10 Mar Stigma and Sex Workers
Posted
in Industry Knowledge
In the blog post I wrote about consent, I briefly touched on the issue of stigma. Although sex work is becoming a mainstream talking point, it remains a highly stigmatised profession. This stigma contributes to harmful behaviour and attitudes towards those who work in the adult industry. In this post, I will delve into what stigma is, how it develops and how it harms people, and what we can all do to combat it.
WHAT IS STIGMA?
In ancient Greece, enslaved people and people judged to be traitors or criminals, had symbols burned into their skin, indicating to those around them that they were to be avoided and ostracised. This is the origin of the term “stigma”, as this was the name given to these symbols permanently marked on people’s bodies. Erving Goffman, a sociologist in the 1960s, developed the concept of “stigma”, drawing upon this historical meaning of the term extending it to mean “an attribute that is deeply discrediting.”
Stigma refers to an attitude or false belief that is associated with traits or characteristics of others. Typically, stigma is connected to characteristics such as age, aspects of physical appearance, health conditions and sexual orientation. There are different types of stigma, including:
• Public stigma – this is the overarching attitude that society has towards people with certain characteristics. It can be particularly seen in media, where stereotypes are presented as facts, or where subtle negative perceptions are encouraged.
• Self-stigma – this is when an individual with the characteristic accepts public stigma, accepts negative perceptions, and believes their own characteristic is worthy of shame.
• Label avoidance – this is when individuals with certain characteristics distance themselves from others with the same characteristic.
• Structural stigma refers to policies of businesses, governments, and other institutions that are based on stigmatising attitudes. The individuals working in these institutions may not have a personal bias against a certain group of people, but the way the institution works disadvantages them.
The types of stigma I have outlined above are the ones that affect sex workers the most. Public stigma is demonstrated through media reporting of sex workers, including the language used when crimes are committed against us. It is also deeply embedded in entertainment and popular culture; if you watch crime shows for a short period of time, you will see storylines showing sex workers in very poor light. Self-stigma is demonstrated when people who work in the adult industry encourage negative attitudes towards individuals, and accept the harmful public portrayal of the industry. Label avoidance is when people do not want to use the label “sex worker” to describe themselves, despite engaging in the industry; we see this a lot with people who do different types of sex work and subscribe to a hierarchical model of the industry. For example, “sex workers are full-service workers, not camgirls.” Finally, we see a lot of structural stigma across all institutions and platforms, from social media apps, banking, accommodation, healthcare, the terms of service and conditions of use for a wide range of businesses, precludes sex workers, thereby leading to disadvantage.
HOW IS STIGMA DEVELOPED AND MAINTAINED?
Gerhard Falk, a German sociologist and historian, said that stigma will always exist because societies are susceptible to distinguishing between “insiders” and “outsiders” to develop and maintain group solidarity. The social psychology concept of in-group and out-groups is fundamental to this. In-group members have positive views of each other and give each other preferential treatment, whereas out-groups (those who do not belong to the in-group) are viewed negatively, are alienated and perceived as being “all the same.” Maintaining these distinctions between in-groups and out-groups not only helps to maintain group cohesion but also, as social identity theory argues, individuals within these groups get a part of their self-concept from the social groups they are members of. Social identity theory is a way of explaining processes such as the development of stigma. Negative attitudes and behaviours towards members of out-groups, such as the different types of stigma I described above, keeps the in-group feeling safe, secure and maintains their power.
Communication plays a key role in developing and maintaining stigma. Stigma is created by content that distinguishes people, categorises them, implies a personal responsibility for the person being placed in this group, and links the group to a physical and/or social peril. Once you become aware of the kind of labels, language, and discussion that underpin stigma and divide people into in-groups and out-groups, it is very difficult to unsee.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO COMBAT STIGMA
Although some sociologists and social psychologists talk in terms of absolutes when it comes to stigma, it is not necessarily inevitable or incapable of being challenged. Challenging stigma requires focus on both the person doing the stigmatising and the person who is stigmatised. This requires education about non-stigmatising facts and why we should not stigmatise people, which can be reinforced by rational arguments and solid evidence. Internalised stigma of people can do a lot of the heavy lifting required to maintain stigmatising attitudes, so education and messaging should be directed at stigmatised groups also.
Social media is a tool for the dissemination of stigmatising attitudes, but it is also useful for bringing together stigmatised groups in ways that could not be achievable elsewhere. Challenging stigma when we see it, with rational arguments and evidence, is an action accessible to all of those who use social media. Being aware of our own negative attitudes towards other groups, and how that may play out in our communications with others is another action we can take to combat stigma. Challenging stigma when we come upon it is crucial, as the negative effects are far-reaching and we all play a part in maintaining it.
Rem Sequence is an Australian adult content creator, blogger, and internationally published alt model. She has a background in psychology, philosophy and political science and worked in health and sex education, youth work and trauma counselling for almost two decades. Now, she works full time in the adult industry, as well as indulging her passion for arts, writing and music in numerous side projects.
