated. Though it may seem like a positive advancement superficially in that it allows women to express their sexuality, a few view this type of sexuality as one narrowly defined by males $mdash; after all, stripping is a performance geared (for the most part) toward men.
Moreover, the discussion addressed the moral implications that are inextricably woven into any form of sexuality especially in America. Different perspectives, ranging from those condoning prostitution only in cases where it would be an individual’s last resort to earn money, to others who found absolutely no justification in resorting to stripping or prostituting one’s self. Such responses raised the question as to whether the moral judgments concerning sex work involve America’s puritanical view of sexuality, or if objections to the trade were based on its perceived degradation of women. The legalization of brothels in most counties in Nevada as well as in the Netherlands may be seen in a positive light; if anything, at least prostitution is regulated and prostitutes may receive benefits similar to those in any other profession, a boon in this particularly perilous trade. However, with legalization, social acceptability does not usually follow. The stigma of selling one’s body lingers and one would be hard-pressed to find a prostitute who would openly share her profession at a cocktail party, with the possible exception of her referring to herself as a “high-class escort”.
Along with the onus that sex workers must bear, the character of the men who patronize strip clubs and brothels was also explored. When asked about the dominant perception of men who frequent strip clubs daily, most women had a negative opinion, viewing the patrons as “sad” and “pathetic”. The prevalent impression revolves around the assumed absence of a meaningful relationship in these men’s lives; a man who must satisfy his sexual desires so impersonally must be either a depraved loner or an morally bankrupt man trapped in a sexless relationship. The relatively recent news of Eliot Spitzer’s dalliance with escort Ashley Alexandra DuprÉ cast the former New York Governor’s character in doubt, with the gener America still harbors discomfort with open expression of sexuality, much less prostitution. al mode of thinking is that a man who betrays his wife (especially one who pays for sex) cannot be trustworthy or even moral. And though Spitzer’s political career may be over, DuprÉ has been cast as a frivolous harlot, a woman so hell-bent on fame and wealth that she would sell her body.
The sex trade still engenders much contention. America still harbors discomfort with open expression of sexuality, much less prostitution. Prostitutes and strippers are often cast as the Mary Magdalenes of society $mdash; victims unable to change their fate $mdash; or as lazy and immoral bottom feeders. Yet neither accurately takes into account the nuances, historical or cultural, that shroud the world’s oldest profession. Rather, a more sophisticated, and perhaps more empathetic, approach must be utilized to examine such a stigmatized profession, even if a consensus is never reached.
