Radio 4 “Screen Shots” on depiction of sex work in films

[Tootingbec]

Posted this in Feminist Chat but a bit tumbleweed-y over there so copied to Sex and Gender as well

Did anyone listen to this? The programme is generally really good if you are interested in films. Mark Kermode and Ellie May someone (!) talk about film genres and tropes (gangster films, portrayal of weddings in films etc).
This week was about the portrayal of “sex work” in films (their terminology not mine) and I just found it a little off.

Lots of talk about Pretty Woman, Anora, some documentary film about trans prostitutes in New York…..you get the idea. But despite a few nods to Hollywood “glamourising” prostitution or stripping in the past, the general tone was “its so good now that film makers are appreciating sex work as an empowering choice for those that do it and we need to move away from old tropes of the dead prostitute in crime films blah blah”

Hardly any references to the fact that women(and it mainly is women) who are in this world are 99% horribly exploited, hurt, killed and/or suffering from significant childhood trauma/poverty/drugs (I could go on)

I get that this is a film programme and not a sociology course - but I just felt it was all part of the increasing narrative around “sex work” being somehow a legitimate “job”. It’s that awful Guardian middle class lefty view from people who are cheering on films like Anora and yet would be horrified if their daughter was on Only Fans and who have never been so desperate that they have had to sell their body.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002bjqy?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

I heard a bit of it and found it a bit off too.

I got to where they were talking about film makers, including actors, being more immersive these days (I can’t remember the exact wording) to get a deeper understanding of the role, and I was half hoping they’d say they go and do sex work for a few weeks, but of course they meant they talk to actual sex workers, but only to get a positive perspective as you say.

I hate the term ‘sex work’ and ‘sex workers’ but don’t know how else to describe it.

I hate the term sex work also - so trying to use it as quoted rather than as my preferred turn of phrase.

Glad it wasn’t just me that got a bit 🫤 with it. I think Mark Kermond was a little more circumspect but Ellie May whatever her name is was definitely in the “cool girl” sex work is work camp!

FFS

Godawful Women's Hour is forever glorifying prostitution

I was a huge fan of Kermode for years but his TDS on Twitter during the first presidency (to the exclusion, it seemed, of film) coupled with his praise for the film Tangerine has put me off quite a bit.

Screen Shots should be everything I used to love about R4 but it's quite badly affected by seeing everything through the critical social justice lense so this take on sex work doesn't surprise me (and why I gave this week's episode a miss)

The co-presenter is Ellen E Jones.

I heard a bit of it in the car on Friday evening (I think?) I sometimes listen to it on Sounds and have enjoyed some of the episodes, but this was risible tosh and so simplistic and naive in its approach that it's broken any trust in their critical/analytical ability for me. As that's kind of the purpose of the programme I doubt I'll bother listening again.

What’s TDS @terryleather ?

Yes despite really enjoying Screen Shots, the shoe horning of social justice issues into every examination of film does slightly irritate e.g “of course while The French Connection is a ground breaking film in many ways, it’s exclusion of the queer experience does rather cloud it’s iconic status….”

I am slightly suspicious of Sean Baker (Anora and Tangerine director/writer). All smacks of “male feminist” writer Neil Gamin…

I hated Anora. Had a row with DH about it. I thought it was a rehash of Pretty Woman. He thought because she was spirited that showed she was empowered. Nope. Trapped in sex work and prostitution and no other options.

@Tootingbec TDS is Trump Derangement Syndrome. I ended up muting Kermode on Twitter because of it.

No problem with someone expressing an opinion but it became ridiculous and seemed like the only thing he ever tweeted about!

And you’re not far off in what you say - a few series ago they had a “fat queer activist” on talking about not seeing himself represented in film and they often feature trans identifying male Lillian Crawford as a contributor.

Yes I caught some of this and was similarly
There was very little on the glamorisation. I think these days you can’t help feel films like Anora are part of a push to normalise sex work.
A side note but wasn’t there an actress who pointed out more female actresses have won awards for playing sex workers than anything else? Or something like that? I’m disappointed they didn’t cover why sex work films are over-represented in awards for women and what that says about the industry.

Thanks, will listen.
I used to love Kermode when he was on r5 with Simon Mayo, but grew to realise that I disliked the films he recommended.
Plus, I find the female co host on here not very interesting.

I caught the last 5 minutes and was glad I hadn't caught more.

I normally don't listen to the programme at all due to the smug nature of its presentation along with the proselytising of social justice in its more trendy forms.

The repeat of this programme on Radio 4 starts in 10 minutes. I'm not tempted to catch up on what I missed though.

I've just switched the radio off.

Here's an article on the same subject which I found more insightful

https://www.themetropolitan.uk/p/im-not-watching-anora?utmcampaign=post&utmm_medium=web

The ‘sex workers’ that actresses ‘immerse’ themselves with aren’t the drug-addicted, usually pimped out, women who’re forced into accepting almost any abuse just to get the money for their next fix.

The ones who, if it’s been a slow night, will be offering condom-free sex for as little as 10-15 quid in the back of some seedy wanker’s car.

The women who are likely to contract HIV within a year or two of starting, having already caught several other STDs on the way.

It’s similar to the way Only Fans has been glamourised and promoted by rags like the Mail and the Sun. It’s always the “look how much she’s earning for a few nudes” stories, rather than showing how few make the big money. Or how many end up in a spiral of posting increasingly demeaning content for ever diminishing returns.

💯 @PaterPower you have nailed what was making me cross about the programme. Essentially glossing over the grim reality of it all and instead “celebrating” the stories of 0.001% of women who are in prostitution etc who are not trafficked, abused, drug addicted, pimped out etc.

Way to go BBC, celebrating the use and abuse of women as ‘empowerment’. They are an absolute disgrace.

They should get one of their female reporters to do an in-depth, immersive report into ‘sex work’ as carried out by a typical ‘sex worker’, not Belle de Jour or Julia Roberts. If it’s just a type of work, they could do work experience for a couple of weeks, interview their colleagues and give us some real insight into what daily life is like.

After Gloria Steinem did her famous expose of the Playboy Club, it was suggested she try a call girl expose. I kind of wish she had...she has always been v anti this sex work rebrand, thank goodness. I'm sure an expose of sex work would be v different from Anora!