So, we’re all on board with porn and prostitution because it gives women money and they choose that ‘work’ right?
Let’s look at the theory of why we aren’t all on board with it.
Or at least, why I’m not.
And many other feminists.
But, here are some arguments against p&p.
1) It’s not a choice when women can’t find any other job and they are on the breadline, maybe have one or more kids, rent to pay and need to eat. That’s called desperation. Not choice.
2) It’s not a choice when you are kidnapped, sex-trafficked, bought, sold, owned. That’s called slavery.
3) It’s not a choice for drug addicts, pill addicts, alcohol addicts who need money for whatever. And the more they do their job the more they need the fix of their choice. To get through the day, the night, the 20 or more repulsive men to touch them, let alone … How else to block yourself out from something you don’t want.
4) It’s not a choice when men want sex without condoms, vaginal or anal, and you need the money. And they use hard drugs. And insist you use them too. Choice?
5) It’s not a choice when you can’t even get through university without prostituting yourself.
Finally, many radical feminists view prostitution as rape. If you wouldn’t have sex with Joe Bloggs for free, then being paid for it amounts to rape. Because otherwise, it’s non-consensual.
So, just a few practical empowering reasons about why prostitution, and include porn in that, which can involve sex, are not that good for women. Not to mention lap-dancing, pole-dancing, and any other dancing around a phallic symbol.
In reality, porn and prostitution are controlled by men. Because, and this is hardly difficult, it is an industry built by men, for men.
It continues to treat women as sex objects, and while a few women may make big bucks, in their youthful years, many struggle. Owned by pimps, or brothel owners, or renting space in brothels.
What on earth happens to an ageing porn star or prostitute? It’s hardly a lifelong career unless you go into running the same business and exploiting other young women and continuing the cycle.
And, the perpetuation of p&p is spread into society. All women are viewed as sex objects. Hence the high number of reported rapes and assaults, let alone the unreported ones.
This is the damage that p&p does to all women. It establishes objectification as the norm.
Next: Some examples of prostitutes’ stories
roughseasinthemed
Clouds moving in 
All sound reasons.
I have heard, without evidence, that there are some women in good paying jobs who choose also to be prostitutes. Do you think there are such cases and what do you say about this class?
Where are escorts in this whole story?
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I can’t talk for all of those who oppose the decriminalisation/legalisation of prostitution but we generally don’t have a problem with prostituted women and girls. We are often accused of being anti sex, prudes or anti sex worker, but what we actually oppose is abuse. And this is rife in prostitution.
Most prostituted women don’t choose to be in prostitution. Many are trafficked, others have addictions, some were groomed when they were teenagers. It’s this abuse and coercion we object to and target, as well as the violence, including rapes, women face in prostitution. We support the Nordic model, which decriminalises prostituted women only, because it offers a comprehensive way to tackle all the problems linked to prostitution. This includes exit services to deal with addiction for example. In terms of trafficking, the comparison between Denmark, which has decriminalised prostitution, and Sweden, which has adopted the Nordic model, tells its own story. Although Denmark only has half the population of Sweden, it has four times the number of trafficking victims.
I’m sure Clouds will have more to say in her series so I’ll keep this short for now.
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Agree. The women aren’t the problem FFS. I’ll be mentioning the Nordic model later. Look at NZ and Germany, and the UK’s appalling rejection of a safe system.
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There’s a lot of ground to cover once you get started. It was a good idea to do a series rather than try to fit everything into one post. I might follow your lead, it might help me actually write and post something.
FC has excellent articles on prostitution, including the inherent racism that affects Indigenous women and women of colour, such as this one:
http://www.feministcurrent.com/2016/06/16/emily-bazelon-amnesty-whitewash-prostitution-indigenous-women/
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Too much for one post, especially for non-fems. I have the series nicely sectioned in my head :). It’s simple, but, I will be including links for later posts.
I don’t write about racism, because it isn’t something I know about sufficiently. I don’t want to go down the road of patronising white woman …
Truth is, I see all women as abused and objectified.
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Yep, I’ll be following your example and breaking down my posts. Otherwise it feels like I never get anything done.
I think for me it’s important to show the many ways women are affected. For example I’m working on a piece on the medical gaslighting of women. A black woman was explaining how it took time to diagnose her not only because she was a woman, but because she was a black woman. So her symptoms were put down to her being a “sassy black woman” or her being “docile and respectful” because she’s of African descent. So I agree that all women are oppressed and objectified, race is an additional problem for Indigenous women and women of colour. As the article I linked to says, Indigenous women were described as “savages” who want to have sex with white men, and there’s the trope of the hypersexual black woman. These misrepresentations explain why women of colour are overrepresented in prostitution.
On that note I’m off for the evening. Hope you have a good one 🙂
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Here’s an article you might find interesting (meant to include it in my previous comment):
http://www.feministcurrent.com/2016/06/20/rae-story-prostitution-neoliberalism-middle-classing-prostitution/
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I do read FC but must have missed that one. I’m not always online. Ta for the linky.
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Oh, forget to say, smelly old dicks!! No more to add there 🙂
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Brilliant article.
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Mak. Do you have any interesting links to articles about prostitution/porn in Kenya? I’m sure it goes on …
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It goes on or rather has been going on for a long time. I will try and see what I can find. You bet there must be someone who has written about it.
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I’d be interested in the pov from your country.
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I should have added, it was a good article. All women are victimised and some are victimised more than others. I can’t remember, but hasn’t WHO come out in favour of decriminalising prostitution as well? Whatever. It’s an uphill battle challenging male corporate capitalism. Amend: challenging patriarchy, as the three are soulmates.
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If I remember correctly, I think WHO was arguing for the legalisation of prostitution. The problem is that the pro-prostitution lobby has the resources to spread its misinformation far and wide. Not only that it works very hard to silence the voices of those who oppose prostitution. Do you remember what happened as the launch of the book Prostitution Narratives? They keep on saying they want us to listen to those in prostitution, but only if they say the right things I guess.
http://www.tasmaniantimes.com/index.php/article/sex-industry-lobby-group-disrupts-survivor-book-launch
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BF. You are shit hot on links 🙂
I think pro legalisation or pro decriminalisation are much of a muchness.
What we need, is women, as prostitutes are not criminals. Men, buying sex, are. We also need a huge support network to help women out of prostitution. But huh. Women don’t matter.
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😀 I’ll try to control myself: I find it hard to stop once my brain gets going.
Sad, isn’t it, to see how little women matter? Any solution to the prostitution issue has to take into account inequality, otherwise women don’t stand a chance. Only the Nordic model provides this.
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Me too.
Yes. As you say the women are not the problem, the system is. So, uh, change the system. Noooooo!
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Mak, this is a post about theory, and why prostitution is not good for women. I’ll answer your questions, prob on my next post.
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