Ireland Poster Campaign Aims To Humanize Sex Workers

A recent ad campaign launched by Turn Off The Blue Light aims change the ways sex workers in Ireland are perceived. A series of four ads features women of all types from different backgrounds describing their every day lives (dropping kids off, going to school, planning to run a business, etc.). It concludes with the line, "And I'm a sex worker."

Turn Off The Blue Light is an Irish organization that is run by sex workers and was started in response to organizations pushing for the criminalization (and in their mind eradication) of prostitution. With their current campaign TOBL is trying to give a more realistic face to sex workers in the country. Most people think of sex workers as either victimized women in horrible conditions or as the "happy hooker" who lives a lavish lifestyle with glamorous clients a la Secret Diary Of A Call Girl. It would seem that few understand or realize that sex workers are mothers, lovers, sisters, daughters, and a million other things. Their job is just that, a job.

Before the posters were released they were shown to the TOBL committee and met with very positive responses. Turn Off The Blue Light

Role Model

My Role Model The Pornstar

Stoya is the kind of woman I hope to be. Confident, intelligent, crafty, and artsy. The fact that she’s in an adult industry just makes her seem all the more gutsy and in control.

An article I wrote recently about why porn actress Stoya is one of my role models. Give it some love!

Bonus: I completely neglected to mention in the article that she's friends with Molly Crabapple which is probably 10 reasons to love her in itself.

Damn

I want to be her when I'm old.

Kate M by Erwin Olaf

Why I'm not "better than that"

I talked to Jason about my desire to do sex work. He was less than enthusiastic.

"I would be uncomfortable with that...you're better than that."

Am I? No, it's not a self esteem thing. It's the fact that that statement insinuates that those involved in sex work are lesser people. I find nothing about my desire to do sex work lowering or degrading. I'm an intelligent, college educated woman who is already planning out her 2nd degree. If anything, I'd be proud to do sex work because I'm working to break the stereotype that all sex workers were abused growing up and were forced into the industry by men or financial situations. Yes, there are women forced into it by circumstances and it's certainly not something I think is right. A person should be allowed to go into whatever occupation one wants without coercion or shame. It's exactly what I want too, the ability to pursue sex work without people telling me I'm lowering myself of immediately assuming I'm "broken".

It's something I'm trying to help Jason to understand. I get the uncomfortable thing, that was expected. I just want him to at least realize that I'm not lowering myself by wanting to do this. We're both very sex positive people and he's had no issue prior with other people seeing my body.

Will he come around and be ok with my desire to cam? Maybe, maybe not. However, if I can at least get him to see things from my side and realize the people involved in this industry are just as valid and worthwhile as any other person in the world, I'll be happy.