I am ambivalent about prostitution. I have been a whore; I respect the woman who finds herself exchanging the use of her body for cash or drugs--she often might feel her body is a source or power or control over her situation. But is it a true empowerment? And for all this description of prostitution as "a woman embracing her sexuality," is it? Yes, you embrace yourself as a sexual object, but is that the same as embracing your sexuality? I'm just wondering. And Bob Herbert recently published an Op-Ed column that only complicated my ambivalence. I can only reprint his opening words, which are:
"The first thing to understand about prostitution, including legal prostitution, is that the element of coercion is almost always present."
And he's right. As I can't reprint the article in its entirety, I don't feel comfortable arguing for or against Herbert's position (as I can't cite Herbert directly). Instead, Ill let you read the piece yourself at the New York Times. Caveat: you must be a Times Select subscriber to read the entire column.
Update: The exceptional blog, Behind the Times (subscription wall) has Herbert's piece in full. For free.
