feminist contradictions on sex work

I showed this documentary Live Nude Girls Unite! in my Psychology of Women class about pee show dancers' struggle to unionize as an expansion of our conversation around sex work. Most students felt pretty ambivalent about sex work and their arguments against it were mostly liberal moralistic, characterizing sex work as demoralizing for women and that women who chose to engage in the work must have some (understandable yet pathologized) psychologically traumatic past. I continued to steer the discussion toward "how might you want to resolve their working conditions or the situation of this centuries-long industry", regardless you are pro- or anti- sex work. Gradually students started to talk about legalization, opportunities for different kinds of work, or services such as free condoms that might improve sex workers' working conditions.

However, after showing the documentary, a woman came to me and said she did not want to come to the next class to see the rest of the film because she was not comfortable with the content. I felt extremely bad, especially because she was the only woman with hijab in class. I was feeling very self-conscious and guilty. But then I thought why should I have to? The nudity was not the main theme of the film--it was about workplace organizing and the delegitimatizing of sex work as a form of work. I said sorry I should have warned the class about the nudity beforehand. Truthfully I did not if it was the nudity or the kind of work itself bothered her. I understood the uncomfortability about certain topics, but what it might mean politically if I decided to not show this film again in class? In reality, nudity is everywhere. Particularly the negative portrayal of nudity. As well as the negative portrayal of sex work. Shouldn't I show a different representation of it?

I struggled with it on my subway ride home. This class has been a difficult balance between my own politics and the kind of "survey" of social theories on gender I would like them to have? I don't know if I have done a good job doing both. Most of the time I just feel frustrated when they don't get the analytical point I am attempting to put forth. But I have to remind myself that they feel as alienated as I am--the large class size, overwhelming amount of work outside of school, the bullshit you have to put up with to get the degrees. I am hoping to be someone who provides a more critical lens to the 300 people multiple choice required courses they have to sit through. And to connect theories to their lives. However, trivial it might start with.