Sex, Money, and why?

Yesterday at 8:23 am I was solicited via phone by a would be employer who wished to offer me a position as an 'Administrative Assistant.' As he spoke to me I checked my phone's caller ID, he was calling from a restricted number and furthermore he wished to know details of my appearance rather than my skills. After a bit more mindless questioning he finally confessed his true intention of employing me as an escort. Needless to say I informed him that I was not interested in that type of work and promptly ended the call.

However as I hung up the phone I realized that accepting such an offer was not idea that had never crossed my mind before. So I am taking the time to examine and share my thoughts on the use sex as a means to obtain material wealth.

It is common in society to associate a woman who is sexually promiscuous to a common whore; moreover a woman who accepts money for sexual deeds is indeed a sin. Whereas little argument is placed against men who are openly promiscuous, in fact it's looked upon as a sign of male superiority.
In many religious texts it is okay for man to have multiple wives and as many concubines as he pleases. In America we pay men millions of dollars for performance in the sports industry through commercial endorsements. Men genetically have more testosterone than women, and thus can perform at higher levels of training than even top female athletes. Is this not an unfair advantage? It's no secret that men are paid higher salaries then women in workplace or have more opportunities in the work place. There has yet to be a female president in this America.

My opinion is if a man can be paid millions for having more testosterone why can't a woman use her beauty and sexuality for benefits as well.

I do not solely look at sex as a means of physical satisfaction but also a way of sharing and giving emotional fulfillment. In fact my goddess of my choice is Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality. She in fact had many different lovers and sired many children. I do not view the scenario of having multiple partners as a transgression to my soul, nor do I believe that it is a crime to employ one's sexual talents in exchange for monetary benefit. However many religious faction would tell me that I would be an impure harlot.

It also occurred to that the vast majority of men who solicit women for sex where indeed need of more than just physical released but on deeper level are looking for a way of connecting to another human, but at the time are they are not consciously aware of it.
http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-Spiritual-Sex-and-Sexuality?&id=22
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Sometimes I even imagine a world where open sex is not seen as a hindrance to the morals society but rather a way of connecting to our souls, without the fear of accusation.

After I hung up the phone I told my boyfriend, who I have been with monogamously over a year with, what happened. His reaction to me was a bit shocking and disheartening. He told me that he was angry at me for letting some stranger try to entice me for sex like what occurred was somehow my fault. I looked at him and said I had no need apologize for anything, all I had done was put my resume on linkedin.com and some stranger answered. It was like a case of blame the victim and not the victimizer.
He came from a society were men are allowed to have a wife and 'counsels'. He also was quite a womanizer himself growing up, and he has told me that at some point in his life he hired a prostitute.

I wonder if his initial reaction was based out of fear or jealously?

Did I not accept the offer because I felt a need to remain 'faithful' to my boyfriend despite the way I feel about prostitution or was I simply to hide from my own self?

1. What are your thoughts on trading sex for monetary benefits?
2. If it were legal what rules would people need to meet in order to pursue that line of work?
3. Have you yourself ever wanted to be paid for your talents?
4. Should one be ridiculed for soliciting sex?
5. Would you ever tell your partner that you have thought about paying for sexual acts? Why or why not?
6. Would the world be better or worse for legalizing prostitution?

I feel in order for prostitution to be legitimate. You must be over 25, submit to regular drug testing, be free of any and all STD's, this would apply to customers as well, and you must be the one to collect any most fee for your services. You must be paid well for your services. You must be a voluntary participant in such acts without coercion or threats (meaning no pimps or sex slave rings). It must be done an appropriate approve area for both parties safety and you may not solicited openly in public areas. You have the right to refuse customers.

In no way should prostitution be illegal.

However, your idea that a prostitute should be paid well is also erroneous. Sure, charge what you like. But I assure you that sex is free, you do the math. Yes, society has created a fringe market, not even a fringe. But, would society change in regards to your preferences, your own desired income would evaporate.

quote:

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In no way should prostitution be illegal.

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Ironwood could explain why you have come to this decision?

I would like prostitution to be legal because I would like to have the option to use it in a safe way if I want to. I have never hired a prostitute but it seems too hard and risky and abusive as it is.

For some reason I have always found slutty girls attractive in a peculiar way that's noticeably different to the kind of attraction I get when I meet someone who I like both physically and mentally. I think I have this kind of weird respect for them because they're so free with their love. I feel like there's this kind of pure, nurturing quality in them that I admire (though of course this is not the case with all slutty people/prostitutes) or maybe it's more so just a non-judgmental quality.

