My first thought is ‘she isn’t sleeping’ with these strangers, she is having 3 minute sexual encounters for financial gain. It is a totally demeaning way to use her body and carries significant mental health and physical health risks….and she does have other choices in life, but the ‘celebrity culture’, the wide use of porn, coupled with the philosophy that sex between consenting adults is always without harm (hence prostitution should be viewed as a lifestyle choice, no different to working in the office etc) has given her 15 minutes of fame.
Personally I find this type of thing repulsive, it should demean everyone involved, but in reality it demeans the woman and it feeds into some very toxic masculine myths about sex and women. Even if one reverses the story and imagines a scenario where one man is having multiple encounters with different women, it would be the women who faced opprobrium. I wonder if the men will be named and shamed? Do they bear any responsibility, or is it just lads being lads, even when the ‘lads’ are much older or in relationships with other women?
Contrast this story with the horrific rape trial in France. There will be a few people around who regard the victim as (a) making it all up (b) a willing participant or (c) largely unaffected by the rapes because she was unaware of the assaults at the time (d) women exist to please a man’s desires…..All too often sex is portrayed as something which is very transactional BUT always to the man’s advantage. Most people will think of this young woman as a whore and an exhibitionist, whilst the men will be thought of as either idiotic, immature or just following their carnal needs. I wouldn’t find it credible to suggest that she is liberated or empowered by having sex with multiple strangers, her actions suggest to me that she is very troubled and I would fear for her future. What’s next to up the ante? Having sex is a very serious activity, we are not beasts in the field, and it has consequences, both physical and psychological. It should be a joyful, and very pleasant experience, whether one is in a permanent or transient relationship. These stories show how far off we are from achieving real equality.