FAQ on frequent myths about sex work

[madame_apples]

i am putting together a list of the most common misconceptions and prejudices about sex work.  i plan on writing an intelligent, clear, honest response to each of them so i don't need to repeat myself every single time i encounter these misconceptions.  i don't want to just pump out sex positive propaganda but  rather really explore the concerns

Comments

[jngaio]

Um, goodness, it's hard for me to think of the things that used to concern me but let me try. Just as a note, these are things that USED to concern my very feminist self and don't anymore or at least not in such a straightforward way - I might still think about them.

- Sex work commodifies female sexuality and bodies (which I guess is true, but I think it's more complicated than that and doesn't have to be harmful).

- This commodification promotes the idea that the only value in women is their bodies.

- Women only do sex work because they don't have enough better options, unlike men for whom the world is an oyster. So it's uneven and not really a "choice" for women when there are so few options.

- It could be ultimately damaging to a woman's self esteem if she had to worry about her looks all the time and how would she feel about getting old?

- If a women spends all her time pleasing men, doesn't that add to the male sense of entitlement and wouldn't that stop the women from learning how to please herself?

I can argue a lot of these things myself and it makes me feel weird even to type them as they're really not what I think anymore but I hope they help!