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In the blog post I wrote about consent, I briefly touched on the issue of stigma. Although sex work is becoming a mainstream talking point, it remains a highly stigmatised profession. This stigma contributes to harmful behaviour and attitudes towards those who work in the adult industry. In this post, I will delve into what stigma is, how it develops and how it harms people, and what we can all do to combat it.
WHAT IS STIGMA?
In ancient Greece, enslaved people and people judged to be traitors or criminals, had symbols burned into their skin, indicating to those around them that they were to be avoided and ostracised. This is the origin of the term “stigma”, as this was the name given to these symbols permanently marked on people’s bodies. Erving Goffman, a sociologist in the 1960s, developed the concept of “stigma”, drawing upon this historical meaning of the term extending it to mean “an attribute that is deeply discrediting.”
Stigma refers to an attitude or false belief that is associated with traits or characteristics of others. Typically, stigma is connected to characteristics such as age, aspects of physical appearance, health conditions and sexual orientation. There are different types of stigma, including:
• Public stigma – this is the overarching attitude that society has towards people with certain characteristics. It can be particularly seen in media, where stereotypes are presented as facts, or where subtle negative perceptions are encouraged.
• Self-stigma – this is when an individual with the characteristic accepts public stigma, accepts negative perceptions, and believes their own characteristic is worthy of shame.
• Label avoidance – this is when individuals with certain characteristics distance themselves from others with the same characteristic.
• Structural stigma refers to policies of businesses, governments, and other institutions that are based on stigmatising attitudes. The individuals working in these institutions may not have a personal bias against a certain group of people, but the way the institution works disadvantages them.
The types of stigma I have outlined above are the ones that affect sex workers the most. Public stigma is demonstrated through media reporting of sex workers, including the language used when crimes are committed against us. It is also deeply embedded in entertainment and popular culture; if you watch crime shows for a short period of time, you will see storylines showing sex workers in very poor light. Self-stigma is demonstrated when people who work in the adult industry encourage negative attitudes towards individuals, and accept the harmful public portrayal of the industry. Label avoidance is when people do not want to use the label “sex worker” to describe themselves, despite engaging in the industry; we see this a lot with people who do different types of sex work and subscribe to a hierarchical model of the industry. For example, “sex workers are full-service workers, not camgirls.” Finally, we see a lot of structural stigma across all institutions and platforms, from social media apps, banking, accommodation, healthcare, the terms of service and conditions of use for a wide range of businesses, precludes sex workers, thereby leading to disadvantage.
HOW IS STIGMA DEVELOPED AND MAINTAINED?
Gerhard Falk, a German sociologist and historian, said that stigma will always exist because societies are susceptible to distinguishing between “insiders” and “outsiders” to develop and maintain group solidarity. The social psychology concept of in-group and out-groups is fundamental to this. In-group members have positive views of each other and give each other preferential treatment, whereas out-groups (those who do not belong to the in-group) are viewed negatively, are alienated and perceived as being “all the same.” Maintaining these distinctions between in-groups and out-groups not only helps to maintain group cohesion but also, as social identity theory argues, individuals within these groups get a part of their self-concept from the social groups they are members of. Social identity theory is a way of explaining processes such as the development of stigma. Negative attitudes and behaviours towards members of out-groups, such as the different types of stigma I described above, keeps the in-group feeling safe, secure and maintains their power.
Communication plays a key role in developing and maintaining stigma. Stigma is created by content that distinguishes people, categorises them, implies a personal responsibility for the person being placed in this group, and links the group to a physical and/or social peril. Once you become aware of the kind of labels, language, and discussion that underpin stigma and divide people into in-groups and out-groups, it is very difficult to unsee.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO COMBAT STIGMA
Although some sociologists and social psychologists talk in terms of absolutes when it comes to stigma, it is not necessarily inevitable or incapable of being challenged. Challenging stigma requires focus on both the person doing the stigmatising and the person who is stigmatised. This requires education about non-stigmatising facts and why we should not stigmatise people, which can be reinforced by rational arguments and solid evidence. Internalised stigma of people can do a lot of the heavy lifting required to maintain stigmatising attitudes, so education and messaging should be directed at stigmatised groups also.
Social media is a tool for the dissemination of stigmatising attitudes, but it is also useful for bringing together stigmatised groups in ways that could not be achievable elsewhere. Challenging stigma when we see it, with rational arguments and evidence, is an action accessible to all of those who use social media. Being aware of our own negative attitudes towards other groups, and how that may play out in our communications with others is another action we can take to combat stigma. Challenging stigma when we come upon it is crucial, as the negative effects are far-reaching and we all play a part in maintaining it.
Rem Sequence is an Australian adult content creator, blogger, and internationally published alt model. She has a background in psychology, philosophy and political science and worked in health and sex education, youth work and trauma counselling for almost two decades. Now, she works full time in the adult industry, as well as indulging her passion for arts, writing and music in numerous side projects.