There's no pressure to be anything for them (though ideally you shouldn't be anything other than what you are no matter who you're around - sometimes easier said than done). Still, it's just a comforting vibe.

Just go to the search bar, type in prostitution. If you have more questions after that, let me know.

Basically for me, it comes down to other people telling me what to or not to do. They have no right to do so. The moral arguments are biased and based on nonsense for the most part. Our society has damaged the public perception of sex and the psyches of many innocent people causing far more harm than sex for money.

And again, I for one would like the assurance that if I'm spending money on some chick that I'm gonna get some, especially if it turns out I want nothing more from her.

Chris- Thats an eye opening perspective. I think that comfort and attraction must be a sense of acceptance of sexuality, giving off the feeling that it is ok to be who we are. Maybe its more normal to be slutty rather than frigid. Or rather less harmful.

I see that function and role prostitution has major has had its affects on any society.

[link]http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Prostitution[/link]

History

Prostitution is sometimes referred to as "the world's oldest profession." Indeed, there is evidence of prostitution occurring throughout history, all the way back to ancient societies.
In the ancient world
Near East
One of the earliest forms was sacred prostitution, supposedly practiced among the Sumerians. In ancient sources (Herodotus, Thucydides) there are many traces of sacred prostitution. In Babylon, each woman had to reach, once in their lives, the sanctuary of Militta (Aphrodite or Nana/Anahita) and there have sex with a foreigner for a symbolic price as a sign of hospitality.
Within the religion of Canaan, a significant portion of temple prostitutes were male. It was widely used in Sardinia and in some of the Phoenician cultures, usually in honor of the goddess 'Ashtart. Presumably under the influence of the Phoenicians, this practice was developed in other ports of the Mediterranean Sea, such as Erice (Sicily), Locri Epizephiri, Croton, Rossano Vaglio, and Sicca Veneria.
Prostitution was common in ancient Israel, despite being tacitly forbidden by Jewish Law. It is recorded in the Bible that a prostitute in Jericho named Rahab assisted Israelite spies with her knowledge of the current socio-cultural and military situation due to her popularity with the high-ranking nobles she serviced. The spies, in return for the information, promised to save her and her family during the planned military invasion, as long as she fulfilled her part of the deal by keeping the details of the contact with them secret and leaving a sign on her residence that would be a marker for the advancing soldiers to avoid. When the people of Israel conquered Canaan, she left prostitution, converted to Judaism, and married a prominent member of the people.
Greece
In ancient Greek society, prostitution was engaged in by both women and boys. The Greek word for prostitute is porne, derived from the verb pernemi (to sell), with the evident modern evolution. Female prostitutes could be independent and sometimes influential women. They were required to wear distinctive dresses and had to pay taxes. Some similarities have been found between the Greek hetaera and the Japanese oiran, complex figures that are perhaps in an intermediate position between prostitution and courtisanerie. Some prostitutes in ancient Greece were as famous for their company as their beauty, and some of these women charged extraordinary sums for their services.
Solon instituted the first of Athens' brothels (oik'iskoi) in the sixth century B.C.E., and with the earnings of this business he built a temple dedicated to Aprodites Pandemo (or Qedesh), patron goddess of this commerce. Procuring, however, was strictly forbidden. In Cyprus (Paphus) and in Corinth, a type of religious prostitution was practiced where the temple counted more than a thousand prostitutes (hierodules), according to Strabo.
Each specialized category had its proper name, so there were the chamaitypa'i, working outdoor (lie-down), the perepatetikes who met their customers while walking (and then worked in their houses), and the gephyrides, who worked near the bridges. In the fifth century, Ateneo informs us that the price was of 1 obole, a sixth of a drachma and the equivalent of an ordinary worker's day salary.
Male prostitution was also common in Greece. It was usually practiced by adolescent boys, a reflection of the pederastic tastes of Greek men. Slave boys worked the male brothels in Athens, while free boys who sold their favors risked losing their political rights as adults.
Rome
In ancient Rome, while there were some commonalities with the Greek system. As the Empire grew, prostitutes were often foreign slaves, captured, purchased, or raised for that purpose, sometimes by large-scale "prostitute farmers" who took abandoned children. Indeed, abandoned children were almost always raised as prostitutes.[1]
Enslavement into prostitution was sometimes used as a legal punishment against criminal free women. Buyers were allowed to inspect naked men and women for sale in private and there was no stigma attached to the purchase of males by a male aristocrat. A large brothel, called the Lupanar, found in Pompeii attests to the widespread use of prostitutes in Rome around the turn of the century. Like Greece, Roman prostitution was highly categorized, with titles for prostitutes and their places of trade.
Middle Ages
After the decline of organized prostitution of the Roman empire, many prostitutes were slaves. However, religious campaigns against slavery, and the growing marketization of the economy, turned prostitution back into a business. Although all forms of sexual activity outside of marriage were regarded as sinful by the Roman Catholic Church, prostitution was tolerated because it was held to prevent the greater evils of rape, sodomy, and masturbation.[2] Augustine of Hippo held that: "If you expel prostitution from society, you will unsettle everything on account of lusts." The general tolerance of prostitution was for the most part reluctant, and many canonists urged prostitutes to reform.
During the Middle Ages prostitution was commonly found in urban contexts. By the High Middle Ages it was common to find town governments ruling that prostitutes were not to ply their trade within the town walls, but they were tolerated outside, if only because these areas were beyond the jurisdiction of the authorities. In many areas of France and Germany town governments came to set aside certain streets as areas where prostitution could be tolerated. In London the brothels of Southwark were even owned by the Bishop of Winchester.[2] Still later it became common in the major towns and cities of Southern Europe to establish civic brothels, whilst outlawing any prostitution taking place outside these brothels. In much of Northern Europe a more laissez faire attitude tended to be found.[3] Prostitutes also found a fruitful market in the Crusades.
Sixteenth century
By the very end of the fifteenth century, attitudes hardened against prostitution. With the advent of the Protestant Reformation numbers of Southern German towns closed their brothels in an attempt to eradicate prostitution. The prevalence of sexually transmitted disease from the earlier sixteenth century may also have influenced attitudes. An outbreak of syphilis in Naples 1494, which later swept across Europe, and which may have originated from the Columbian Exchange, appears to have been the one of the causes of this change in attitude.


