Sex work has many faces and many different stories. We can provide statistics and numbers to the cause at hand but it’s truly important to know the real life stories of these individuals. Each narrative, each reason, each situation, each walk of life is completely unique. It's crucial that all aspects of this line of work are represented and these amazing human beings give us an insight to their world.
SEX WORKERS IN PHOTO FROM L TO R: GILLIAN SKYE, KARMENIFE, PAULI CAKES, LINDSAY DYE, MICHELLE HOPE
Being A Legal Sex Worker In a Brothel by Buzzfeed Before diving into specifics of sex workers lives, let's take a look at the legal side of this field and sex worker's determined fight for their rights.
This video gives an insight on a brothel located in Nevada, the only state where prostitution is legal. It follows the fight to keep sex work legal in Lyon county's 2018 midterm elections. The sex workers explain the safety and benefits legalization brings to their work. As well as the deeper meaning behind their jobs and debunking the myth that it's "just sex". |
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KARMENIFE"The benefits are, I'm my own boss. I get to make my own career. I get to make my own time. I get to promote myself the way I wish to promote myself."
Karmenife is a professional dominatrix. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary dominatrix is defined as "a woman who physically or psychologically dominates her partner in a sadomasochistic encounter"(Dominatrix). Her call to this profession began as a tragedy yet managed to use her strength to take back her power. During her freshmen year of college Karmenife was raped by a fraternity member and ended up using that same fraternity house for an art project, "One way that I reclaimed my space for myself is I did an art project where I dress up like a dominatrix and I dommed frat guys in front of the frat house where I was raped. I had never felt so powerful and beautiful, and to feel that in a space where I had been ripped apart was beyond empowering"(Sells).
She explains how freeing her job is and how the power the domme energy makes her feel is truly unmatched. This electric feeling isn't just attributed to her tragic past but also her identity as a black woman. " I feel like as a black woman in this society I have been fetishized and objectified since I've left the womb. Being able to reclaim my sexuality and my body for myself has been really important through my work, and it's taught me you're not entitled to me or my time and if you want it, you pay for it"(Sells). Unfortunately, women’s bodies have been seen as property all throughout history so being able to repossess control especially as a WOC (women of color) grants strength and that’s what sex work truly embodies. |
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LOYALTY
Stripper/Prostitute Soft White Underbelly is a Youtube channel that interviews prostitutes, homeless people, drug addicts, etc all living on the streets. This gives them a chance to voluntarily share their unheard stories as well as spread awareness about life on the streets. Loyalty does just that in this video where she paints out her whole life story including her upbringing and her decision to become a stripper and prostitute. Loyalty explains working as a prostitute on Figaro street independently without a pimp. This ensures her freedom and allows her to keep all the profits to support her and her family. She describes her never wavering high self-esteem as a prostitute where men line-up the street for her services and the freeing feeling dancing as a stripper grants her. Loyalty seems to love her job and views it as a choice rather than her only option. Although, Loyalty does unfold the tragic things that she’s experienced like being robbed and snatched up by men. There are many circumstances in the world even shown on Soft White Underbelly's page where sex work is the only job they could acquire. Loyalty’s story shows a different perspective to the world of sex work on the street. By decriminalizing sex work, women like Loyalty will be able to live their life as THEY please. |