The Oldest Trade Prostitution Essay

Prostitution, sometimes referred to as “the world’s oldest profession” (Henslin, pg. 54), is defined by James M. Henslin as “the renting of one’s body for sexual purposes” (pg. 54). This arrangement, though illegal and socially deviant in most parts of the world, exists universally in many different forms (pg. 54). As a matter of fact, types of prostitutes range greatly in variety from call girls – who are said to be “the elite of prostitutes” (pg. 58), to streetwalkers – “who have the lowest status among prostitutes” (pg. 58), to sugar babies -young, physically attractive women who provide “rich, older men” (Kitchener, par.4) “…with attention (and sex) in exchange for the finer things in life” (par. 4).

Claire E. Sterk, the author of the article of “Fieldwork on Prostitution in the Era of Aids”

Prostitution is a controversial issue that has been around since the beginning of time and has recently became a major problem in today’s society. Prostitution is defined as the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment. Prostitution is often times referred to as “the oldest profession in the business”. It is prohibited in several countries, the United States included, though in some countries it is accepted and is legal in many others. Today, prostitution is so controversial because of the number of youth involved in it. Those who oppose prostitution are against it because it endangers a big portion of women with diseases and can also be considered as a form of slavery. Due to the fact that prostitution increases the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, while also destroying the image of areas it has heavily polluted, along with the morality of the women involved in it, it is seen as a practice that needs to be done away with, or mandated by the government.

One of the problems with prostitution is the spread of STDs, or sexually transmitted diseases. Due to prostitutes having sex

This article by Cheryl Butler applies Critical Race Feminism to the issues of prostitution and sex trafficking in the United States. In doing so, Butler explores the debate on prostitution and sex trafficking through an intersectional lens, and thus acknowledges the role that race and class play in prostitution in America. She fully considers prostitution from a critical race perspective, i.e., one that considers how race and gender intersect with other systems of oppression together to marginalize people of color in America. She proposes policy changes that may help address prostitution from a position of intersectionality.

It is rather odd to think that prostitution, which is considered to be the world’s oldest profession, would be illegal and harmful in nature. The issue of legalizing prostitution has entered public conversation around the world, which is severely divided. Many, like myself, consider prostitution to be a victimless crime. Despite such opposition to legalizing prostitution, many argue that legalizing it would result in decreased morality issues, increase the economic activity in the United States, and help decrease the number of sexually transmitted diseases among both prostitutes and those who patronize them,

Prostitution, also known as commercial sex or solicitation, is the business of preforming sexual activities in exchange for monetary compensation. Prostitution can be seen in many different outlets, from brothels and streetwalkers, to top of the line escort or call-girl services. Prostitution laws make it a crime to suggest, consent, or participate in a sexual act for the benefit of receiving payment (FindLaw, 2016). Prostitution is one of the first known female occupations and appears as early 2400 B.C.

Economist Mark P. Lagon tells us that “ Legal prostitution both drives up the demand for victims of human trafficking and provides a veil behind which traffickers can hide their operations” (2014). The country of Zimbabwe shows evidence of this where, The Economist states “...the oldest profession has been decriminalized, a flood of young women and girls are joining it and driving down the prices” (2017). Along with the drop in compensation for prostitutes, there came an INCREASE in crime as a result of the turf war that comes with the new competition. As a result, older prostitutes are being forced out of the industry with nowhere to turn, because they have no other way to earn money. If they did, they would not have to be prostitutes in the first place. Mark P. Lagon points out the irony in that, “...(an) individual’s primary reason for entering the industry is financial desperation. Ironically, this data also demonstrates that prostitution, rather than helping prostituted peoples to escape the cycle of poverty, instead permanently entraps them”(2014). This embodies one of the harshest realities of being a prostitute; There is no way out. Lagon argues that this is because, “From as early as six years old, these women are molded to believe they have little earthly purpose other than to give pleasure to men” (2014). This is how Prostitutes’ desperation is taken advantage of by forcing them to sell their bodies,

The costs of legalized prostitution such as rent to the brothel owner, medical examinations, and any registration fees are paid by the women involved in prostitution, thereby increasing the number of sexual encounters

Sex workers inhabited the public space of Paris throughout the 19th century, their trade widely accepted as disreputable but necessary. When the French poet Charles Baudelaire was asked what art is, his immediate answer was “prostitution.” This proves that throughout history, artists have used prostitutes as models and muses for their artwork. Prostitution and painting go hand in hand. Among the first painters to use female models were Titian and Giorgione, producing Venetian reclining nudes, which appeared as advertisements for the most successful courtesans of Europe. These paintings hung in homes, showing real women as nothing more than an image to be looked at and judged by men. The interest in representing prostitution in art not

There are many inquires that arise with the subject matter of sex work. Prostitution or sex work is dramatically different internationally than in the United States. One of the primary motives is due to poor economic conditions or undesirable social circumstances in life. Also, in some instances children may be involuntarily introduced into sex work by their relatives in exchange for currency for their personal survival. This practice is used as a revenue of survival, the money obtained from their clienteles is what nourishes their bodies and gives shelter to their household. However, this behavior and business is quite dangerous due to the gamble of contracting a sexual transmitted disease such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus also commonly

Prostitution, as stated by Flemming, is known as a form of sexual activity, a kind of sexual style or category, and a form of economic activity, a way of making a living through the provisions of certain services, by behaving in accordance with, or falling into such a category (39). This definition, though, is controversial. While conducting research for this project, we found that most topics regarding prostitution and its affiliates were controversial. Each author gave a differing interpretation for the same data. Due to this, our project centered on the female prostitutes, even though there is evidence of male prostitutes.

There are forty-two million prostitutes working in the world. By definition, prostitution is the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment. It has existed since the ancient civilizations. To some people, it seems a cruel act to endorse such a barbaric way of life. To others, it seems right to allow people to do what they wish with their bodies. The legalisation of prostitution and the violence surrounding it is a globally debated topic, putting moral values to the test with convincing arguments from both sides.

Prostitution is defined as the act of “providing or receiving sexual acts, between a prostitute and a client, in exchange for money or some other form of remuneration” (Hock 557). The idea of exchanging sex for valuables has been around since the beginning of human society. The first reported data about prostitution was reported around 3000 B.C.E in one of the first known civilizations, Mesopotamia (Caraboi and Fierbinteanu 362). It is often referred to as “the world’s oldest profession.” Today, even though prostitution is illegal in most parts of the world, it is still prevalent worldwide with different ways to exchange sexual services for payment and many different types of prostitutes. One of these types of prostitutes are brothel workers; brothel workers work in “a house of prostitution,” a brothel, which are normally in areas where prostitution is not criminalized or is legalized (Hock 560). Like prostitution, human trafficking has been around for thousands of years and is still present today.

Prostitution is a profession that has been around for thousands of years despite being a controversial topic in many parts of the world. In the modern world, the ethics of prostitution have been debated with many people viewing the profession as immoral. Prostitution is an exploitative and harmful profession for the sex workers. Since women account for a majority of those who engage in prostitution, these negative impacts affect women more. Also, prostitution is a gendered institution that strengthens and