During
the Third Wave, a brand of feminism labeled "sex-positive feminism" emerged.
Today the idea of sex positivity is essentially that women (or people of all
genders) should be able to do whatever they want in bed, as long as it's
consensual, safe, and fun for everyone involved. Sex-positive feminism is meant
to help liberate women from patriarchal ideologies that shame women for having
sex outside of marriage, dressing in a revealing way, or really for performing
their sexuality in any way that is not for men's pleasure. This includes
opening the possibility for "feminist" forms of sex work to exist—pornography,
adult entertainment, prostitution, etc.
Many of today's feminist sex educators like Laci Green use a
sex positive framework.
I
used to consider myself a "sex-positive feminist," but as I talked to
other feminists and took more Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies classes,
I realized that sex positivity has its drawbacks. Because sex positivity so
often positions sex as morally "good" or something "necessary"
for liberation, young girls and women may feel pressured into having sex before
they are truly ready. The sex positivity movement may fail to include asexual
people and people who are celibate for personal or religious reasons. Women who
do not want sex may feel shame from the movement's effects. Additionally, men
could potentially use the idea of sex positivity to coerce women into having
sex.
The biggest conflict I feel about sex positivity, though, is that I doubt whether or not there could ever truly be a "feminist" sex industry. The more I learn about the sex industry, the less comfortable I feel about there being such thing as a "feminist" form of sex work. Is there any way for porn or prostitution not to teach men that they are entitled to women's bodies? Is there any way to ensure all sex acts done as sex work are consensual? Is it possible that any sex acts done as sex work are consensual, since sex work is accompanied by irrevocable power dynamics? The issue is incredibly complex. Feminists must also consider how sex work affects girls' and women's self-esteem and body image (in workers and consumers alike), issues with human trafficking, sex workers' safety, legal issues—the list goes on and on. I have my doubts, especially because I am a young, white, middle class woman whose life has been virtually untouched by sex work. More marginalized people—working class women, for example—might have a clearer picture of how sex work can be oppressive and/or liberating.
The biggest conflict I feel about sex positivity, though, is that I doubt whether or not there could ever truly be a "feminist" sex industry. The more I learn about the sex industry, the less comfortable I feel about there being such thing as a "feminist" form of sex work. Is there any way for porn or prostitution not to teach men that they are entitled to women's bodies? Is there any way to ensure all sex acts done as sex work are consensual? Is it possible that any sex acts done as sex work are consensual, since sex work is accompanied by irrevocable power dynamics? The issue is incredibly complex. Feminists must also consider how sex work affects girls' and women's self-esteem and body image (in workers and consumers alike), issues with human trafficking, sex workers' safety, legal issues—the list goes on and on. I have my doubts, especially because I am a young, white, middle class woman whose life has been virtually untouched by sex work. More marginalized people—working class women, for example—might have a clearer picture of how sex work can be oppressive and/or liberating.
***
Although it is less mainstream, sex-negativity
also exists in today's feminism. (It is very rarely called that, but I do not
know of another umbrella term that contrasts so nicely with sex-positivity.)
Some sex-negative feminisms expands the work of Second Wave lesbian separatists
and the anti-porn feminists who participated in the "sex wars" of the
1980s. These movements have urged women to be critical of heterosexuality as an
institution and the ways sex can be weaponized to oppress women, particularly
within the sex industry.
As I feminist, I hover somewhere between sex-positive and sex-negative feminism. I agree with the basic premise of sex positivity: as long as sex is consensual, there shouldn't be anything wrong with it. Yet I think sex-negative feminism also has some valuable points where sex-positive feminism fails. Can there be such a thing as a "sex-neutral" feminism that tries to analyze sex (and by extension, sex work) from a critical standpoint, that hopes the ideals of the sex-positive movement can be achieved but acknowledges the multifaceted reality of the situation?
A "sex-neutral" view of sex work is what I want to explore in this blog. Can there be a "sex-neutral" feminism that both supports sex workers and examines the sex work industry warily? To answer this question, we must look to the history of how feminists have thought about sex work. What feminist work has helped and hurt sex workers? What can this history teach us about how to think about sex work today?
I plan to create four additional posts that snapshot feminist thought surrounding sex work, specifically prostitution in the U.S., from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 21st. The first will look at writings from Agnes Harrington D'Arcambal, a woman who spent much of her life helping "fallen women," and critique the moral condemnation of sex work. The second will consider the work of Sophonisba Breckinridge, who fought for justice for sex workers in 1930s Chicago. The third will analyze COYOTE (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics), an American prostitute's organization formed in 1973, and its attempts to change the conversation surrounding sex work. Finally, the fourth post will compare more recent decriminalization and legalization structures in the U.S., Sweden, and Australia to determine what has and hasn't worked to make sex work safe and just for women.
The fact is, the sex industry is alive and booming across the world, and it has been for centuries. It is not right to simply condemn it or blindly accept it; it must be looked at with a critical eye. I am excited to explore this topic, and I would love to hear your thoughts on it as well.
As I feminist, I hover somewhere between sex-positive and sex-negative feminism. I agree with the basic premise of sex positivity: as long as sex is consensual, there shouldn't be anything wrong with it. Yet I think sex-negative feminism also has some valuable points where sex-positive feminism fails. Can there be such a thing as a "sex-neutral" feminism that tries to analyze sex (and by extension, sex work) from a critical standpoint, that hopes the ideals of the sex-positive movement can be achieved but acknowledges the multifaceted reality of the situation?
A "sex-neutral" view of sex work is what I want to explore in this blog. Can there be a "sex-neutral" feminism that both supports sex workers and examines the sex work industry warily? To answer this question, we must look to the history of how feminists have thought about sex work. What feminist work has helped and hurt sex workers? What can this history teach us about how to think about sex work today?
I plan to create four additional posts that snapshot feminist thought surrounding sex work, specifically prostitution in the U.S., from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 21st. The first will look at writings from Agnes Harrington D'Arcambal, a woman who spent much of her life helping "fallen women," and critique the moral condemnation of sex work. The second will consider the work of Sophonisba Breckinridge, who fought for justice for sex workers in 1930s Chicago. The third will analyze COYOTE (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics), an American prostitute's organization formed in 1973, and its attempts to change the conversation surrounding sex work. Finally, the fourth post will compare more recent decriminalization and legalization structures in the U.S., Sweden, and Australia to determine what has and hasn't worked to make sex work safe and just for women.
The fact is, the sex industry is alive and booming across the world, and it has been for centuries. It is not right to simply condemn it or blindly accept it; it must be looked at with a critical eye. I am excited to explore this topic, and I would love to hear your thoughts on it as well.
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