Normalisation of sex work

[MaryGubbins]

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mum-who-lost-job-lockdown-23819036.amp

This popped up on my face book today. And while I’m not personally condemning the woman in question the comments were so disheartening. Along the long the lines of “good on her” “well done.”

Sorry, underneath this is a story that a woman who has fallen on hard times has resorted to sex work. I think that at any other point in history we’d consider that, well, at least a bit shit.

Young men posting - saying it’s nothing to be ashamed of, an honest days work etc. I wonder how they would feel in a hypothetical world where the job centre said “well it’s honest work so get your bits out for cash on the internet for blokes to see or your benefits are sanctioned.”

The media does this and promotes OnlyFans as some sort of "sign up and you'll be rich!" thing. In reality only a few of the performers on there make bank as big as that- the market is very saturated (probably thanks to the media publishing articles like this) with more performers trying to sell material and make money than there are buyers. The demand isn't there to make every performer rich.

www.newsweek.com/coronavirus-sex-workers-cam-girls-online-1498024

Young men posting - saying it’s nothing to be ashamed of, an honest days work etc. I wonder how they would feel in a hypothetical world where the job centre said “well it’s honest work so get your bits out for cash on the internet for blokes to see or your benefits are sanctioned.”

This has never happened to anyone, job centres don't do that. There are in fact a lot of men selling on OnlyFans too.

Whilst we should not condemn those who resort to sex work, often out of economic desperation, we should never normalise it. We should be supporting ways to get women (and men though a minority) into normal employment.

The condemnation should be for the men who use prostitutes or buy other sex work.

This has never happened to anyone, job centres don't do that.

That is why it was posted as a hypothetical question. But if sex work is work then how long before this happens? And why not? Why should you be allowed to turn down work and remain on benefits sanction-free?

Men are active on OnlyFans too? Who do they work for - women or gay men?

I know the job centre can’t sanction you for not agreeing to sex work. That’s why I said hypothetical. I was just trying to make a point about people saying how it’s just normal work when I bet they would not consider it an appropriate occupation for themselves, their mother, their sister or their children.

The use of the term ‘sex work’ is what normalises it. It’s prostitution or pornography.

It's partly a consequence of seeing sex as purely transactional. The entire point of prostitution is having sex with someone you would not consider as a sexual partner IRL. It could be someone you find repulsive.

But somehow 'sex work' has been confused with 'an authentic expression of a woman's sexuality'. A lot of people have put in a lot of work to create this confusion.

The young het men who write this are reassuring themselves that should they ever want to visit a prostitute, they will be aiding a woman in her sexual self-expression. Because some women are just sluts, right? So progressive.

It works for both sides doesn’t it? The women making millions can call it empowering, the men paying their subscriptions can say ‘nobody got hurt, these women are earning a fortune’. Unfortunately the trafficked of drug addicted prostitutes are in that middle ground of exploitation that no-one much cares about.

She's slim and attractive and has big - prob enhanced - boobs

I don't reckon I'd make a million on there.

But I do f think I'd pay a man to show me his bits on screeen

It's as funny world. Men are strange creatures

@Sittinonthesand well put, point well made. Language can be used to normalise something that should not be.

Someone on Twitter linked through to this post a couple of days ago:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4070737-Woman-s-hour-transcript-I-Julie-Bindel

“Sex work” on OnlyFans is not pretty women pouting and prancing around in nice underwear, as the men commenting on this article might like to believe.

If sex work isn't illegal, then why aren't job centres recruiting for the local lap dancing clubs ?

Not my question, naturally. But certainly one I could see disgusting creatures like Philip "disabled are worth less" Davies asking.

To paraphrase: "A job is neither moral, nor immoral. It is merely legal, or illegal".

So, returning to my opening point ... OK job centres aren't recruiting for the local lapdancing clubs. However, under the guise of "news" this article may as well be. They missed a trick if they didn't include a link in the online version.

But if sex work is work then how long before this happens? And why not? Why should you be allowed to turn down work and remain on benefits sanction-free?

If sex work isn't illegal, then why aren't job centres recruiting for the local lap dancing clubs ?

Even if lap dancing and prostitution are legal, it is recognised that the jobs involve intimacy which is why job centres will never offer anyone looking for a job anything like that.

Most times whenever there's a thread like this, the myth of "someone in Germany was threatened with losing benefits unless they became a prostitute" because a tabloid posted an article making this claim. That is completely false.

www.snopes.com/fact-check/hot-jobs/

"Claim: Women in Germany face the loss of unemployment benefits if they decline to accept work in brothels.

Status: False.!

@MargaritaPie

But if sex work is work then how long before this happens? And why not? Why should you be allowed to turn down work and remain on benefits sanction-free?

If sex work isn't illegal, then why aren't job centres recruiting for the local lap dancing clubs ?

Even if lap dancing and prostitution are legal, it is recognised that the jobs involve intimacy which is why job centres will never offer anyone looking for a job anything like that.

Most times whenever there's a thread like this, the myth of "someone in Germany was threatened with losing benefits unless they became a prostitute" because a tabloid posted an article making this claim. That is completely false.

www.snopes.com/fact-check/hot-jobs/

"Claim: Women in Germany face the loss of unemployment benefits if they decline to accept work in brothels.

