The World of Commercial Sex:
A Disneyland for Adults?
Chapter 19
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The World of Commercial Sex
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ProstitutionSex on the Run
Pornography and Obscenity
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ProstitutionSex on the Run
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Prostitution
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Sale of sex for money
Illegal in the US
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A few Nevada counties have legalized prostitution, but only
the use of state-licensed brothels is legal
Most prostitutes are female, and most clients are
male
Prostitution dates to ancient times and was very
common in medieval Europe and in the U.S. during
the 19th century.
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ProstitutionSex on the Run
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Incidence of Prostitution in the United States Today
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It is still quite common, but incidence has dropped
Types of Female Prostitutes
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Streetwalkers: prostitutes who solicit on the streets; at
risk of abuse by customers and pimps
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Most common type of prostitution
Are the bottom rung of the hierarchy of prostitutes
Tend to have history of poverty and of being abused
Most at risk for arrest
Drugs and disease are a way of life
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ProstitutionSex on the Run
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Brothel prostitution
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The massage parlor
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Occupy a middle status in the hierarchy of prostitutes
Live in the brothel, but split their profits with management
Some may be there against their will.
Many serve as fronts for prostitution
Often found in malls in middle-class suburbs
Masturbation and oral sex are the most common services
Strip clubs
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Often limited to dances only
Extra services may be bought for tips in the VIP rooms
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Prostitution – Sex on the Run
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Escort services
Many prostitutes who are escorts come from
middle-class backgrounds and are well educated.
 Some provide escort services only, but most are
fronts for prostitution
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Call girls
Have the highest status and make the most money
 Overlap with escorts
 Most attractive and well-educated prostitutes
 Usually work on their own
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ProstitutionSex on the Run
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Getting into “The Life”
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Poverty, sexual and/or physical abuse, and
family dysfunction are common in the
backgrounds of most prostitutes.
Some enter because they have learned that
sex can gain them attention or love from
adults.
The major motive is money.
Copyright 2008 Allyn & Bacon
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ProstitutionSex on the Run
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“Johns”The Customers of Female Prostitutes
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Men who hire prostitutes represent all socioeconomic
and ethnic groups.
“Occasional johns” versus “habitual johns”
“Compulsive johns”
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Try to fulfill psychological or sexual need
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Some suffer from a whore-Madonna complex.
 Women are either sinners or saints.
Enjoy sex only with prostitutes or only ask prostitutes to engage
in certain acts
View marital sex as an obligation
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ProstitutionSex on the Run
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Motives for using prostitutes
Sex without negotiation
 Sex without commitment
 Sex for eroticism and variety
 Prostitution as a social outlet
 Sex away from home
 Problematical sex
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ProstitutionSex on the Run
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Male Prostitution
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Gigolos, male prostitutes who service female clients,
are rare.
Hustlers
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Men who engage in prostitution with male customers
Customers of hustlers are called scores
Are generally young and have little education
Many come from families with a history of alcoholism or
physical or sexual abuse
May be gay, bisexual, or heterosexual
Money is the main motive for male prostitution.
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Prostitution – Sex on the Run
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Kinds of male sex workers
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Strippers
Kept boys
Call boys
Punks
Drag prostitutes
Brothel prostitutes
Bar hustlers/street hustlers
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ProstitutionSex on the Run
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HIV/AIDS and Prostitution
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The risk of HIV/AIDS is linked to both
female and male prostitution.
In countries where HIV is spread mainly by
male-female sexual intercourse, sex with
prostitutes is a main method of transmission.
Prostitutes often do not use condoms.
Many prostitutes and their clients inject drugs
and share contaminated needles.
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Prostitution – Sex on the Run
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Should prostitution be legalized?
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Countries in which prostitution is legalized
and regulated have low rates of STIs
Turns sex workers into taxpayers
Provides a safer venue for prostitution
Degrading to women and family values
Still may not be a free decision
Sex trafficking
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Pornography and Obscenity
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What Is Pornographic?
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Pornography
Sexually explicit material produced to elicit or
enhance sexual arousal
 Is popular and controversial
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Some are opposed due to moral issues.
Feminists are opposed due to its portrayal of women.
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Pornography and Obscenity
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Prurient
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Determining what constitutes pornography is very
subjective.
Pornography may be hard-core (X-rated) or soft-core (Rrated).
Obscenity
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Tending to excite lust; lewd
Offends people’s feelings or goes beyond prevailing
standards of decency or modesty
Usually laws are written about obscenity rather than
pornography.
Snuff film
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Pornography and Obscenity
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Pornography and the Law
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The Comstock Act (1873)
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Roth v. United States (1957)
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Antiobscenity bill that also outlawed the dissemination of birth
control information
Portrayal of sexual activity was protected under the First
Amendment of the Constitution
Miller v. California (1973)
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Another obscenity case that acknowledged the definition of
obscene varies with “community standards”
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Pornography and Obscenity
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Pope v. Illinois (1987)
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Another obscenity case that attempted to define
what is obscene
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Hinges on whether a reasonable person would find literary,
artistic, political, or scientific value in the material
Stanley v. Georgia (1969)
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Possessing obscene material in one’s home is not a
criminal act.
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Child pornography is a different matter, however.
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Pornography and Obscenity
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Prevalence and Use of Erotica and
Pornography
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Males are more likely to view pornography
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About 1 man in 4 and 1 woman in 10 had rented
an X-rated movie or video within the past year.
Sex differences in response to pornography
Both men and women can become physiologically
aroused by pornography.
 However, they may not share the same subjective
response to it.
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Women prefer romantic scenes to explicit ones
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Pornography and Obscenity
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Cybersex Addiction
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1/3 of internet visits are to sexually oriented
sites
Some men spend hours online viewing and
masturbating to pornographic images
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Some engage in online sex through chat or webcam
May be as addictive as drugs
Tolerance can develop
 Some addicts have opportunities for sex available to
them, but cannot draw themselves from the online
opportunities
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Pornography and Obscenity
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Pornography and Sexual Coercion
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The Commission on Obscenity and Pornography
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In 1970 concluded that there was no evidence that pornography led
to crimes of violence or sexual offenses
The Meese Commission Report
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In 1985 claimed to find a causal link between sexual violence and
exposure to violent pornography
Found no evidence linking exposure to nonviolent, nondegrading
pornography and sexual violence
Critics contend that they failed to distinguish between the effects of
sexually explicit material and the effects of violent material.
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Pornography and Obscenity
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Pornography and sex offenders
Research found little or no difference in the level of
exposure to pornography between incarcerated sex
offenders and other felons
 However, pornography, especially violent
pornography, may stimulate sexually deviant urges in
certain subgroups of sex offenders and increase
sexually aggressive behavior.
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Pornography and Obscenity
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Violent pornography
According to research, men exposed to violent
pornography are more likely to become aggressive
against females and to show less sensitivity toward
women who have been sexually assaulted.
 Depictions of women becoming aroused by
victimization may legitimize violence against women
in the viewer’s mind
 Violence, rather than the sexual explicitness, that
may cause negative attitudes toward rape victims
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Pornography and Obscenity
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Nonviolent pornography
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Males and females who received extended exposure
to pornography
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Gave more lenient punishments to a rapist
Males’ attitudes toward women became more callous and
negative
Evidence exists that repeated exposure to nonviolent
pornography
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Can loosen traditional sexual and family values
Can foster dissatisfaction with the physical appearance and
sexual performance of one’s intimate partner
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