Life is hard – even billionaires would agree on that. Of course, for less fortunate people, it is more difficult. They struggle to make ends meet with expensive rents, bills, and daily needs like groceries constantly emptying their pockets. Therefore, many are forced to take part-time jobs – sometimes, more than one.
Now, finding a not crappy part-time job is a challenge itself. These job openings are sporadic. Of course, that is if you count out sex work.
Sex work has existed probably since ancient times. But, people view it negatively – even the ones who participated in it.
But as the skyrocketing of OnlyFans has shown, sex work is a viable career option. It pays well. What’s surprising is how there’s less stigma around sex work now.
A growing number of young people are offering sexual services to pay tuition fees, student loans, and rent. And, they are now less secretive about it. Is this good or bad news? Is sex work now viewed as an unorthodox way to make a living? Or is it exploitation?
Sugar Babies and Their Sugar Daddies
Webcam models and OnlyFans creators who often stream or record themselves pleasing themselves using sex toys call their service “The Girlfriend Experience.” Unlike classic escorts and porn stars, they provide something more than sexual satisfaction. They offer companionship. These people allow others to experience what it is like to have a partner without actually having one. Their clients and customers confide their problems and insecurities to the sex worker. But, they don’t need to hear the problems of the sex worker, nor should she bring them up. Her job is only to please and comfort them.
The same applies to the so-called “sugar babies” like Miranda. She is a 22-year-old woman whose job involves having sex with older men, a.ka. the “sugar daddies.”
Miranda accidentally found this type of work. She storied that she got hit by an older guy during her college years. Miranda rebuffed him, jokingly saying that she’s uninterested unless the guy would pay for her student loans. The guy replied, “Well?” and the rest is history. Miranda had sex with the older guy – not just once-, and he covered her student loans. Also, he gave her money to help with her living expenses. Their “relationship” only ended when Miranda had to go abroad for her studies.
Hooked on that kind of life, she turned to the website and app Seeking Arrangement to find new sugar daddies. There, she found new clients- and not just one, but three.
Miranda confesses that she doesn’t find any of her clients attractive. But, it is not the sexual satisfaction she’s looking for in her work. It’s what she gets after the sessions. She says sex work is a job. Just like in other workplaces, you don’t have to like the people you work with. “I do it for the money,” she says. But aside from the financial side of things, Miranda says she learned other things from her ‘sugaring” adventures. For instance, she acquired soft skills like making an elevator pitch. Things like these can help her out in the future.
Normalization Of Sex Work
The most surprising thing about Miranda’s story is how the people around her did not find it surprising. One of her friends says most of her friends engage in some form of sex work. She described it as “super-common” and said admitting you do it or plan to is almost trendy. Another person agreed. Apparently, posting photos and videos of themselves playing with sex dolls has become a popular method to make a living. “I should just start camming,” you would often hear when someone struggles to make money to pay rent.
Actually, sugar babies have an extensive online community called the “sugar bowl.” They help each other by giving tips and tricks. On Tumblr, they post the things they got from sugaring – the wads of cash, designer label clothes, shoes, and bags. But aside from boasting, they inform their fellow babies about sugaring sites. Also, they give advice on how much to charge.
The situation is very much similar in Facebook, where private groups of sugar babies exist. In these groups, the women exchange guides and tips. They tell the others what they should carry for protection or what to do when someone refuses to pay. Also, they give information on how to avoid law enforcement. They are very supportive of each other, especially for newbies on the field.
Debates
As sex work silently crept into the mainstream, the arguments between decriminalizing prostitution in the US became more heated.
On one side, they see it as just another job – a way to keep oneself alive in an impossible economy. Some feminists agree with this and interpret sex work as something that is empowering.
But when you say “some,” that means not all. The other feminists believe making prostitution legal will minimize the voice of women sex who have been victimized in sex trafficking. Furthermore, a thread on the internet already says, “all women are prostitutes.” Despite the wording, the phrase does not mean all women are selling their bodies to make a living. Instead, the claim is that women are only using men to get money and things. As it is, it’s already demeaning in the viewpoint of feminists. What more if the words would mean what they literally mean?
Of course, whenever sex is involved, we can expect ethical questions. Some cultures and religions believe virginity should be preserved until marriage. Furthermore, they encourage treating your body as a sacred temple. Having sex with someone you do not know well is disrespecting it. They are vehemently opposed to making prostitution legal, and they don’t like sex work in general.
But even with these arguments, we can see how the number of people against sex work deteriorates. So the question is, are we headed in the right direction? Will accepting sex work as a regular job improve the quality of life? Or would it make the already dark world even darker?
Leave a Reply