Erotic Dance

1419 Words6 Pages

Despite the social stigma and negative beliefs against sex workers, many are starting to understand and believe the positive aspects of being a sex worker. Due to traditions, it has been strongly believed by many feminists that being a sex worker or having professions involving erotic dance as a female was degrading and a product of a male-dominant society, therefore many feminists have fought against the professions. However, nowadays, many have been more exposed to the positive aspects of taking part in sexual professions such as erotic dance, therefore there are feminists that are changing their perspectives about the professions. Although the stigmas of having professions involving erotic dance and sex work is slowly improving, there are …show more content…

For instance, there are those who believe that erotic dance is degrading and dehumanizing to women, those who believe that performing erotic dance is empowering for women, and those who simply view erotic dance in the context of labour relations. The feminist perspective that erotic dance is degrading and dehumanizing has been constructed by society, media, and also is mainly due to them being only informed “by cultural stereotypes” (Barton, 2002, p.585). Many of the mainstream films feature erotic dancers to be “not very bright, sleeps with her clients, and has a surplus of predatory, sexual power” (Barton, 2002, p.585) and because erotic dancers are “seductive and manipulative, she will steal your boyfriend or husband because she does not care about anyone but herself” (Barton, 2002, p.585). Due to the mainstream media portraying the characters of erotic dancers to have a specific personality, this causes feminists to believe that all dancers are not respected and are objectified by men and the media. In addition, mainstream media also portrays erotic dancers as “selfless mothers struggling to make money to support her children” (Barton, 2002, p.585), indicating that erotic dancers that have good intentions “actually hate dancing and only does it when driven to circumstances beyond her control” (Barton, 2002, p.585). Overall, …show more content…

For instance, during the first wave of feminism, women were dehumanized and degraded by men by not being given many human rights, especially women of the LGBTQ community and women of colour. Since then, women have been fighting to gain respect and equality in the male-dominant society. Those who view erotic dance as a degrading and dehumanizing profession that only pleasures men believe that it is because society has not changed in the sense that women are still degraded and objectified by men. On the other hand, those who believe that erotic dance is empowering believe that women have finally surpassed the great inequalities in society, such as the right to vote and take part in any profession they choose. Even though there are inequalities that women continue to face in our society, these feminists believe that women deserve to enjoy their femininity and experience whatever they choose, and with the new waves of technology and social media, they help “dismantle pillars of power and ensure that all voices are heard equally” (Zdrojewski, 2014,