How is it possible to be a feminist and support the sex industry?

Well, I sell my mind at work. My xp sold his body by doing physical work. We all sell some aspect of ourselves for money.

It is a very different thing to sell the use of your body or mind for a short time, than to have someone own you and sell you as a person.

I stand by my arguement.

And I will also add that, if a person chooses to sell sex, then the person that is being exploited is the person that is paying the money - not the person making the choice to sell.

Of course the nature of the industry does mean that women are exploited, but not all. Look at Belle du Jour

But even women who choose to work in the sex industry only do it because it's the best option available to them at the time.

No one grown up thinking, when I'm big I'm going to be a prostitute.

The problem with that arguement JeezyPeeps, is that by choosing to sell your body, you keep the concept that a woman's body is a comodity alive. Whilst that concept is alive and kicking, women will be sold, and the sex industry will continue to exploit them. After all, if you can pay for them, they are only objects, that can be moved for cash. And owned. Objects don't have rights, or for that matter, choices. So yes, you can choose to sell your body, but your choices have an impact on vulnerable women. With freedom of choice comes responsibility. Thats what is wrong with choosing to sell your body.

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Or, what comixminx said. That'll teach me to post before refreshing!

This is a really tricky question, and one to which I don't have an answer.
An observation, though: To me, the sex industry seems inherently anti-feminist so I can't support it in good conscience. And I don't. BUT at the same time, traditionally it's sex workers (majority of whom are women) who are demonized, patronized, and criticized for participating in the sex industry(i.e. not Johns) - and they also suffer most of the consequences of it.

Sooooo I can't support the sex industry, no. But I think it's better to be respectful and listen carefully to sex workers, than to tell them they're anti-feminist tools or whatnot.

Essh, I'm tying myself in knots. Can you tell I haven't thought this through yet?!

Surely it's not about supporting the sex industry, but about supporting the women who are in it? Some of them will have made the choice to be in it, some of them will have been forced in by circumstances, some will have been forced in by immoral individuals as above. We need a nuanced view of the issue - I thought this article here was good on the subject.

That article is horrific though and nothing to do with the sex ndustry we westerners think of (playboy etc)

Whats happening in the article is rape and slavery of woman and children

(Just for the record I am a boring middle aged woman working in a boring middle class job and I wouldn't dream of having sex for money - and I can't see anyone choosing to pay me to strip!)

I wouldn't claim to be a sex-industry supporting feminist, but I'll attempt to answer your question.

Feminism to me is about having the right to be a woman and not be disadvantaged as a result.

Surely if any woman chooses to work in the sex industry (and yes, some do), then why should they not have that right?

I think any individual with an ounce of humanity would see that forcing anyone into the sex industry is utterly immoral, and also forcing them to take steroids is also wrong. Selling people like they are chattels is hugely immoral and a despicable practice. But if I want to get paid to lapdance or strip or have sex with another individual - whats wrong in that?