Köçek troupe at a fair. Recruited from the ranks of colonized ethnic groups, köçeks were entertainers and sex workers in the Ottoman empire.
In some periods, prostitutes had to distinguish themselves by particular signs, sometimes wearing very short hair or no hair at all, or wearing veils in societies where other women did not wear them. In some cultures, prostitutes were the only women allowed to sing in public or act in theatrical performances.
Eighteenth century to present
In the eighteenth century, probably in Venice, prostitutes started using condoms, made with catgut or cow bowel.
Many of the women who posed in nineteenth and early twentieth century vintage erotica were prostitutes. The most famous were the New Orleans women who posed for E. J. Bellocq.
In the nineteenth century, legalized prostitution became a public controversy as France and then the United Kingdom passed the Contagious Diseases Acts, legislation mandating pelvic examinations for suspected prostitutes. Many early feminists fought for their repeal, either on the grounds that prostitution should be illegal and therefore not government regulated or because it forced degrading medical examinations upon women. This legislation applied not only to the United Kingdom and France, but also to their overseas colonies.
Originally, prostitution was widely legal in the United States. Prostitution was made illegal in almost all states between 1910 and 1915 largely due to the influence of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union which was influential in the banning of drug use and was also a major force in the prohibition of alcohol. In 1917, the legally defined prostitution district Storyville in New Orleans was closed down by the Federal government over local objections. Prostitution remained legal in Alaska until 1953 (while not yet a U.S. state), and is still legal in some counties of Nevada.
In Asia, there has been a tradition of forcing the women of an occupied land into prostitution, as was the case with Japanese-occupied China and Korea in World War II. These specific women were called "Comfort Women."[4]
Beginning in the late 1980s, many states increased the penalties for prostitution in cases where the prostitute is knowingly HIV-positive. These laws, often known as felony prostitution laws, require anyone arrested for prostitution to be tested for HIV, and if the test comes back positive, the suspect is then informed that any future arrest for prostitution will be a felony instead of a misdemeanor. Penalties for felony prostitution vary in the states that have such laws, typically with maximum sentences of 10 to 15 years in prison.

Of course, if prostitution was legalised in the sense you have outlined, then there would be less - what, prejudice? - but the thing is, realistically, even if those 'requirements' were written down in law, there would be abuse, rape (especially if the prostitute refuses a wrong kind of customer), and, let's be honest, there's a reason why many prostitutes are 16 years old or younger.

It would help, certainly - but it wouldn't end the abusive and/or forced prostitution and there would, of course, be people who would turn up their nose at prostitution no matter how legal or clean it becomes.

As for another point, I think the prejudice of being paid for sex stems from the opinion that sex is intimate - that is, it's the most fundamental urge and need of almost every multicellular organism. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it might seem degrading for some people to sell yourself in such a... primal... manner.

But all in all, it's an interesting concept.