The Oldest Profession
By Claire Bagnall
It is thought that by the time of the Aztecs prostitution was already an established profession. Today, sex is sold in various forms, be it by high-class escort agencies or street side solicitation. It can be seen as a world of financial gain and pleasure, or one of exploitation and violence. The reality of a woman selling her body recently came in to the press with the revelation of the identity of Belle de Jour as Dr Brooke Magnanti, a research scientist. In one way her series of online blogs and consequent book, are beneficial in that they reveal how perhaps being paid for sex is far more common than one would initially assume. Yet one cannot help but think that there must be a difference, in connotation and self-acknowledgement, of someone who is a prostitute (or sex worker) and someone who is paid for sex every now and again. Moreover, it is possible that such publicity romanticises and glamorises a situation that for many woman in the profession is a last resort and one which can be hugely dangerous.
It is important to remember after all, that the majority of women involved in the sex trade are not women who sleep with men for money sporadically. More often than not they are women forced into a terrible situation, which may involve drug addiction, homelessness, and no doubt countless accounts of abuse, be it sexual, mental or physical. It has long been acknowledged as well that prostitution runs alongside lots of criminal organisation, for example the human trafficking, which results in the importation of sex workers. Just to phrase it in such a way “importation” reveals the position of these women when they arrive to what they assume will be better life. They are economic factors, objects; they are no longer people, and it is possible that if they are in the UK (or elsewhere in Europe) illegally they must lose their identity as well.
Yet, there are increasing numbers of confessions from women, be they mothers or students, who have at some time or another in their lives been paid for sex. If you have limited time and money there are always going to be two constants that can be depended upon – need for sex, and the fact that you have a body you can use to exploit this market. You may have university fees to cover, or children to feed, and surely if money is needed, to make it legally is not reprehensible. As a liberal, modern woman this seems all too logical a solution. However, to what extent do these women who believe they are exploiting sexual desire really control the situation in which they find themselves? No doubt due to historical and enduring social perceptions of what it means to be a prostitute it is unmistakably a vicious circle. A woman takes advantage of human nature, and human nature takes advantage of her, reducing her to little more than a receptacle or a slave in the guise of sexual fulfilment. She is paid to meet the desires and needs of others with minimal respect, perhaps from her clients, but also from society at large. In a world where sex is so inherent socially, it seems at odds that prostitution should be something that is generally ignored, or frowned upon. You can watch Pretty Woman, freely download internet porn, catch a bit of action just watching your favourite TV show, even read the diary of a call girl and yet the reality of the sex trade runs beneath it all, barely acknowledged.
For those who use prostitutes, although in itself legal, “kerb crawlers” can be fined £1000 and lose their driving licence, not to mention the jail sentence for having sex with somebody who is under 18, after all, it must be impossible to know just how old the girl you sleep with is. According to politics.co.uk it is estimated that there are 80,000 people involved in prostitution in the UK; an industry that provides the economy with £1 billion.
It is important to remember, though, that this 80,000 is a figure made up by both women and men. While the idea of this may conjure up somewhat comical images of rich middle-aged women swooning over attractive young gigolos, it runs parallel with the more sinister side of global male prostitution that involves under aged boys being paid for sexual favours. If you look online there are countless websites providing guidance and awareness for male prostitutes, however while it is doubtless as old as female prostitution it receives even less public interest and concern in general. This is doubtless an example of the bigotry that still exists in society about such matters.
What is vital though is greater comprehension of these issues. Prostitution’s social importance, both historical and contemporary, cannot be underestimated. However, there is such a huge variation in the different portrayals of how sex is sold – it is either something criminal, immoral and highly reprehensible, or something that is glamorised to make money. If Belle de Jour and her like do little else but promote awareness of prostitution in society it can be no bad thing. Yet people must realise that to be a call girl is not just about sexual fulfilment and male mockery, but how human desires are forced underground in a society, and that underground they can fester and become far more sinister than a pretty pastel book cover can suggest.
