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The discourse surrounding sex work and prostitution in the past few years has become polarised. Within liberal feminist circles, advocates have pushed for the idea of the ‘liberated sex worker’, presenting sex work as the ultimate expression of personal freedom- an act in which women control their bodies and finances. Advocates argue that by de-stigmatising prostitution and recognising it as a form of legitimate work, we can foster greater respect for sex workers, reduce violence and shift public perception. 

But does the liberal feminist embrace of sex work truly empower women, or does it simply reframe the same patriarchal exploitation under the guise of choice and empowerment? 

Proponents often argue that decriminalisation can improve workers’ safety and autonomy. However, statistics paint a far grimmer picture. Approximately 105,000 individuals in the UK are involved in prostitution- a significant rise from 72,000 in 2016. This increase is largely driven by the cost of living crisis, which has pushed more women into sex work as a last resort. Shockingly, at least three-quarters of UK women in prostitution have been physically assaulted, with more than half being raped or sexually assaulted. Additionally, 49% of sex workers report feeling very worried about their safety. These figures underscore the dissonance between the idea of sex work as liberating and the harsh realities many workers face.

Liberal feminism, meanwhile, often champions equal pay, reproductive rights, and access to higher education. In doing so, it seeks to adapt capitalism into a framework that supports women’s rights. Rather than dismantling capitalism entirely, proponents argue that women’s liberation is achievable within its existing structure. In fact, however, capitalism paradoxically profits from selling these rights, ensuring existing power dynamics persist. Instead of fighting for equality, liberal feminism often seeks to normalise an industry where women are bought and sold to service men. The ideology reframes women’s oppression within the capitalist regime, arguing that liberation can be achieved within the system, without having to dismantle it. In doing so, it becomes complicit in sustaining the very structures of power that perpetuate female subordination. 

At the heart of liberal feminism is the image of the liberated sex worker – marketed as the ultimate expression of female autonomy by the media. Consent is framed as a sacred right- an act of autonomy we supposedly assert through control over our bodies and finances. This narrative oversimplifies reality, it treats exploitation as a matter of individual decision making. The truth is that the commodification of women’s bodies in the name of liberal feminism has nothing to do with freedom; it’s about power. Women are reduced to mere commodities in an economy where their bodies are the product and the buyer holds all the power.

The commodification of women’s bodies is not freedom – it is a form of sexual and social subordination. It reduces women to a subclass of beings, reinforcing a power imbalance that defines sexual relations between men and women. By submitting to the demands of patriarchy, becoming the ideal worker and engaging in sex on male terms through monetary transactions, sex work prevailed and has somehow become branded as empowering. 

Feminist icons like Gloria Steinem and Andrea Dworkin have argued that prostitution is not an empowering profession, but a perpetuation of patriarchal control. Steinem reminds, the belief that prostitution is ‘sex work’ is a widely held misconception. Often thought of as the world’s ‘oldest profession’, it simply is the world’s oldest form of oppression. The notion that prostitution is something more than the purchasing of consent is a delusion, created to assuage the consciences of those who buy it. Andrea Dworkin was unequivocal in her rejection of the idea that sex work can be considered legitimate: ‘When men use women in prostitution, they are expressing a pure hatred for the female body. It is contempt so deep. That whole human life is reduced to a few sexual orifices and he can do anything he wants’. 

Criticising the sex industry does not equate to patronising sex workers. It is entirely possible to respect sex workers while understanding that this industry relies on the exploitation and commodification of the female body. One of the most cynical arguments against those who oppose prostitution is that they speak about sex workers instead of engaging with them directly. Yet this critique applies to supporters of sex work. The image of a liberated sex worker is a fantasy – a fantasy of white middle-class women eager to prove their progressiveness and open-minded values. This idolised image shields these women from the harsh reality of sex work, leaving them untouched by the violence and degradation that many sex workers face daily. 

At its worst, liberal feminism serves as a way for liberal men to obscure their patriarchal views and their complicity in maintaining systems of power that benefit them. It is troubling that rather than envisioning a new model for women’s freedom, liberal feminism has settled on framing women’s ‘self-determination’ as the right to do what they have been doing for centuries – being of service to men. This is not empowerment- its simply rebranding centuries-old oppression. 

The question that remains is: can true liberation ever be achieved within a system that thrives on the exploitation of women?

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Emily Rose Hone
eh886@exeter.ac.uk

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