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Thesis Outline, real entry behind this Okay for all those of you who were waiting so patiently for me to get past the lessie rant and post the outline...here it is. Please leave me some reviews of it if you can. If not, that's fine too. I know it's long but check it out...it makes things look doable! I think I will refrain printing a copy for Carol though, let her use the school's paper for free. by the way, my hybrid theory kicks ass!!! *************************************** Thesis Outline I. Thesis--most of the theory on sex work breaks down into three simple categories: constraint theory that focuses on the constraints and problems of sex work, choice theory which sees sex work as a place where women can exercise their agency, and the newly developed choice within constraint theory that looks at both the constraints that sex workers operate under but also how sex work can be a form of choice within those constraints. Each of these theories has their own particular strengths and weaknesses, which I will discuss in my opening sections, but all these theories fall short of the actual reality. Instead, I propose a newly developed theory, which I term hybrid theory after Maggie O�Neill�s proposal (25), that would take all of these theories and combine them to form specific feminist theory in specific contexts. As class and situations change for sex workers so the theory would change to better interpret their reality. A danger for this theory is that it might fall back onto mere experience but at this current point in time feminist theory has enough ideologies surrounding the issue of sex work that correctly illuminate the status and issues for different types of sex workers that hybrid theory could use each specific theory to focus it on the workers that it best describes instead of attempting to use one theory to explain sex work as a universal whole. Therefore hybrid theory is a combination of taking previously developed theory, which will be discussed in the first sections, and applying that theory to a certain specific class of sex worker that it affects and not attempting to find a universal theory for an act which carries far different meanings in different contexts. II. Constraint Feminism a. Definition�feminism which focuses on the constraints that sex work puts upon the workers as well as upon other women in the society, does not see sex work as a free choice or as something positive that a woman can do for herself b. Mackinnon i. Sees sex work as demeaning to all women because it shows that all women can be reduced to sex objects, finds that pornography harms women directly in the industry as well as harmful to all women who live in a world with those images ii. Pros-fully understands the harm that some women can go through in producing pornography e.g. Lovelace, also understands how pornographic images can subconsciously affect men�s minds over a long period of time, wants to help workers by allowing them some relief from companies that use them against their will in certain sex acts iii. Cons-attempts to provide a direct link from pornography to assault which works in some cases but becomes more difficult in others, fails to see pornography as a viable option for some women to work and instead wishes to rehabilitate all workers, theory not a universal reality for all sex workers but only for those who have entered the business under abusive circumstances c. O�Neill i. Leans partly towards choice theory in that she wants sex workers to have more options in their work and their life but she has issues with a transaction of sexual services for money being an equal exchange. Although she mentions her theory applying to upper class workers, she works mostly with streetwalkers and dislikes the legal constraints on their lifestyle but finds that more research needs to be conducted before altering their situation ii. Pros-does understand that sex workers� lives are constrained by legal issues and does understand that more research needs to be conducted before one can jump to a universal theory iii. Cons-believes that her theory that sex work is sex for money is immoral, theory can usually only apply to streetwalkers because much of her beliefs about police busts are rarer with upper class workers d. Davidson i. Opposes sex work on the grounds that a woman is being paid to be a physical person not a social person, she cannot make demands upon her partner because she is only a physical object, his sexual fantasy. Works with sex workers from sex tourism sites to upper class workers and discovers that even though upper class workers would benefit from decriminalization, lower class workers might be adversely affected ii. Pros-almost universal theory in that all sex workers are not supposed to act outside of their given role as a male fantasy worker because that is what the client pays for and this works in terms of sex slaves to upper class workers ii. Cons-works in theory but fails in reality. Although sex slaves cannot be anything more than a sexual fantasy to a client and upper class workers are being paid to be that fantasy, many upper class workers can and do demand to be taken as something more than that fantasy, e.g. a sexual educator, an artist, a person, etc. Once recognized as such by their clients can and do make demands for their pleasure and protection III. Choice Feminism a. Definition�feminism that sees sex work as something a woman can choose to do and should not feel ashamed of doing, sex work as experience and a fulfilling choice, activists usually from the ranks of the upper class workers b. Delacoste and Alexander i. Compliation of narratives that stress decriminalization as an option for women to free themselves from the legal constraints within their lives without which they will be constantly persecuted while working and no woman will be truly free to use her body as she sees fit ii. Pros-sees legal constraints as affecting all women, contains narrative support from variegated types sex workers, directly relates legal and moral concerns to their experience ii. Cons-many women in the compilation fail to mention the costs of their jobs in addition to their benefits, although many types of workers, class usually mid-range stripper or higher, no discussion of streetworkers c. Nagle i. More politically conscious than Sex Work, tend to see their work as a stand against patriarchy, advocate for decriminalization on the grounds that they want to work for themselves and they enjoy their work ii. Pros-women see sex work as a positive choice, view their jobs differently than constraint feminists see them as positive centers for their lives, stand up to say they enjoy their work iii. Cons-fail to see how sex work can harm some women, tend to be upper class workers writing this defense, more defensive than Sex Work d. Pheterson i. Believes prostitutes should be free from laws criminalizing their profession because at this point they cannot enforce contracts, stand up against rapists, etc. Also deals with the concept of whore stigma in that women should be free to be prostitutes and not have to suffer at the hands of society for this freely made career choice. ii. Pros-sees choosing sex work as a freely made choice, understands some costs of choosing that lifestyle, notes that decriminalization would improve lives for all sex workers iii. Cons-wants to work to change society�s state of mind in addition to the laws