Will you support someone you know to become a prostitute?

Nothing really changes. I know both men and women who are married, and are as being ‘kept’ much like some paid companions are. Companions can set themselves up quite nicely. Others act like prostitutes without any “benefits” gained. It is still viewed differently if a man or a woman is in this situation. Quick! Give me the word equivalency of the same connotations for a woman being called a whore, a slut, a tramp, etc.- Men in this situation have the nomers of…. Uh…. Lucky dog? Wink wink-nudge nudge?
They are the same person you knew. Just perhaps a little more honest. If they desire as such- I’d have a care for their safety. If out of desperation- that is a whole different matter.

@msh
They are called “players”

Funny how nice, sweet and Yo! High-five dude! that sounds, isn’t it? Doesn’t seem to degrade their direct overal reputation individually as do the women’s. My take on it only…but, yeah, not as sleezy. More of a non-put-down than the others.

I would support them so they didn’t have to prostitute themselves. If they went ahead anyway I would respect their decision.

Absolutely. Sex work is legitimate work.

I wouldn’t encourage them to take on sex work. I’d be worried about their safety. I’d try to understand why they were making that choice and if it was because they needed money, drugs etc. I’d help them to avoid going down the sex work path. However, and as @flutherother says, if they’re making a career choice and I can’t dissuade them, I’d still love and respect them.

Hmm. This is a tough one.I actually met someone whom I was told was a prostitute at a party.. She was a lovely person. But I was forewarned that she was also a thief so to keep my valuables on me or hidden well when she was near. I did not know her but I knew the others that warned me. They claim that some cash went missing at another gathering where she attended. I don’t know if they just assumed it was her or if they were right.
I ended up being the person to talk to her the most since it seemed that everyone else avoided her like the plague. She was there as a guest of a family member.

I remember feeling sad for her. She was an out cast and you could tell she was lonely. I was sure word spread. People acted as if she was invisible. At first I was about the same towards her. But I couldn’t help but noticed that she was trying to connect with people and with me, so I found myself talking to her more than most people at the party.
I discovered she was indeed a very nice person but I also found that her profession would not allow me to extend our new friendship beyond that event.

Prostitutes carry with them several reputations that other professions, may carry.
People often believe that a prostitute is desperate for money. So if she can’t sell herself she will steal money for drugs. Also, because of her profession and possible drug use, she is viewed as a carrier of disease. (I should say this applies to both male and female.)
Prostitutes also sleep with married people and may pass on disease to them and them will carry it over to their unknowing partner.

So no. They will always be seen as less valuable in society. Why would I encourage that life for someone I care for? Why would I support them in a high risk job that can get them sick, or hurt and be viewed by the world like a scourge, or simply as property to be sold at any price? Why would I support them to enter a life that can lead to drug abuse, or to become an alcoholic. There are more down sides than there are up.

And the one thing about this job, is that you can decide to get out of it but the reputation follows you for your life time. Forever, you were the prostitute, to those who know you.
So why, knowing all that, would I support someone wanting to enter that life?
People won’t say it to your face, but everything we do that is against the law, or against humanity in some way, remains a stigma upon that person where ever they go. Even if it was for a little time.

I wish I could remember who said it. I think it was a random Twitter-thing, but it said (and I may be paraphrasing):

“If you believe a prostitute sells her body and a coal miner doesn’t, your view of labor is clouded by your puritanical views of morality.”

I have many friends who went to Law school; one could argue that they are also prostitutes in that they sell their ethics and morals to defend clients who do indefensible things.

I know two people who went into hedge funds as traders, and do things that I see as unethical and distasteful.

So while I would not want the sex trade to be my particular career, I can certainly see how it can be lucrative (if done well) , and it it is no more reprehensible than being a lawyer.

I also would strongly support the legalization of prostitution, so as to life the onus of people looking down on it.

@Earthbound_Misfit—nice. I could not have expressed it better. In fact, I won’t try.

@Pandora I respect your opinion but just because people stigmatize a prostitute doesn’t mean he/she is wrong for having that profession. There are also well educated prostitutes that refrain from doing all the things you just mentioned.

My wife, my daughter? No fucking way, not so much the sex aspect, although that would contribute, but the abuse from pimps & inevitable pathway into drugs & shit…nah, blocked!

In this society I don’t think any one wants to be a prostitute, and I don’t think anyone would consider it a “calling.” It’s not like the decision to become a nun or a doctor or lawyer. A little girl, or boy, doesn’t wake up one morning and say, “I want to be a prostitute!”

For all the reasons mentioned above, the risk of disease, assault, danger, I would not be happy with such a decision.

However, if we, as a society, can get our collective hyper-moral, double standard bullshit together, and create a safe environment for the sex trade, with oversight and medical care, and destigmatize a perfectly natural act, then sure. Why not? Why the hell not?

My friend has wanted to run a brothel since at least ninth grade (when I met her). I have a standing offer to become her costume designer, should it ever happen.

You go, friend! We can play dress up!

Someone close to me has been a prostitute/escort. They were staying with me for a while and I found out when a copy of their ad was sent to my address back in the days when printed classifieds were common.

