Prostitution Reconsidered

Prostitution Reconsidered

Prostitution has been around for centuries and has been a heavily debated practice for as long as it has been utilized in society.   Prostitution is first and foremost viewed and known as the selling of ones body, sexuality, sex, and so on. However, according to most standard, English dictionaries there are two slightly different interpretations of what prostitution is. One is the aforementioned definition, and the other explains prostitution as the incorporation of one's insignificant skills in order to gain financial profit. According to the latter definition of what prostitution is, it is quite possible to compare sexual labor to the well-known practice of "gold-digging", in which lower-class women seek financial security through marriage to wealthy men.   Through most analyses of sexual labor and prostitution that I have reviewed, it is described as an exploitive, degrading, corrupt, and immoral custom that needs to be eradicated. However, upon closer analysis of prostitution according to its above interpretation, I believe that the existing negative views concerning the effects of prostitution on female identity should be re-considered. Specifically focusing on research that explores the existing relationships between wealthy, male, tourists, and female sex workers in foreign countries, I came to understand that these women are very similar in many ways to non-prostitute American women with comparable relationships. In this essay I will argue that the practice of sexual labor in foreign countries is no different than the practice of women seeking wealth through marriage in the United States, and should therefore be free of condemnation, be seen as a legitimate method of forming relationships, and be viewed as the financially empowering occupation for women that it potentially could be.
Referring back to the above definition of prostitution when exploring the existence of sexual prostitution, the "valueless" or unworthy skill that...