The sex worker as a sociocultural ‘phenomenon’ occupies a liminal space, simultaneously absent from sociopolitical acceptability yet ever present in often inflammatory, ‘condemn/celebrate’ discourses. In this paper we aim to contribute to a destabilising of the dichotomisation of these representations by referring to the lived experience of independent escorts. In addition we attempt to contextualize the sex worker in consumer capitalism through which notions of choice and exploitation, that arise from both sides of the ‘condemn’/’celebrate’ debate, are rendered oblique. We draw upon the author’s own experience of being an escort as well as accounts from a popular escort internet forum1 to illustrate the issues escorts share with women as a wider social demographic, including violence and abuse, appearance pressures, and economic hardship. By situating escorting as a form of self-employment labour, within the practical reality of neoliberal, consumer capitalism, we aid in the nuancing of the debate, foregrounding the escort experience over prior, moral ideologies. We also promote the merging of the academic debate surrounding the sex work industry, with the grassroots debate that forum member escorts have on a daily basis. We conclude it is important to demystify and destigmatise escorts so they are not regarded as 'victims or victors' or other grotesque parodies, but a real, diverse people and members of a labour force.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)