in order to make the situation better for sex workers, difficult, fails to question downsides of decriminalization IV. Choice Within Constraint Feminism a. Definition�feminism that sees sex work not as the previously illustrated binary but sees sex work as one of many options within a system of constraints, not fully choice but not something that a woman cannot escape either. Theory discussed earlier occasionally alluded to constraints and choices within them but theory here is more balanced in this area. b. Cornell i. Dominant trend is that she wants women�s imaginations to be free. Wants workers to be able to organize for better conditions on set and allow them to enjoin a film if they are abused during its creation. Wants women to be free from seeing porn though if they so choose not to but also wants it readily accessible if they so choose to use it. Understands that porn can appeal to the mind as well as the body because it can subconsciously create a belief in men that they can control women but still wants the option free for women who find it constructive. ii. Pros-can see freedom in porn for some and problems in porn for others, wants to balance both of these considerations to allows those who want to work in porn the freedom and protections they need but also want to keep women free from porn if they so choose iii. Cons-although this could work for pornography it would be more difficult to work something similar out for other forms of sex work due to red light districts not providing the ideal comfort level for most women to explore their sexuality in, cannot be taken to be universal
c. Chandler i. Sees sex work as something women can choose to do when faced with certain situations. Pushes beyond the binary shown earlier by acknowledging the constraints that sex workers usually operate and then noting that their free choice allows them to pursue sex work as the best option for them. ii. Pros-notes that sex work is a choice but also notes the problems that tend to lead women into sex work, works beyond the simple binary by pulling apart the idea that women have entirely free will or they are entirely fallen iii. Cons-although she notes that no choice is completely free and outside of constraint, she fails to interrogate the idea of sexual slavery where choice completely fails to be an option unless it is the choice of death V. Hybrid Theory a. Bernstein early proponent who saw that certain feminist theories apply to a certain kind of sex worker while other theories do not, segregates sex workers into their classes to discover which works for which and whether or not sex work for them is a desperate struggle b. Sex workers most often differ by class and so theories need to be tailored to what each class of sex worker needs and experiences without an attempt to make a universal theory i. Streetwalkers and lower class workers 1. unifying theory is that of a lack of choices or options, can be seen as working out of desperation with little better alternatives. Legalization may help some but those who are in sex tourism might not be helped except through abolition 2. Mackinnon a. Even though she focuses on adult film workers her theories that women are used and abused and need to break out can be applied to sex tourism facility workers 3. O�Neill a. Studies mostly streetwalkers and in their case choice is limited and they are making a more desperate exchange of sex for money than any other worker, in this case sex for money might not be equivalent because men can take more out of these women than upper class workers 4. Davidson a. Women being paid to be a man�s fantasy without being able to offer input into the encounter occurs more often for lower class workers, mentions that upper class workers have more control over this and might be able to escape it in controlled circumstances 5. Pheterson a. Deals mostly with ground level prostitutes that would benefit from decriminalization and a shift in attitude away from whore stigma because this would allow them to bring rape charges against clients to the police which they currently cannot do 6. Bernstein a. Sees lower class workers as more likely to carry on a �desperate exchange� as opposed to upper class workers in COYOTE, cites streetwalkers and crack driven prostitutes ii. Strippers, peep show artists and other middle class workers 1. unifying principle here is the need for decriminalization, spread of knowledge to the outside world, and a commonality in experiences 2. Delacoste and Alexander a. Need to free women by speaking out about the commonality of sex work, need freedom from legal constraints for women to explore this as a job option when needed, various jobs mostly strippers and peep show women cited 3. Chandler a. Recognizes that middle class people work in the sex industry because she cites that it becomes an option when you fall on hard times, etc. that works beyond lower class theory in that for most middle class workers, sex work is what they do to make up the rent and not something that they formalize like street workers or upper class workers iii. Escorts, adult film stars and upper class workers 1. unifying theory is that of empowerment, a need to see sex work as a career and a good career, need to end whore stigma, decriminalize the profession, and become respectable and responsible. Very image oriented around the idea of sex work as a legitimate business that deserves positive recognition for education and sexual awareness. 2. Nagle a. Writers see their personal sex work as a stand against patriarchy and they want to work for themselves because they enjoy the job 3. Pheterson a. Need to work to eradicate whore stigma so that sex workers are no longer seen as dirty but as real people who happen to sell sex for a living
4. Cornell a. advocates for sex workers to form unions for their benefit, wants them to be able to enjoin a film if they are abused on the set, wants pornography available for those women who want to use it c. Once theories have been separated by class the unifying trends become clear for each class of sex worker, what challenges and problems that are unique to their specific situation. The lack of a universal theory should not be seen as something to remedy because it is impossible to have an overarching theory on sex work, similar to the inability to have one theory that explains gender relations as a complete whole. d. Hybrid theory will not degenerate into mere experience because the current theory above merely needs to be applied to only one category of sex worker, not the entire gambit. Theory can still be generated for each class of sex worker that is class specific and needs to proceed along these grounds VI. Conclusion�once we perform the act of separating current theory from its primary binary of choice and constraint feminism into the classes of sex worker which it either studies as its basis or which it impacts the most, we find that theories surrounding each class of sex worker tend to be very similar. Once we stop looking for a universal theory of sex work and open up the arena to hybrid theory, each class�s issues and struggles become apparent as being different from that of the other classes and in each case the theories being developed based on that class tend to apply more or less only to that single class. Thus, hybrid theory by escaping the need for a universal conception of sex work, frees the theorist to see what each class of sex worker needs to better their lifestyle. |