Status: False.!

I think those days have gone for the UK. Good on Germany.

Let's see what tomorrow brings.

@MargaritaPie

The media does this and promotes OnlyFans as some sort of "sign up and you'll be rich!" thing. In reality only a few of the performers on there make bank as big as that- the market is very saturated (probably thanks to the media publishing articles like this) with more performers trying to sell material and make money than there are buyers. The demand isn't there to make every performer rich.

www.newsweek.com/coronavirus-sex-workers-cam-girls-online-1498024

Young men posting - saying it’s nothing to be ashamed of, an honest days work etc. I wonder how they would feel in a hypothetical world where the job centre said “well it’s honest work so get your bits out for cash on the internet for blokes to see or your benefits are sanctioned.”

This has never happened to anyone, job centres don't do that. There are in fact a lot of men selling on OnlyFans too.

I remember in the 80s? early 90s? there was a scandal where a job center worker told a woman in a wheelchair she could still be a topless moddell.

UK 2012:

'More than 350 posts in the adult entertainment industry were advertised at Jobcentre Plus offices across the country in the year ending this July.

The Department for Work and Pensions said there were two recorded cases of women complaining they had been asked to perform sexual services after taking on such posts.

In the first case the boss was banned from using Jobcentres to find staff but in the second the employer still advertises after denying the allegation.

MPs are demanding that adult entertainment jobs be banned from Jobcentres, especially as more and more people are facing financial hardship.

Shadow work secretary Chris Grayling said: "The state should not be providing free advertising for sex clubs."

But the DWP says it is unable to refuse such vacancies if they are lawful.

Current restrictions include stating a vacancy is only open to applicants who are 18 or over and not penalising individuals for not taking up such posts. A DWP spokesman said: "In the last year around 0.015 per cent of vacancies carried by Jobcentre Plus were in the adult entertainment industry."

www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/women-lured-into-sex-jobs-by-jobcentre-advertising-6841227.html
.

If sex work isn't illegal, then why aren't job centres recruiting for the local lap dancing clubs ?

Jobcentres were advertising sex work jobs in lap dancing clubs up until 2010:

'Job centres will no longer be able to carry adverts for jobs in the sex industry under a ban announced by the government.

The curb, which will come in with immediate effect, will cover jobs such as lap dancers and strippers.

The government said this was to prevent jobseekers feeling they had to accept jobs they felt uncomfortable with.

However, adverts for vacancies such as a cleaning job in a lap dancing club would be allowed.

The ban will only affect jobs which could lead to exploitation, Employment Minister Chris Grayling said.

The latest move is in response to a public consultation that the government said revealed "significant public concern" about the advertisement of sex industry jobs in job centres.

Adult industry job adverts have been allowed in job centres since 2003, when lingerie chain Ann Summers won a legal fight to advertise for shop staff.

Figures show that job centres advertised more than 350 jobs in the sex industry in 2008.'

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10831614

"Sex work is work" is patriarchy 2.0 - who benefits and who gains from the idea that women selling their bodies to all comers* is a profession like any other. It's almost always because of financial need. Very few women involved In prostitution are making "millions" as pp suggests. Many are addicted to drugs, are being exploited for profit by gangs/organised criminals, many are trafficked. All we have done by legitimising the sex trade is to legitimise the sale of women as commodities.

Figures show that job centres advertised more than 350 jobs in the sex industry in 2008.'

And closer analysis shows most of those jobs were for being a bouncer for Stringfellows...

^or a shop assistant at Anne Summers !

Or a lingerie designer, like a fashion contour graduate? How far is the overreach 😂

That BBC article takes the piss.

Very interesting - I remember the Anne summers things and I think that was at the back of my mind.

I think what I really struggle with is that the modern/acceptable ways of thinking are so fundamentally regressive . (Is this what it means to get old?)

For example, all these people saying “all power to you for going on only fans” - I guess they are not all punters waiting in the wings? I think at least some of them have swallowed this liberal/woke agenda that everyone’s choices should be respected without realising that doesn’t mean everything is okay or all choices are harmless.

Like the term sex work. Which you know I’d never questioned. I had a wee stint in a charity in the mid 90s and picked up the term then.

But this thread has drawn my attention to the fact it’s actually an unhelpful term (thank you). But if I went into my old work place and used the term prostitute i’d practically declaring myself to be a member of the nazi party.

Does that make sense to anyone else?

@Sittinonthesand

The use of the term ‘sex work’ is what normalises it. It’s prostitution or pornography.

Jolly hard work though. I imagine someone has to have a talent for it. Most of us couldn't do it.

The 2007 Jobcentre Ads referred to in this article are not for shop assistants, bouncers or Lingerie designers, but for escorts.

'The job description reads: "Duties involve providing clients with a personal escort service in an unsupervised environment.

"Experience is preferred but is not essential. Duties will involve escorting and accompanying members of the public which may cause embarrassment to some people.'

fighthumantraffickingnews.blogspot.com/2007/08/charity-condemns-escort-job-ads-august.html