I have read articles on sex tourism before, yet this article still managed to surprise and upset me. One thing that upset me most was the scene described in the Red Light District in Amsterdam. I couldn’t imagine walking down a street and seeing women posed in the window, blatantly being sold for their bodies. Even though it could be easy to forget, those women are not only prostitutes, but also somebody’s mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends. It’s a horrible reality that some women are left with no choice but to resort to prostitution in order to support themselves and their families. As the authors mentioned, many people see sex tourism as the fault of prostitutes. However, this isn’t a problem caused on the individual level, rather, it is a structural and societal problem. Prostitution isn’t caused by individuals who decide they want to become prostitutes, it’s caused by societies that are commodifying women’s bodies and unfair economies that are leaving many women no choice but to turn to prostitution.
One thing that also shocked me was just a how big and prosperous the sex tourism industry is. As the article mentions, in 1998, it was estimated that the sex tourism industry was worth at least $20 billion a year, and is probably actually worth many times more than that. I had always thought of sex tourism as a fairly small industry, certainly not one that would rake in over $20 billion a year. I guess I was probably naive in thinking that sex tourism was on the outskirts of societies, not something that many people choose to partake in. For example, I had no idea that women were sold in windowsills in the Red Light District in Amsterdam. I always thought of sex tourism as something much more underground than that, even if it was in a place were prostitution is legal.
In the article, the authors talk a lot about how globalization has led to the commodification of women’s bodies. However, the authors also bring up the important point that sex tourism commodifies not only women’s bodies, but also men’s bodies. Through sex tourism, heterosexual male desire is commodified and is looked at as a way to make a great deal of money. Even though women are the one’s selling their bodies, the sex tourism industry couldn’t survive without the men who are taking part in it. The fact that men's desires are also commodified is made clear when the author tells of one of their male friends commenting, “I felt like a piece of meat walking through there,” after traveling through the Red Light District.
Overall, this article really opened up my eyes to how big of an industry sex tourism is. In fact, the industry will probably only continue to grow as the world becomes more and more globalized. However, if we are to look for a way to end sex tourism, we must start by looking at our society, not at just the women and men who take part in the sex tourism industry.
Emily Hunter-I like how Meg acknowledges the fact that the women that must act as prostitutes are not objects, but instead someone’s mother, sister, aunt, etc. When reading the article I didn’t necessarily think about the prostitutes as more than workers and Meg’s post has reminded me that turning people into purchasable commodities is not acceptable. I also agree with Meg’s statement that governments view prostitution as the fault of the prostitute, but rarely acknowledge the fact that prostitution arises because of problems in the institution. As I hinted in a comment for Keith’s post, prostitution is not only linked to the demand for sex tourism, but as Meg explains, is also linked to the commodification of the female body and an un-fair economic structure for women (particularly immigrant women). If the male body were to be put on display the same way the female body is, men would most likely find their objectification insulting and unacceptable. Why is it that it is acceptable to objectify women’s bodies but not men’s bodies?
ReplyDeleteLike Meg, I was very unfamiliar with the sex industry, particularly the size. However, I have been to the Red Light district in Amsterdam, which was an extremely interesting experience to say the least. It's one of those times when you want to look away, but you just can't because it is so mind boggling to see, from my perspective at least. Looking into the windows, it was extremely sterile. Almost each woman had their own mattress (that looked like it belonged in a jail cell) with tissues and oils on the side of the bed. These women were seductive in their look, like it was plastered onto them. Sometimes there would be two or three women in the windows - posing as a "package deal". Two things that I discovered when I was in Amsterdam were that - 1. these women did not have the female physique we discuss in class frequently. Actually, it was almost the complete opposite - slightly overweight, mostly immigrants. They were there purely for their bodies. 2. I convinced my mom to walk through the red light district again through the day time. I couldn't help my curiosity. Well, we didn't have to go too far to realize that it is the same exact way during the day. Meg's post above, specifically the question she ends with, points back to how there was a time when males were put on display. However, it was discontinued (can't think of the appropriate word choice), because "women in large crowds [were] gazing and gawking at men's bodies was defined as a public nuisance." (pg. 556). One reason that this might have happened is because it is so engrained in us that men are supposed to admire women's bodies, and not the other way around.
ReplyDeleteMeg, I'm really glad you brought up the author's comments on the commodification of women's bodies and men's desire. It's remarkable what people will do to make a profit. It also kind of makes you wonder what will come next, although I can't think of anything more shocking to commodify than what has already been mentioned.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Emily I really like how you turned the tables and asked the question about why women's bodies are objectified and not men's. I agree with Jenn's response and would also like to add that men hold more economic and social power than women, and therefor exercise greater control over markets and social norms.
-Ellie Merrell
John G - Meg I like how you brought up the red light district and the quote that you used to describe how a male felt while walking through it. I was in Europe this summer but never made it to Amsterdam. I wanted to go to check out the red light district and the legal drug scene - not going to lie. Only because the concept is so fascinating and far fetched as an American. Other boys that I were with while in Europe all were the same way. It seemed that everyone of us knew somebody that had indulged in the red light district scene. It was only when we as a group all began discussing the option of going there and its "perks" that it hit me. It was real. Pretty shocking to grasp, and a bit freighting to envision myself partaking in anything 'red light district related' just because of how some of these women/girls are brought in. This was a huge business that really helped from an economic standpoint.
ReplyDeleteMeg- I really like your comment that these women are somebody’s mother, sister, daughter, or friend. In our minds we see these women purely as sexual objects, and often it’s hard to relate and remember that they are real people, with lives and families, just like us. This just shows how strong and impersonal the industry has become. Prostitution is a “job” that you loose your individuality and become an object. This is so sad and horrible to say but if you truly think about what goes on behind those windows, no one values personality or relationships. If you’re a prostitute going to work you probably never really speak of your family and background. It is so sad that the government allows this to take place. I personally feel no person should ever have to sell their bodies in order to support their families and survive economically.
ReplyDelete-Tina Seretta
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ReplyDeleteMeg i think you pull in a very interesting point of power that is directly connected to money. Because of the money rolling into this business, it is unlikely it will cease anytime soon. Also, the people who have the most stock or money in this business have the most power over it. First of all, we know how sickening a person can get when they have a lot of money because we value money as power in paper form in the United States. Whoever has the most stuff, wins. Whoever can control the most people, gets a rush. Whoever can ruin the most lives, really can ruin anything. It is scary also to think about how tightly knit the network of connections is between different operating circles of sex tourism. It is happening flawlessly and secretly right under our noses. This article also reminded me of Wrestling with Manhood in the fact that the parents said, "This is the real world" or "If I can watch it, so can my four year old son." This just proves how seriously out of wack our value system is in America and we really need to educate our youth so our children are better prepared to make decisions when they are forced into seemingly harmless situations.
ReplyDelete-Molly B