Sex Workers Are Everywhere
By Kendra Holliday | January 10, 2013 at 6:29 am
Just yesterday, I saw these stories in the media:
I Am Not A Prostitute Because My Husband Supports Me
Is a Sex Surrogate a Sex Worker or Therapist?
and then there’s this sad story: Fired from her schoolteaching job after revealing she had once been a Craigslist call girl, Melissa Petro describes the world that awaits people who leave the trade.
Sex work can be a beautiful thing.
Notice the shame surrounding these stories.
I notice that the only way a woman can speak openly about her personal experience as a sex worker is if she qualifies that she is a FORMER sex worker. She can’t talk freely about it if she currently provides sexual services for money. You know why? Because in most places it’s illegal, and there’s an awful stigma attached to it. Which is stupid.
Repeat after me:
Sex work is not wrong.
Prostitute is not a bad word.
Quite comparing women to whores like it’s a bad thing.
I’m a sex worker/prostitute/whore/sex surrogate, and I’m proud of it.
The sex work I know is fulfilling, healing, beautiful, sacred, and therapeutic. It’s also fun.
So get over it already and go thank a sex worker. They’re everywhere!
Comments
The Lusty Chick 2013-01-10 07:31:36
Being a sex worker and leaving the business has really been bitter sweet. Although I had no problems with being a sex worker; like so many others who have left the industry behind, I’m glad I’m done. When you have to rely on this industry 100% for financial stability, it ages you rapidly.
That’s why I ALWAYS advise sex workers to learn a trade besides sex work. That way if you have to make a sudden exit from the biz, you wont starve to death. I’ve been a sex worker on and off since the late 90′s and I’ve seen terrible declines that make me thankful I’ve seen those glory days.
Kendra Holliday 2013-01-10 11:29:40
I agree! In the past I had to rely on sex work as my sole source of income and I hated it. The admin work and uncertainty factors make it way more stressful than need be. SO much better for it to be supplemental and low volume. My day job enables me to pay the mortgage; my side job allows me to fix the roof!
EVERYONE should learn more than one way to make a living. Hone your skills, don’t be a one trick pony!
Edward 2013-01-11 03:44:56
Hey Kendra I’m an electrition.If you ever need help with the wiring in your house,I’m sure we could barter! LOL
The Lusty Chick 2013-01-10 07:35:37
Like an old Pimp buddy of mine once said “When your in this business, your either eating chicken or choking on feathers”
Pipcaso 2013-01-10 11:04:25
The independent Happy Hooker is a rare aberration in the misogynist exploitation and degradation that is prostitution. The women (and men) that are sex workers, even those few psychologically able to handle providing a valuable service to humanity, face many risks far more dangerous than the ignorant opinions of the prudish. It is hard to imagine even the most successful whore encouraging their child to follow them into the biz.
Julian Arancia 2013-01-10 11:39:14
Nice write-up as always.
You know, in reading, though, I thought about an entirely different angle of shame to sex work that I thought I’d share. Maybe it’s something that you’ll want to write about.
It’s funny because I realized it’s a shame that I carry around myself. And it’s material because where it occurs, it’s a form of shame that inhibits people from seeking out sex workers.
Specifically, it’s the shame that if you are seeking out sex workers, it’s because you’re not good enough in some way to attract people on your own and so are reduced to having to pay someone. It’s best summed up by Miles’ statement in Risky Business when he says “The thing is, I don’t have to pay for it”.
I suspect this primarily affects straight men. But it can be a powerful thing. Certainly it’s in my mind any time I would even think about sex workers.
Just something to think about.
The Lusty Chick 2013-01-10 20:19:01
Back when I was hooking, I just assumed that any man that paid for sex did it because he didn’t want any strings, headaches, or baggage to deal with. Never in a million years did I think my clients couldn’t get pussy. I LOVED my clients!!
DH 2013-01-14 08:29:44
Yay for videos with subtitles! Nice write-up, too.
godfreykiwalabye 2013-01-15 10:15:27
sex workers rights are human rights, do not descriminate.
i really depend on this job
WD 2013-04-21 12:22:21
It is truly the sweetness, the unexpected tenderness that creates that temporary bond with a talented, empathetic sex worker. The sharing and intimacy restore a sense of belonging. I have never regretted a single moment of paid companionship. It is healing and life affirming. I am eternally grateful that money can be exchanged for the provision of a needed service. Don’t be shamed, EVER.
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