Note: This post is the result of a MyLot discussion of the same subject. You can view it here

Prostitution (female)

The thing about prostitution is that throughout the world and even throughout history, prostitution has been many different things to different people. I specify female prostitution only because the connotation of the word more readily implies women, but much of what I write here applies to men as well.

There have been times and places where forms of prostitution were (are) a somewhat dignified profession. Places where a prostitute was akin to a modern-day movie star. Times when prostitution was a sacred, almost religious act.

It’s not called the world’s oldest profession for nothing and it exists in many iterations. Most people today only know the prostitution in the here and now. But there are places where the prostitutes are not the downtrodden, beaten, and pimped out women that we see here. In fact, even using the word “prostitute” to describe them is highly insulting. Rather, they are the women that control what they do and whom they do it with. They are the women that have turned having sex for money into a lifestyle, a viable business and sometimes, even art.

In biblical times there were prostitutes just for the priests to have sex with. In Japan the top ranks of the oiran was a position to be envied, something much more than just a woman who has sex for money. The courtesans of old Europe were able to gain very high status in society. There exists high-profile escorts today that regularly enjoy the company of people of great wealth and influence. Executives, actors, politicians and people who govern and run countries want something a little more than just a street hooker. They expect women of class.

It’s a fine line. Mainly religion based social pressures tell us that what these women do is wrong and immoral. However, I believe that when it’s done right, it can be downright empowering. Or to put it more colloquially, the power of the pussy is awesome. Whole nations have fallen and risen behind it. To the untrained mind it would seem that these women are giving up their self-worth and inner power when they give up their goodies. If you look closer, you’ll see that a woman who knows what she’s doing has the better chunk of that power.

The sex trade is just that, a trade. Each person decides what giving up something special is worth. Some do it for twenty dollars, and some do it for diamonds, some do it for fame and power. If they are doing it willingly and of their own free will, then I say let them earn their bread and leave them alone. Of course, some do it for the man who beats them if they don’t. Some are born and raised, sold or subjugated into it. But that’s not the type of prostitution I’m talking about in this article.

Everything is situational. What exactly is so wrong with sex for money? What upsets people so about other people paying for companionship? Like marijuana consumption, it’s one of those things that people will do regardless of what laws are in the books at the time. Legalize it, regulate it, structure it, tax it and get over it. I think in the end, we will all be better for it.

This is not, by any stretch, an endorsement for some of the lower, fouler aspects of the sex trade. Things such as the modern-day sex slavery that’s going on or the violence that sometimes run unchecked in many of the sex related industries. Nor is it an advocation for those that hit the streets out of utter desperation, or to earn money for drugs and such. And it damn sure isn’t an approval for the predators that feed off such weaknesses. Although related to what I’m saying here, those are completely different subjects and probably best saved for later blog posts.

Wikipedia – Prostitution – History of

http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/

Prostitution: Then and Now

Prostitution: The Google Search

For Books Movies and Other Media on the Subject Click Here

Version 2.0 – Updated on February 16, 2010