Former Escort Shares Past Experiences And Says Prostitution Is The Opposite Of Women's Liberation: "Sex Work Is Not Work, It Is Rape"

The sex work industry in the United States encompasses various forms of work, such as street-based prostitution, escort services, online sex work, and pornography. It is difficult to determine the exact number of individuals involved in the sex work industry due to its often hidden and criminalized nature. However, estimates suggest that there are between 200,000 and 1 million active sex workers in the U.S. The pornography industry is also a significant part of the sex work landscape, with thousands of performers and a market value of around $10-12 billion annually.

Sex workers' earnings can vary greatly depending on factors such as location, type of work, and individual arrangements. On average, street-based sex workers may earn between $20 and $100 per transaction, while higher-end escorts can charge several hundred or even thousands of dollars per hour. In the pornography industry, performers' pay can range from a few hundred dollars for a single scene to thousands of dollars per day for more established stars.

Unfortunately, sex workers in the United States face a disproportionately high risk of experiencing sexual assault and violence. According to a study by the Urban Justice Center, nearly 80% of street-based sex workers in the U.S. have experienced violence while working. Online and indoor sex workers also face risks, although the prevalence of violence tends to be lower in these settings. An influencer who goes by @phemoid on Twitter has been sharing some of her personal experiences as an escort, advocating for women to be freed from this kind of degrading "work."

Former Escort Shares Past Experiences and Says Prostitution Is the Opposite of Women's Liberation

@phemoid shared two older photos of herself on Twitter. The first is the picture she took in order to advertise her escort services, and the second is an outtake from the same photo shoot. She says she likes to go back and look at these photos; she was "just a baby, freshly out of high school." Although @phemoid has dark hair today, her hair in the photos is blonde.

"I could turn on the 'grown upedness' but you see the child like silly in the out-takes like the second photo," @phemoid tweets. "I’d cry into the pillows of motels, ass up, paid only to leave. I’d walk around with my head held high. My superpower, my sexuality, my poison.
She was so broken, so lonely and so naive. She saw too much too soon. Everything I do is for her. Sex work is not work, it is rape."

Today, @phemoid speaks out against sex work of any kind, insisting that it's the complete opposite of liberation for women. "Selling your body to men who have sexually subjugated you for centuries is not liberation, it is the antithesis of women’s liberation," she tweeted on May 7.

She was a guest on the "whatever" podcast recently and spoke about how the current state of feminism is actually a "bastardized version of feminism" that has been taken from women and given to men so they can continue exploiting women sexually, hypersexualize women, and sleep with whomever they want.

Efforts to improve the safety and well-being of sex workers in the United States have taken various forms, including advocacy for the decriminalization or legalization of sex work. Some proponents argue that decriminalization would allow sex workers to access healthcare, legal protection, and labor rights, ultimately reducing their vulnerability to violence and exploitation. Some states, such as Nevada, have already taken steps to legalize and regulate certain forms of sex work, providing models for potential policy changes elsewhere. But others argue that legalizing or even decriminalizing it would only continue to normalize sex work, and instead we should work to abolish the industry entirely and make cultural shifts that would discourage men from buying into it and women from participating in it.

Voices like @phemoid have been useful in helping women better understand the dangers and long-term damage that come with selling your body, no matter how much money you make or how glamorous some women may make it seem.

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