What we call sex work — and what it says about society
Key takeaways
- A Bonn exhibition traces the cultural history of sex work and shows how the words used to describe it have shaped stigma, policy and lived experience.
- https://p.dw.com/p/5C80k Sex worker advocacy groups have long fought to be heard in the narratives surrounding what they do Image: Vic Porter Advertisement"Lalun is a member of the most ancient profession in the world."
- Rather than naming the work directly, the expression reflected the moral climate of the time, when indirect language made the subject easier to acknowledge — and to keep at bay.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
A Bonn exhibition traces the cultural history of sex work and shows how the words used to describe it have shaped stigma, policy and lived experience.
https://p.dw.com/p/5C80k Sex worker advocacy groups have long fought to be heard in the narratives surrounding what they do Image: Vic Porter Advertisement"Lalun is a member of the most ancient profession in the world."
With that line, written in his 1888 short story "On the City Wall," English author Rudyard Kipling helped popularize one of the most enduring euphemisms for sex work — a phrase often repeated since, despite its historical ambiguity. Rather than naming the work directly, the expression reflected the moral climate of the time, when indirect language made the subject easier to acknowledge — and to keep at bay.