Call for Writers: Representations of Sex Workers

 

Our first Theme Week for 2014 will be Representations of Sex Workers.

Feminism has a complicated relationship with sex work. Even the most sex-positive sometimes stop short at embracing voluntary sex work as a (potentially) sex-positive, feminist venture. Subjectifying female sexuality–from recent SlutWalks through generations of fighting for reproductive choice–is a cornerstone of feminist activism, but how do we respond to sex work, which is maligned and complicated? How can we draw clear lines between voluntary and involuntary sex work, and listen to and hear stories from sex workers themselves? And how do film and television represent sex workers?

In a recent Salon article (which is an excerpt from the author’s book), “Ethical sluts and ‘dirty whores’: Straight talk about sex work,” Melinda Chateauvert says that even though feminists have reclaimed “sluttiness,” we still struggle with sex work:

Whorephobia remains pervasive in the social psyche, showing its ugliness even in sex-positive communities. The positive emphasis on sex work confuses “straights” into thinking that sex work is about sex, not work. That cognitive dissonance — the deep chasm filled with stereotypes and prejudices — interferes with the capacity of civilians to hear sex workers speak about their experiences. Stories that don’t conform to the “superhappyfunsexysexwork!” narrative tend to flummox pro-sex feminists; they can identify with privileged exotic dancers, porn performers and professional dominants (even fantasize about being one), but think “junkie whores” need to be rescued and should be prevented from working in their gentrifying neighborhoods. Such disrespectful treatment leads to silencing, ignoring, or rewriting what sex workers have to say.

Too often, sex work and sex workers on screen aren’t represented three-dimensionally. Media representation is a mirror to our own cultural attitudes and norms, and we’d like to use this theme week to explore and analyze the good, the bad, and the dangerous of representations of sex workers in film and television.

(For more reading on the topic, see this Ms. article and this wonderful round-up of articles at POSTWHOREAMERICA and check out the conversation on Twitter at #notyourrescueproject. For commentary/ideas about sex work on film, see this Alternet article and links from the London Sex Worker Film Festival.)

We’d like to avoid as much overlap as possible for this theme, so get your proposals in early if you know who or what you would like to write about. We accept both original pieces and cross-posts, and we respond to queries within a week.

Most of our pieces are between 1,000 and 2,000 words, and include links and images. Please send your piece as a Microsoft Word document to btchflcks[at]gmail[dot]com, including links to all images, and include a 2- to 3-sentence bio.

If you have written for us before, please indicate that in your proposal, and if not, send a writing sample if possible.

Please be familiar with our publication and look over recent and popular posts to get an idea of Bitch Flicks’ style and purpose. We encourage writers to use our search function to see if your topic has been written about before, and link when appropriate (hyperlinks to sources are welcome, as well).

The final due date for these submissions is Friday, Jan. 24 by midnight.

 

A sampling of films/shows that highlight sex workers:

Pretty Baby

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

Working Girls

Mighty Aphrodite

Showgirls

Sweet Charity

Klute

Gunsmoke

Taxi Driver

Leaving Las Vegas

Midnight Cowboy

The Owl and the Pussycat

My Own Private Idaho

Risky Business

Moulin Rouge

Mysterious Skin

Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo

Reno 911

The Girlfriend Experience

Hung

Butterfield 8

Kansas City

Last Exit to Brooklyn

Irma La Douce

Claire Dolan

Elmer Gantry

McCabe & Mrs. Miller

Nathalie

Priceless (Hors de prix)

Pretty Woman

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

The Center of the World

Lost Highway

Inland Empire

Profane

A Kiss for Gabriela

The Client List

American Gigolo

The Man from Elysian Fields

Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss

Boogie Nights

Magic Mike

Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy

Vidiyum Munn