I don't use prostitutes. Yet, I find it a fascinating topic. I have been
wondering why I am so interested. I have finally come up with these reasons:
- I have an incurable admiration for sexually liberated women.
- Prostitutes typically fit that description. If they were not comfortable
with sex, it would be highly unlikely that they would try to turn it into a
profession.
- The concept makes sense. I look around, and I see many people craving
good sex.
- In these times of rampant hypocrisy, there is something refreshing,
genuine, almost admirable about a prostitute.
- A prostitute is the antithesis of a hypocrite. A prostitute make no
claims of being morally right. But what you see is what you get. Sometimes,
the customers are the hypocrites. And quite often, people in power who are
prosecuting prostitutes, are hypocrites.
- Prostitution, at least at the upper end of the scale, is about glamour.
In some forms, it is only a step away from modeling. I believe it is Gucci,
who ran ads in Elle, showing prostitutes walking the streets. Glamour is
fascinating.
- Prostitution is as old as the world. Yet, these days, it is suddenly an
idea whose time has come again.
A Few Thoughts
In its most basic form, prostitution is nothing but a contract between
consenting people. A contract to provide sex in exchange for payment.
Since sex is not inherently immoral, and neither is the exchange of money,
prostitution is not inherently immoral.
It has been said that prostitution is as old as the world. It has also been
said that prostitution occurs between animals; it has been observed amongst
chimpanzees and penguins.
Some marriages involve a situation where one party provides most of the
money, and the other party is expected to consent to sex. In some cases,
very little sex is exchanged for access to a lot of money.
Divorce is not illegal. But in many cases, divorce is immoral.
In some marriages, the use of prostitutes by one of the spouses, is
tolerated by the other spouse. The prostitute provides a function one of
the spouses is not willing to provide. The prostitute is not much different
from the maid.
This used to be quite common in the upper classes of more traditional
societies, like traditional Europe, England, South-America and even the
American South. In all cases, respectable women were not encouraged to be
too expert or knowledgeable about sex. It was widely considered more
convenient if husbands who could afford it, went looking for it somewhere
else.
The Need
Prostitution does fulfill an identifiable societal function. In some cases,
it can be a substitute for psychological or marriage counseling. It might
even prevent divorce. Although usually an imperfect solution, it can be a
cost- effective one. Shrinks are expensive. So are lawyers and settlements.
Prostitution provides a safety valve against frustration, especially for
people who are not attractive or have few social skills. Also in couples
that have very different sex drives and might otherwise be headed for
affairs or divorce.
Prostitution tends to be prevalent in societies where sex is repressed. It
was quite popular in Victorian England.
Closer to home, in a society where sexual advances can carry very negative
legal consequences, in a society where an exposed marital infidelity can
destroy a career, prostitution should be expected to become an alternative
of choice.
The fact that prostitution is illegal, may sometimes encourage it. It
guarantees a measure of anonymity and silence, which may not otherwise be
feasible.
Oversexed Males and Undersexed Females
In most cases, prostitutes tend to be women, while clients tend to be men.
This may be partially due to the fact that men may have easier access to
money. But it probably also means that in this society, there is a deficit
of sexually available females with respect to sexually needy males.
Changing Perceptions
It used to be that prostitution was for losers. For those men who could not
find a woman in any other way. Using a prostitute was something nobody
would normally admit to.
That perception is changing. I was at a party the other day, with some very
promising young lawyers (as well as a number of attractive women). One
lawyer was talking to the other: Hey, let's go to Vancouver next weekend,
and see some girls...
Why Illegal?
The justification for making prostitution illegal, usually has to do with
the protection of women, and the control of sexually transmitted diseases.
That could make sense if as a result of the law, prostitution completely
ceased to exist.
In practice however, the fact that prostitution is illegal, normally
results in the exploitation or abuse of prostitutes, and does contribute to
the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Illegal prostitutes may be the target of violence or rape, and will be
hesitant to contact the police. Or else, they may simply disappear, and
nobody may ever know.
