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The Sex Work is Work Paradox
How sex work perpetuates the objectification of the body
In recent years there seems to be a push to legalize sex work, as in prostitution, more than I can ever remember. The tagline behind this movement, repeated over and over by its proponents is: “Sex Work is Work.”
I used to find myself generally agreeing with this sentiment. I consider myself a progressive thinker in most respects on many of the popular issues of the day. But the more I thought about it, the more my stance on this issue became conflicted, and then began to lean the other direction. I’d like to discuss some of my reasoning for this change of heart.
Primarily, what I find when I dig into the rationalizations behind wanting sex work legalized, is that it is born from an illusion of necessity, a necessity created by the tainted transactional systems of monetary society. Be it capitalism, classism, or a hierarchy of authoritarian status, people have been forced throughout the ages to sell themselves in order to survive in these systems.
Prostitution is often referred to as “the world’s oldest profession.” And why is that? Is it because people have just inherently pursued this activity as a profession? Or is it because the creation of the ideal of ownership and personal wealth as means of separating social classes…
