Nommer le travail du sexe. Entretien avec Sïana, Marie et Lev, de l’association PDA

Abstract

During an interview, three sex workers discuss the different ways of describing prostitution with Tracés. What words and expressions do they use to name themselves and their activity? With what effects and in what situations? After having raised the limits of a strategic stigma change through the self-designation as “whore”, they point to the ambivalence of the expression “sex work” which seems to be becoming institutionalised and euphemistic. They then discuss the issues related to outing (revealing their activity) and talk about the handling of terms used when dealing with their clients. Finally, looking back at the category of “sexual accompaniment”, they highlight the hypocrisy of the expression.

Keywords

• prostitution
• reflexivity
• sex work
• activism
• category