Sexy on main: the liberation and monetization of women
What do Kim Kardashian and Karl Marx have in common?
In modern times one of the biggest hot button issues is sexuality. Whether it’s the reclamation or the repression of one’s sexuality. Many have taken the power back into their own hands by sexualizing themselves, thereby taking power away from those who use it to reduce a woman to nothing. The logic centers around the understanding of very complex issues of self-identity, capitalism/ consumerism, sexual expression, liberation, and feminism.
Because of the idea that there is power and money in a woman’s body we have created a new version of an old profession. With the possibility of becoming a self-made millionaire, the option to express one’s own sexuality for monetary gain is becoming extremely popular. However, the issue lies with the idea that this “job” is somehow different or better than other jobs due to the fact that a person is able to set their own schedule, but with the criminalization of sex work, roe v. wade being repealed, there are now multiple issues of safety concerning those who choose to participate in sex work.
The oversexualization of the everyday woman.
The growth in popularity of broadcasting one's own sexuality is something that has slowly, but steadily gained a mainstream audience. While we have always seen women’s bodies be used as a marketing tool, it was rarely from the woman’s mind. Whether its ads featuring scantily clad women promoting everything from alcohol to website domains, to TV programs needing a bombshell to capture the “male gaze.” Media that featured women was built around the idea “women want to be her, and men want to sleep with her”. This created an internal struggle felt by women to change aspects of themselves to fit the “standard” set by men in a boardroom.
Women are then put into categories based on their compliance and scrutinized for following orders. With the idea that women cared about fitting in and wanted to follow the standards set, people in turn believed that everything a woman does is for the male gaze.
Now its very important that I say people instead of men, because there are clear examples of women believing that other women do things specifically for male attention and validation. If you are active on social media, you have probably seen phrases like “pick me girls” and “not like other girls”. These are women or girls who so desperately want to distinguish themselves from other women as they believe they do not strive for male attention. These women often hold strong criticism and judgement against members of their own sex and with much of the population having some form of social media they are able to find a community of other women who think like them.
With the anonymity of the internet and an uptick in hyper surveillance amongst the general population, posting a stranger with the hopes of people sharing the same negativity you feel is incredibly easy. There have been many photos being shared insinuating that women, usually fuller figured, are inappropriately dressed. What we see here is the idea that certain body types are inherently more sexual than others and because there is a general devaluing and dehumanizing of people who are considered purely for sexual use, there are often acts of violence against those individuals. many sex workers have come forward with stories and allegations of sexual violence that were committed against them by members of law enforcement While it is impossible to get accurate data due to most forms of sex work being criminalized, they were unable to come forward out of fear of legal prosecution.
For some women this conditioned belief that following these rules was almost mandatory pushed them further into feeling an almost compulsory need to be viewed in a sexual manner. with the recent feminist movement sexual liberation being closely tied together and some believed that in order to truly be liberated as a woman you would need to be outwardly expressive of your sexuality, not understanding at the point of feminism, specific to late 2010s to present day, was about choice.
many have expressed how uncomfortable they were with modern movements as they have centered around the removal of clothes. I for one had a challenging time aligning with these movements, as to some I was already viewed in a sexual manner. because I was already uncomfortable with this, I did not find liberation in the removal of clothing, instead I felt comfort in covering myself. Many women have expressed they were regrets with trying to fit in with that side of the movement, again believing that if they forced themself into a sexual lens, they would feel connected with themselves as a woman.
this misunderstanding and illusion of choice now has young girls counting down the days for when they can legally represent themselves in a sexual manner, an issue I believe forms this idea of legal versus moral. While 18-year Olds are legally adults I do not believe that they have the mental capacity to make such a brash and life altering decisions such as becoming a sex worker. I believe this is the issue of morality as I know personally, I turned 18 a month into my senior year of high school so while I could technically make adult content, I was still a high school student, so what would that say about the people who consume my theoretical content?
Pro v. Against: Between neo-abolitionist and sex positivism
Neo-abolitionists are separated into two categories, radical and Marxist feminist. Radical feminism is rooted in its understanding of social organization and structure as inherently patriarchal, as sexism exist to maintain male privilege and patriarchal social order (Dobash and Dobash 1979). Marxist feminists believe that sexuality is to feminism, as work is to Marxism, that which is most one’s own and yet is taken away (MacKinnion, 1989).
Neo-abolitionists strive to end the sexual exploitation of women and girls they are often criticized for labeling all forms of sexual commerce as exploitation. This mindset is dangerous because, for those that look to help those affected by trafficking they are unable to differentiate between those who do this of their own free will and those without a choice. This is where sex positivism comes in, this group advocates for women’s right to choose sex work as their profession. The biggest critic of this group is that it acts like there is a consensual choice when lack of resources and financial struggles could play a role in why someone chooses to go into sex work. This idea that struggle is the tipping point between whether someone chooses to sell intimate parts of themselves, does not seem very much like choice.
The veiled luxury that sex work has been rebranded as also causes a great deal of concern. Not disclosing how or what exactly they do to earn their money, set up young women who are unaware of the dangers but are blinded by the dreams of opulence. This gives predators the ability to constantly have a fresh crop of victims, as no one in the industry warns them against it. Sex work despite having a a general acceptance in society, is still extremely stigmatized. And once you are given the metaphorical “scarlet letter” it stays with you for the rest of your life and has the possibility of following your family as well.
There are many negatives but in some people's eyes they only see green flags. Many view sex work as a way to take ownership one one's body back and gives them an outlet to express themselves. It also allows a person to control how and when they make money and can earn money very quickly and with nothing but a camera and their body.
Gerassi, Lara. “A Heated Debate: Theoretical Perspectives of Sexual Exploitation and Sex Work.” Journal of sociology and social welfare vol. 42,4 (2015): 79-100.
