So the theme of my week seems to be prostitution. The world's oldest profession, the thing women have been doing since the dawn of time to get more buck for their bang. You gimme a little somethin somethin, I'll do the same for you. You know how it goes. Recently, I went on a trip to Amsterdam, home of the famous Red Light District. While there, I found out many things that I didn't know before. For example, did you know that the infamous prostitutes that you see in the windows displaying themselves shamelessly so that you'll spend your hard-earned euro for just a meer 15 minutes in heaven, have their own political party? Neither did I. If anything goes wrong for these women, or they feel like they are not being treated fairly, they can have a say. They can lobby for more money, for better treatment, anything they want really, and somebody will listen, because they have to. I mean I have to be honest here, its hard not to see the upside of legalizing/controlling something which people will do anyway, undoubtedly, and making it safer, better, and... more accessible?
That, of course, as people will argue, might be the downside to all of this liberal-minded thinking. The reason that people have been selling their bodies since the dawn of time is three-fold: it's their property to sell, it's always in demand, and it's relatively easy (though perhaps not emotionally) to do. Sounds perfect, right? So why don't more people do it? I mean I have to be honest here, seeing those girls up there in all their glory, taunting the men from their red-lit windows, I thought for a moment what it would be like. But everyone has their reasons for not selling themselves, and most of them boil down to one thing: respect. Women want to feel respected, it's human nature to feel joy at being respected. So once you let go of that, what are you left with? An emptiness. And if you never really let go? The pain of knowing that these people are only using you for your body, which has nothing to do with you, really, because you didn't choose to be born with large breasts or a nice ass. Sounds bad, but its true. We want something more, and we always have.
So at the end of the day, there remain a few all-important questions. Is legalizing the world's oldest profession only making it more accessible as a career choice for these women? More accessible for the men that want it, but wouldn't otherwise do it for fear of judgment by society? We always think there's something sad about the fact that someone would sell their chance at respect for some money. But can we really judge them/guess at their reasons? And is it any of our business? I'm not sure, but if it were me, I would say no, it's none of your business. It's my body, and I'll do what I want with it.
At the end of the day, there are various forms of prostitution, of which we all take part in. And those of us that don't, on any given day? Well, we're just voyeurs in disguise. I could be the girl, or I could be the one watching her, wandering what it would be like to be her, as I was that night in the Red Light District in Amsterdam. Are we really that different?
