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When Did Sex Work Become Less Stigmatized Than "Menial" Labor?
New York, 7:20 PM
Mon Dec 21
44 posts in the last 24 hours
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When Did Sex Work Become Less Stigmatized Than "Menial" Labor? |
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
06/22/09
My mom, who was quite beautiful in her youth, did "demeaning" work as a waitress and cleaning houses. She saved up and bought her own house with her earnings, as well as raising 5 kids with it. Sure, it was hard work, but it builds character. However, I don't think character is valued much these days, at least not as much as the ability to service random peen.
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06/22/09
I've been sitting here crying becaue I hate my job and can't squeeze into another one. Sick of this shit.
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06/22/09
I know that as a stripper right now in Vegas you can bring home $400 cash a night. Not every night, but, you work 3-4 nights a week, with 2 good, 2 not so good, you are bringing home at least a grand a week - again, in cash. Almost 4x as much, for much less work. Yes, you need to factor in stage fees, costumes, gas, etc etc, but it still comes out ahead.
Now, call girls and dommes? The market fluctuates, but I know women who are still pulling in 8k a month, sometimes seeing as few as 2-4 clients.
As for sex work being degrading... that is a whole other ball of wax. Way more than can be discussed here. Suffice it to say that I don't think that it's the root of the "class struggle" that you are trying to depict here.
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06/22/09
I completely get why someone would be unhappy working at a minimium wage job, particularly if it was after having much better jobs but I don't understand why people keep saying how degrading it is to work at Walmart or McDonalds. Maybe its because my grandmother went from housewife to widowed housecleaner, but I've never felt menial jobs were something to look down on.
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06/22/09
OMG, except for not really. I worked at Hooter's and it was the worst experience of my life. I was pretty much sexually assaulted every shift, and unlike at a strip club, where you can have the guy thrown out, I had to smile and say "uh uh" in hopes that they would still tip me well. Your joke has a lot of truth!
06/22/09
06/22/09
I got hit on waiting tables, sometimes WAY inappropriately, at a pretty nice Italian joint, so I can only imagine how exacerbated it would be in that sort of permissive, wink-wink atmosphere.
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06/22/09
I've been unemployed for 2 months now, and I can't tell you how many hiring managers I've talked to who have used the words "over qualified." I started out applying for jobs at the same level as I was at before, then worked down to Office Assistant, then receptionist. I even applied for a barista job. No one would higher me with my BA and MSc.
So yeah, saying you should go out and get a job at McDonalds sounds like a plan, but it doesn't mean that you'll actually get the job. Plus, if you need money right now, not in 3 weeks or however long it takes for the payroll department to get you your first paycheck, a regular job isn't always tha easy to get.
I wouldn't choose it for myself, and luckily, I'm single, childless and have parents who let me live with them til I find a new job, but I can understand why people might choose sex work.
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06/22/09
Stripping starts to look real good.
Also, I would point out that only someone who has never done minimum wage slave work would consiter it not demeaning and undervalued.
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06/22/09
It took 2 years for my dad (married, 3 kids, 2 in college) to find a job. His MSc. and a boatload of years of experience made him over-qualified for almost everything.
I don't know your field of study, but is there a small college or uni nearby in which you could apply as a lab tech or prof. assistant?
06/22/09
It worked at least once! Good luck with your search.
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Less shameful in the privacy of her own mind? Because she certainly can't mean less shameful as judged by society.
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06/22/09
I know someone who was outed as a former prostitute and it has negatively affected every aspect of her life, personally & professionally (not to mention the lives of her relatives, which she deeply regrets). This would not have happened if she were outed as having done menial labor in the past. Not giving a shit about how society views you is a luxury most people can't afford.
06/22/09
In my experience, an escort or fetishist makes between $150-$500 for a 1 hour session. When one only has to work 10 hours a week to make bills, etc. -- how is that the same as a 40/hour week minimum wage job. I'm just confused on what she's getting $700 for doing and for how long.
06/22/09
(which, if a woman has children, might be important in terms of things like child care arrangements).
06/22/09
I would say that the majority of "middle-class" sex workers that I have run into work about 10 hours a WEEK and are making some serious bank.
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You can also read my review of "The Girlfriend Experience" at [unprofessionalcritic.blogspot.com]
06/22/09
But something dawned on me: I'd rather be exploited for $200/hr than for $7/hr.
06/22/09
seriously.
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06/22/09
From catering and fast food to waitressing and bartending I've felt all of the above and for far less money.
If I was "lifestyle" I would still be doing sex work.