Other words for sexually active or provocatively dressed women?
"Bitches" and "whores."
Mm. Just lovely.
In addition to being inflammatory for the reasons addressed in the previous post, I would like to look at the use of these terms in relation to sexual exploitation and the sex trade.
I grew up thinking prostitution was propagated by morally reprehensible women who chose to sell their bodies for sex. The reality is not nearly so simple. There are sex workers who do choose their career. There are sex workers who feel empowered by their work and who do it happily and safely. But it is my understanding that for most sex workers the word "choice" has little to do with their situation.
***Disclaimer: I am a beginning learner when it comes to sexual exploitation and the sex trade. The following information I learned through workshops with Young Women's Empowerment Project, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation and My Life My Choice in May of this year as well as conversations with a co-worker who has collaborated with sex workers in Amsterdam, Las Vegas and Chicago. I welcome feedback and corrections. Thank you!***
Did you know...?
The average age of entry into prostitution is 12 years old. This means that even if you're looking at an adult sex worker, it is likely this person entered the life as a child.
Many or most sex workers have histories of sexual abuse. Stats are slippery, but we know pimps prey on trauma. After all, sexual abuse teaches young people the same lessons that a pimp wants you to to learn: to keep secrets, trust noone, to be used to isolation, that you have little worth and that others are entitled to you.
Within an average of 48-hours a run-away girl will be solicited for sex. And what other choice will she have than to acquiesce? How else can she support herself?
Sex workers are exploited by police. One common theme found among sex workers of various backgrounds -- multiple genders, races, street-based workers, "high class call girls," etc., is a variation of the following story: a police officer picks them up, he tells them he'll let them off if he's given a "freebie" in the back of the squad car. The worker cooperates. The police officer arrests the sex worker anyway.
Sex workers are raped an average of 47 times a year. To put this in perspective: there are 52 weeks in a year -- that's nearly once a week. Many people spend a lifetime recovering from the trauma of just one assault.
The average life-expectancy of a sex worker is 7 years after they enter the life. This means that if you enter at the age of 12, your life expectancy drops to 19. Wow.
Shows and movies like Pretty Woman or Confessions of a Call Girl glamorize prostitution. They allow us to believe fairytale-like stories rather than view the harsh realities that surround the sex trade. And if you're reading this blog, you're hopefully too old to believe in fairytales.
So please think about the word "whore," what it represents and the way it gets used. Casually using the word "whore" minimizes and erases the violent realities faced by most sex workers. In addition, it preys on the assumption that being a sex-worker is morally reprehensible -- ignoring that most children (not women) have little or no choice as to whether to enter the sex trade.
So please take your blinders off. And don't feel guilty about having had them on. Rather, shift guilt to gratitude. Feel grateful if you never had to choose between living in an abusive household and running away. Feel grateful if you've never had to consider selling your body in order to eat. Feel grateful if you can depend on police when you're in trouble. Feel grateful if your life expectancy is longer than your teenage years. You undoubtedly have a lot to be thankful for.
...and if you'd like to turn your guilt to gratitude to support, please check out the Young Women's Empowerment Project. YWEP offers safe, respectful, free-of-judgment spaces for girls and young women impacted by the sex trade and street economies. I cannot overstate how inspiring and brilliant the young people at YWEP are. And while they're completely capable of running the organization on their own they are always in need of financial support.
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