I didn’t have a problem with it, they were safe, intelligent, and it seemed like as good a fit as I could imagine. They enjoyed smoozing, fitting a role, and sex. If you can get people to pay you well to take you out and have a good time, why not, right? Be someone else for a little bit.

To my knowledge there was no drama while they were doing it, and nothing to suggest it was a bad idea. Yay for progressive careers and having fun.

Years later they found out they were HIV positive and that pretty much destroyed their life. There’s no way to know when they contracted HIV, but having unanswered questions like that was harder than dealing with an actual diagnosis, I think.

So I’d advise a friend to find a career that doesn’t involve swapping bodily fluids until we can eliminate that as a possible death sentence. Yes, every job has risks, but I would advise someone not to be a coal miner for the same reasons.

No one thinks they’ll be the guy who accidentally causes a cave in, or gets premature lung cancer, if they follow basic precautions. And no one thinks they’ll accidentally spread or contract HIV.

@Unofficial_Member There are things in life we can’t help being born into that has stigma’s or prejudice attached to them. Being female, being of a certain race or skin color or height or handicapped or even being born too a poor family. Everything has a certain amount of stigma or prejudice attached to them. That is what societies do. Even faiths. Some employments are also seen as being worse than others.
Prostitutes make money for their bodies. I totally get that. But, it’s not the johns or even their professions that bother me. It’s the notion that it is a victim less crime. If they wish to sell their bodies. Fine. But I think of the people who get diseased from these prostitutes that pass it on to others.
I knew of more than one military wife who got VD after their husbands return home from long deployments on ships. Sure it wasn’t always prostitutes but it happens.
I also don’t believe in the whole, rubbers will save you. If people can get pregnant with using rubbers, they certainly can catch VD.
So no. I wouldn’t support them to possibly ruin other peoples lives in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. And that would go for any job that requires hurting others.
Would it be right to support a drug dealer.? They may feel it’s their calling too. They too may be looking for quick cash to pay their bills. The client wants the drug and they simply supply it. Everyone is happy, so what is the big deal? Ask their family members they steal from to support the habit or the abuse they give others or the children born with addictions. To them it’s big deal. Plenty of jobs in the world that don’t require hurting others.

..Or the ones who give the diseases to the prostitutes to begin with. I think we should change the subject to the disgusting men who visit those women frequently.

I’m with @Earthbound_Misfit too.

I have joked over the years of becoming a madam, Colomas bohemian brothel, replete with persian rugs and silk pillows and mood lighting and an opium den. haha
, Joking aside though, I might be more supportive of a friend that was taking on the position pun intended of being a high priced, high class call girl but your sad run o’ the mill, street walking prostitute, hell no. I do not believe that women or men should prostitute themselves in any fashion, whether that’s sleeping your way to the top or sleeping with scum to support a drug habit. Sex work may be a choice, but I don’t think one can really find much dignity, integrity or honor in such a “career” and few would support their mother, sister, daughter or grandmother being a porn star, stripper, hooker.

I can just hear the dinner time conversations now ” Hey grandma, wanna see me take 3 big cocks in my ass at the same time?” ” It’s my best work yet!” lol

No. I disagree and have no respect for you and your colleagues .

If someone I knew said they wanted to become a prostitute, I would try to discourage them. Prostitutes are often abused physically and sexually, ripped off, have a high chance of getting arrested, the list goes on.

Another disadvantage – police may not believe you and are very likely to give you a hard time. Defense attorneys may discredit you, too. From today’s New York TImes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/12/us/baltimore-police-sexual-assault-gender-bias.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

I wouldn’t encourage it. It has nothing to do with what they’re doing for a living – sex work is legitimate work, and I know a couple of folks who have worked as dancers, but prostitution isn’t regulated. I can’t imagine how it would be at all a safe line of work. If there were some kind of regulation in place, I’d be able to say that yes, I could support it. But there’s just far too much risk out there.

It needs to become legal, regulated and taxed.

Prostitutes are also at high risk for being murdered, especially by serial killers that often prey upon these women of the fringe. Many are not missed, reported missing, have no family or are estranged from their families, are runaways and the perfect target for the uber sick fucks.

And so it needs to become legal and regulated.

@Dutchess_III I live just a 60 or so miles from legal prostitution in Nevada, just the other side of Lake Tahoe up the hill from me. It is only legal in some counties and, surprisingly, illegal in Las Vegas, but there are brothels outside the city limits. Regulation does make it a little safer, regular testing for STDs, etc. and legal brothels where there are bouncers and security surveillance etc. but it is still risky business for those girls that are out on their own. Nothing to stop some creep from killing a girl in a hotel room or anywhere else for the women that are self employed.

Regardless of legality, Prostitution remains a very dangerous profession, for obvious reasons.

It’s dangerous in part because so much of it has to be done in secrecy.

And yeah, even if it was legal and monitored, it would be dangerous for the girls if the guy had some sort of insecurity about his ability to perform, or had fucked up ideas about sex, women and mothers or something.