looking post

Lifted from Just Seeds Artist Cooperative.

This post isn’t about Phoolan Devi, but I liked the poster cos– unlike most of our Western portrayals of poor Asian women who experience sexual violence– it actually looks at (and honors) one of the many women who’ve fought back.  And not by killing herself or falling into someone else’s protective embrace, as the movies might have us believe.

I recently came across this photography blog, and needless to say its disgusting.  There’s probably a more tactful way to put it, but really, I think that’s the most appropriate description.

Some background: this guy lives in Thailand and he takes photos, mostly of women, most of whom are sex workers.  His work has been featured in the Telegraph.  He posts pics and shares his thoughts on the lives of his subjects, sex tourists, Thai culture, women… you get the idea.  While he does exhibit a certain sympathy for the women he photographs, let’s not give him too much credit.  His stance is typically patronizing and goes something like this: these poor girls have to sell their bodies, sex tourists are creepy assholes, but I, I respect and understand these women… which is why I take many, many pictures of them and comment on their every thought and move.

But this isn’t even about one guy, cos he’s not that unique. This alternately pitying and condemning yet lusty fascination with sex workers is well documented by like, every guy that’s visited Asia with a camera and access to the internet.  Discussion ranges from unabashedly idiotic (THESE SLUTS ARE FUCKIN CRAZY!!!!!) to high-minded bitching (these poor, desensitized souls..) to a stealthy combination of both (see above example).  There are also some critical voices in the mix, but they’re vastly outnumbered by the more obnoxious ones with racy photographs.

So what’s up with this (one-way) voyeuristic love affair?  Somehow the Asian sex worker is there for endless consumption: to fuck, analyze and/or save (all at the same time, if you’re feeling ambitious).  Conveniently, she’s downtrodden or driven only by money– and accepts her fate graciously.  There’s also the favorite villain for everything that’s wrong with our people, The Asian Man.

And can I just say that my point isn’t that sex work should be kept on the DL, or that Asian men haven’t taken part in the exploitation and subjugation of the ladies.  My issue is with the selective portrayal of women in this profession and the societies that they live in.  It pities, preaches, and cops a feel–but doesn’t go so far as to respect the women and the work that they do.  It focuses on the crimes of her countrymen, but fails to recognize that it’s the crimes of Western powers (I believe “globalization” is the fashionable word) that have led to the creation of such extreme gaps in power and wealth in the rest of the world.  It loves to save, but doesn’t notice that women have been saving themselves ever since the need arose.

So on that note… I’ll end this really long entry with a quote from Empower Foundation, a coalition of sex workers in Thailand who are infinitely more worthy of time and respect than the assholes that clog up the Internet with their “observations”…

“We are sex workers.  We are workers who use our brains and our skill to earn an income.  We are proud to support ourselves and our extended families.  We look after each other at work; we fight for safe & fair standards in our industry and equal rights within society.  We are a major part of the Thai economy, bringing in lots of tourist dollars.  We are active citizens on every issue…politics, economics, environment, laws, rights etc.  We try and find the space in society to stand up and be heard.  Some see us as problem makers but actually we are part of the solution.”