Would the same go for porn stars? Like the ones who talk about how great it is when they are being interviewed?
I would really question the truthfulness of *some* of that. Not all, but some. There is definitely sex positive feminist, queer, art house porn out there, porn by women for men, by women for women, etc. And there is also a massive porn industry that makes mince meat out of a great many of its performers - many of them women - and we all know it. I saw a doco on porn a few yrs ago and the woman they focused on (who is, or was, a big name in the industry - though I don't remember it), was saying how she really enjoys it and it's her choice, and all that, and yet she was constantly doing coke, and then meth, and her eyes just looked totally hollow and at one point, filming an anal gang bang scene, she was weeping (you guys know that porn is heavily edited, of course, so that you don't see the tears or the guy losing his hard-on or the sounds of farts and all the other real-life shit that happens, LOL).
But it's like knowing junkies who talk about how awesome heroin is and they love it and it's their choice. That may be true, but there is a context there too. Or we could compare it even to some of us in the past - how we used to talk about how wonderful Islam was, even if we were suffering extreme doubts, confusion, sadness, or even undercover kafirs.
There's a difference between a hooker at the Mustang Ranch, for example, and one on the stroll... and then sometimes, there isn't much of a difference at all. I don't buy into the meme that women who go into prostitution in the few places its legalized are showing how empowered they are and "getting theirs." Some are, no doubt. For many of them, their career span, like a stripper's or a porn star's, is very short. They are also going into this profession against the backdrop of patriarchal cultures, and the advances made by women in the last 40 yrs don't negate that.
However, that said, I think it should be legalized - and regulated. For safety reasons, for public health, and because it's always been around and it always will be around and the least we can do as a society is ensure the safety and well being of sex workers.
Poll
Topic: Prostitution