Now: The shifting of morals?
Now: In contemporary times, public perception of prostitution has not shifted much. A 1998 study conducted by Tom Smith of Chicago University revealed that people, in general, disapprove of prostitution. Specifically, Smith highlights that 42-47% of the sample believed it was very important for laws against prostitution to be strictly enforced.[1] This desire for policing can definitely be viewed as people’s desires to keep prostitution out of plain sight. Elizabeth Bernstein explores this further in her book, “Temporarily Yours: Intimacy, Authenticity, And The Commerce of Sex.” She discusses the movement of prostitution off the streets largely at the wishes of police officers in response to public complaints. This public disgust isn’t just on the streets. It inhabits our social media as well.
Morality: Historically, sex work and prostitution have been met with apprehension because of the perceived moral negativity that surrounds them. Although the specific root for this moral judgment isn’t explicit, it’s safe to assume it stems from the stigma that surrounds the selling of sex as a marketed commodity.[2] Many contemporary social media spheres relay this moral uproar associated with sex work. These images portray just a few memes circulating the web that represent some of the public’s moral obligation to sex work.
It’s clear that looking at society’s public domains there’s a clear disapproval of sex workers, but recently there’s been a shift in who’s morally at flaw.
John Shaming: “… What were you thinking?... Did you use a condom?... No? So you came in her mouth?... Did you even look at her? Did you see that disgusting shit she has o her hands? Now it’s all over you wee-weee…. Do you have a wife or girlfriend? Now you’re going to go home and give whatever you just got to her.”[3] Elizabeth Bernstein witnessed this quote while she was observing police and detainee interactions in California. It’s a critical quote, as it marks a shift in discourse. That the blame for the act of prostitution is moving from worker to client. Across the “Bay Area” John Shaming has occurred, making clients liable for participating in prostitution. Rather than face potential criminal charges, clients can opt to participate in John School.[4] More importantly it’s creating a dialogue that no longer stigmatize the worker. Workers participate for numerous reasons, but more often than not it’s to support a family (learn more about why people engage in sex work).
As shocking as these images may appear, it brings a balance to how society has historically exploited the images of sex workers. When you consider how normalized the memes above have become doesn't it make sense to begin questioning whose humanity deserves to be questioned?
Overall, sex work isn’t approved of in a social sphere, but there are movements to at least think about who’s to blame for the current criminalized act. This shift in discourse, in relation to the morality of prostitution, definitely represents a progressive shift in public discourse that suggests prostitutes aren’t as morally offensive as once publically perceived.
[1] Smith, Tom. 1998. Public Opinions On Prostitution: Trends, Comparisons And Models. 1st ed. General Social Survey and the University of Chicago. Retrieved April 25, 2016 (http://gss.norc.org/Documents/reports/topical-reports/TR31.pdf).
[3] Bernstein, Elizabeth. Temporarily Yours. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007. Print.
[4] "John School - Demandforum.Net". DEMANDForum.net. N.p., 2016. Web. 10 May 2016.