To think that it IS inconsistent to judge men who buy sex but not women who sell it (excluding women who are trafficked/traumatised/acting from financial necessity)?

'Selling sex is empowering to a lot of women'

I always wonder why it's empowering. What's empowering about it? Do people tend to say, 'selling sex is empowering to a lot of men'? No. They don't.

If it's 'empowering', does that mean that people think more women should give it a go, in case they find it empowering too? Do they give it a go? If not, why not?

And for those who think it's morally fine, legally fine, and just 'work', do they think that unemployed women should be required to take on work as prostitutes? If not, why not? It's just work, right?

And why is it unreasonable to judge someone for financially benefiting from something that contributes to men viewing all women as potential purchasable wank objects, there to be used for their sexual pleasure? Would they think it's unreasonable to judge a 52-year-old man for dating his daughter's 16-year-old friend, considering it's all legal and consensual?

I mean it's your opinion, so your not unreasonable for that but in my opinion I think yabu as it's their life and their choices

There's a whole world out there you know nothing about, think fetlife, adult work.com, Manchester chambers, torture garden ect, townhouse...... these sort of people have sex with everyone and each other... for free 😅 is there any judgment on

Selling sex is empowering to a lot of women

I commented on the post your talking about, my old fwb is a male escort, his partner is a female escort, they worked together/ separately, both started in uni and both had fantastic lives from it, have a nice house, own other properties ect

They have a circle of friends who all do the same and all keep their own money for themselves,

They all have beautiful huge homes, nice cars, multiple properties

None of them would or do care about other people's judgments 😅

Agreed @OtterlyAstounding ethically very thin indeed! I suppose if you base your moral judgement on whats legal or what directly impacts you, it avoids the need for thinking more deeply about context, motivations etc. Its out sourcing your moral thinking and asking the legal system to do it for you. I can see this would be beneficial to some people, mainly oppressors or people who dont enjoy their capacity for independent thought 🤔

Yes. You've said. Of course, that doesn't count if a consenting drug dealer sells to a consenting drug buyer, for instance, because apparently you base your moral judgement entirely on legality, as well as whether it directly affects you. That's up to you, but personally I think it's ethically very poor.

Lots of 'whataboutery' going on here.
We are talking about two consenting adults giving/accepting payment for sexual services. Nothing else.
I don't judge because it's none of my business. The End.

You don't know that some people in the sex industry aren't victims. Do you believe all the women you know, who sell sex, trust you enough to tell you that stuff?

So if racial slavery was legalised, you'd be morally in favour of it? If abortion was made illegal, you'd think that was morally right? If it was decided that marital rape should be legalised again, you'd think that was good? Gracious, you sound like a very morally bankrupt person, if you base your morals entirely on legality.

And I'm afraid, my dear, you're the one who said you didn't judge people for things that don't affect you personally, and that includes child abuse. Perhaps you should pick your words more carefully in future.

often the men are married
they also don’t seem to care that the women likely don’t want them or kid themselves that they do, would you want sex with someone who didn’t want you? Or pay someone to sleep with them? It’s not something I’d get off on
and there is the huge issue of not knowing really if the woman is trafficked or vulnerable or addicted

What on earth are you talking about? Yes, of course legal Vs illegal changes things.
We are talking about one consenting adult paying another consenting adult for sexual services. Nothing wrong with that arrangement as far as I can tell. The only 'issue' appears to be how random on the internet feel about that which, IMO, is neither here nor there.

Child abuse has always been both abhorrent and illegal. And is also nothing to do with THIS particular discussion.

Surely though there is a difference in say doing only fans where you are not being touched by some random bloke. And say being a prostitute. A prostitute who has sex with maybe several random men simultaneously.
Would posters say that a woman who has a random man punch her in the face whilst another one chokes her and rams his dirty, unwashed dick up her backside and then rams it down her throat until she is almost sick, then sits crying, enjoys this?
Do women who do this really think actually, I’m pretty well off, I can work as a solicitor but I’d love to be a prostitute as well.

So only legality matters to you?

So if drug dealing was legal, and prostitution illegal, your judgement would magically shift in line with the law?

Right, so if someone is abusing a child, you don't judge them, because it doesn't affect you personally? How strange. Generally speaking, I try to have good judgement based on personal ethics. You could try that.

Eh? Drug dealing is actually illegal. Accepting payment in exchange for sexual services is not.
Can't quite believe you said that out loud tbh.
Generally speaking, I tend not to judge anyone unless/until what they're doing affects me personally. You should try it.

Yep could not agree more. Bonnie Blue is a predator.

The overwhelming majority of women involved in the exploitation industry are abused and deserve support.

All men who buy women or exploit them in other ways are abusers and deserve to be treated with contempt. Their behaviour should be criminalised.

The very small number of women who exploit other women without the excuse of being victims themselves should be treated in the same way as exploitative men eg Ghislaine Maxwell.

I’m not saying it’s positive , but it happens.

i know women who have have happily had sex with men in return for a posh dinner or nice presents. They’ve been having fun and it’s all entirely consensual….

I don't think many (any?) people on this thread have said that every single woman in the sex industry is a victim. In fact, many (myself included) have said that some women should be judged for actively contributing to the dehumanisation of women. But the majority of women in the sex industry are trafficked, or there because of coercive, traumatic circumstances.

I'm also not sure why you'd expect women to think well of another woman who is perpetuating the idea that ultimately, women are just pieces of meat that men can rent-to-objectify?

If you switched out sex for race, would you really expect black people to think well of another black person who was being paid to perpetuate racist stereotypes for the amusement of white people??

I made not have sold sex, but a lot of the girls that worked at my club did. I'm trying to have an intelligent conversation from around a complicated issue. I don't deny that horrible abuses happen in the sex industry, but I'm telling you that it's not everyone or even most. I will also say, women were by far the worse for how they treated me when they found out about what I did.

I hope you also don't judge drug dealers, then.

So you didn't actual sell sex, then. You weren't so much a sex worker as a 'show men your naked body for money' worker. You didn't work in a brothel, or on the street, you worked in a strip club where men weren't allowed to touch you. Hm.

And honestly, what gives you the right to say 'Stop viewing sex workers as poor helpless victims because you can't imagine someone intentionally choosing that job.'?

That's a very sweeping statement. Are you saying people should never view any prostitute as a victim because you happened to enjoy being visual wank meat for men?

I've worked in strip clubs when I was younger. I never sold sex but did plenty of other stuff. I was the stereotype of working my way through college, and so were a lot of the other stuff. Stop viewing sex workers as poor helpless victims because you can't imagine someone intentionally choosing that job. I did it for the money, enjoyed it and made lifelong friends and connections. There is definitely the bad connected to the good, but I was never a victim. Most of us had other careers, families and lives.