By Claire Bagnall
It is thought that by the time of the Aztecs prostitution was already an established profession. Today, sex is sold in various forms, be it by high-class escort agencies or street side solicitation. It can be seen as a world of financial gain and pleasure, or one of exploitation and violence. The reality of a woman selling her body recently came in to the press with the revelation of the identity of Belle de Jour as Dr Brooke Magnanti, a research scientist. In one way her series of online blogs and consequent book, are beneficial in that they reveal how perhaps being paid for sex is far more common than one would initially assume. Yet one cannot help but think that there must be a difference, in connotation and self-acknowledgement, of someone who is a prostitute (or sex worker) and someone who is paid for sex every now and again. Moreover, it is possible that such publicity romanticises and glamorises a situation that for many woman in the profession is a last resort and one which can be hugely dangerous.
It is important to remember after all, that the majority of women involved in the sex trade are not women who sleep with men for money sporadically. More often than not they are women forced into a terrible situation, which may involve drug addiction, homelessness, and no doubt countless accounts of abuse, be it sexual, mental or physical. It has long been acknowledged as well that prostitution runs alongside lots of criminal organisation, for example the human trafficking, which results in the importation of sex workers. Just to phrase it in such a way “importation” reveals the position of these women when they arrive to what they assume will be better life. They are economic factors, objects; they are no longer people, and it is possible that if they are in the UK (or elsewhere in Europe) illegally they must lose their identity as well.
Yet, there are increasing numbers of confessions from women, be they mothers or students, who have at some time or another in their lives been paid for sex. If you have limited time and money there are always going to be two constants that can be depended upon – need for sex, and the fact that you have a body you can use to exploit this market. You may have university fees to cover, or children to feed, and surely if money is needed, to make it legally is not reprehensible. As a liberal, modern woman this seems all too logical a solution. However, to what extent do these women who believe they are exploiting sexual desire really control the situation in which they find themselves? No doubt due to historical and enduring social perceptions of what it means to be a prostitute it is unmistakably a vicious circle. A woman takes advantage of human nature, and human nature takes advantage of her, reducing her to little more than a receptacle or a slave in the guise of sexual fulfilment. She is paid to meet the desires and needs of others with minimal respect, perhaps from her clients, but also from society at large. In a world where sex is so inherent socially, it seems at odds that prostitution should be something that is generally ignored, or frowned upon. You can watch Pretty Woman, freely download internet porn, catch a bit of action just watching your favourite TV show, even read the diary of a call girl and yet the reality of the sex trade runs beneath it all, barely acknowledged.
For those who use prostitutes, although in itself legal, “kerb crawlers” can be fined £1000 and lose their driving licence, not to mention the jail sentence for having sex with somebody who is under 18, after all, it must be impossible to know just how old the girl you sleep with is. According to politics.co.uk it is estimated that there are 80,000 people involved in prostitution in the UK; an industry that provides the economy with £1 billion.
It is important to remember, though, that this 80,000 is a figure made up by both women and men. While the idea of this may conjure up somewhat comical images of rich middle-aged women swooning over attractive young gigolos, it runs parallel with the more sinister side of global male prostitution that involves under aged boys being paid for sexual favours. If you look online there are countless websites providing guidance and awareness for male prostitutes, however while it is doubtless as old as female prostitution it receives even less public interest and concern in general. This is doubtless an example of the bigotry that still exists in society about such matters.
What is vital though is greater comprehension of these issues. Prostitution’s social importance, both historical and contemporary, cannot be underestimated. However, there is such a huge variation in the different portrayals of how sex is sold – it is either something criminal, immoral and highly reprehensible, or something that is glamorised to make money. If Belle de Jour and her like do little else but promote awareness of prostitution in society it can be no bad thing. Yet people must realise that to be a call girl is not just about sexual fulfilment and male mockery, but how human desires are forced underground in a society, and that underground they can fester and become far more sinister than a pretty pastel book cover can suggest.