Given the fact that it’s 2024 and certain OnlyFans models have so much social clout even the likes of Jake Paul are jealous, it’s wild to me that the sex work industry is still discussed in such a brutish and uninformed way. There are many layers to this topic and different lenses we can approach it with, and while I’m no expert, I’m going to try and offer a somewhat helpful answer to the question that seems to be on everyone’s mind right now: Is sex work unfeminist?

Welcome back to Explained By a Blonde. One of my favourite things about doing this series has been gaining more knowledge on how to combat gender-based oppression. I always thought of myself as an informed girly, but oh honey have I come leaps and bounds over the past year. So, let’s keep educating ourselves, shall we huns?

Sex work is unfortunately still a taboo in the 21st century. Not only is the industry heavily stigmatised, but there’s also a lack of understanding when it comes to where feminists should sit on the matter. Now, this is my opinion: the act of sex work, wherein the sex worker has both agency and autonomy over their own body, is feminist. The sex work industry, however, is not. Let me explain.

One last thing before I start: I’d also like to point out that one of the main reasons we need to be careful with how we approach this topic is because there have been generations of feminists who have wrongly excluded sex workers from the conversation and not properly respected the rights and opinions of all women, as opposed to just those who exist within certain circles.

Radical feminists oppose prostitution and other forms of sex work because it is inherently exploitative & symptomatic of patriarchy. Regardless of the consent of those involved, it perpetuates harm to women as a class by reinforcing the objectification & commodification of women. https://t.co/L29jp28diR

— ۟ (@femspov) November 9, 2024

A few days ago, I came across an interesting take from the TikTok creator @graceyapstoomuch. In the four minute sit-down video, she spoke in length about how the rhetoric surrounding sex work at the moment was inherently quite harmful. Specifically, the creator explained how attaching feminist buzzwords such as #empowering and #assheshould creates a false narrative and paints a very rosy picture of the sex work industry—a picture starkly different to the reality of the situation.

@graceyapstoomuch

Bitchin in Bed: Ep 3- Smex work and feminism 👁️ #fyp #fy #viral #videoessay #videodiary #podcast #feminist #4u #of #trending #trend #bonnieblue #lilyphillips #annapaul #podcasts #essay #journalism #journalist

♬ original sound - shark girl grace 🦈

The creator definitely makes a strong argument. Being constantly fed content from creators like Bonnie Blue and Lily Phillips creates the misconception that every sex worker is earning millions of pounds and is both legally and financially protected and autonomous. Both Blue and Phillips have also faced criticism for misrepresenting the sex work industry and, in some cases, normalising the exploitation of women.

Blue specifically has been labelled by some creators online as displaying predatory behaviour:

@maddylucydann

I have SO much more to say about this, but first and foremost this is predatory behaviour. Consent does not become informed cos they signed a form.

♬ original sound - Maddy Lucy Dann

All this to say, these people should not be considered the blueprint or prime example per se of a sex worker in this industry, as their experiences will be vastly different to the majority.

The sex work industry can be profoundly violent and at its core is based upon the subjugation and oppression of women. Through personal testimony and extensive research, The Guardian has found that aggression and violence are a “daily reality” for sex workers.

Linda Thompson, a coordinator of the Women’s Support Project, explained how 90 per cent of women involved in sex work had experienced violence up to attempted murder, while a quarter had been sexually abused as children and a sixth sexually exploited before the age of 18.

We were told the #sexwork rhetoric would empower women. Yet it's actually the perfect ramp for victim blaming because as long as a woman is paid she's a "sex professional" and harm is unlikely if not impossible. Stop the rhetoric, it's not helping. https://t.co/A3qVpW2zIn

— Elly Arrow (@EllyArrow) September 25, 2024

In February 2024, the Commissioner for Human Rights released a report that stated: “highly polarised views on the relationship between sex work, trafficking in human beings and sexual exploitation, feminism and human rights have restricted any real progress in protecting the human rights of sex workers.”

“The argument, often advanced in favour of the criminalisation and suppression of sex work, or some aspects of it, which equates sex work involving consenting adults with violence against women, disregards the distinction between sex work and violence in sex work,” the report continued.

It’s near-on impossible to answer the question ‘is sex work unfeminist?” in one article. Primarily because I’d argue that feminism itself is a highly flawed lens that constantly requires rethinking and reinterpretation. However, I agree with a lot of people online on one major point: that the normalisation of the sex work industry will always result in the normalisation of the oppression and exploitation of women.