October 03, 2004
Madonna/Whore
I'm not impressed by, or much taken with her music, but Madonna has created, and performed, a new paradigm of womanhood: power wrapped in sexuality.
She has portrayed herself as the high-priced prostitute, the dominatrix, the stripper toying with the impotent voyeur, the unwed mother, the naked slave girl. In doing so she has pushed the power of female sexuality to the forefront of the public eye.
Good on her. What went before was pretty feeble.
The Bettina Rheims Sessions 1994
This session has stylistic links to Rheims Bettina's 191-2 Chambre Close project
Madonna is a French prostitute in a seedy hotel in 1930s Paris.
The Bettina Rheims Sessions 1994
The madonna-whore complex. Rather neat. A woman is either put on a pedestal, protected, taken care of, treated as a goddess or the mother of my children; or she is used for sex, emotionally and perhaps physically abused, and seen as nothing more than "a slut." In a patriarchal culture , women must fall into one of these two categories.
The clandestine prostitution subculture of the 20th century is more into the limelight prostitution is coming out into the open. Do we accept prostitution as a purely economic exchange, inherently no more or less degrading for either buyer or seller than any other professional relationship? Can we same the same arguments against prostitution—buying or selling—can be made against any professional service: psychologist, psychiatrist, doctor, lawyer, priest, minister?
Athletes, actors, actresses, and construction workers "sell" their body. The body is what is needed to engage in physical work. It would be difficult to engage in any profession without the use and therefore "sale" of one's body.
Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at October 3, 2004 09:46 PM | TrackBackI would say that prostitution is an exchange of services much like the services exchanged by any of the professionals you list. So, yes, of course this argument can be made.
But... since most people link sex with intimacy it strikes them as offensive to traffic in intimacy, or worse yet, the *illusion* of intimacy.
Also, when someone asks you what you do, try saying, "I'm a whore" (or if you wanna be nice, "escort") without silencing all conversation in the room. Unfortunately, not the same as any of the aforementioned professions.
btw, thanks for linking me.
Posted by: Dacia Ray on October 5, 2004 02:43 PMDacia,
You are dead right.
Trafficing in sexual intimacy strikes at our understanding of authenticity, which is what many of we hunger for.
But I understand that there is an acceptance of whore within the world of high couture with its embrace of pornochic.
Or have I got that wrong?
Posted by: Gary Sauer-Thompson on October 6, 2004 12:56 AMI would definitely say there is more of a pornochic than a whore-chic.
It only appears that porn and whoring are very much the same - in both professions, people have sex for money.
However, pornography is more wound up in the production of beauty (in the eye of the beholder/producer of course) than prostitution could ever be.
There is a shroud of mystery around prostitution and the people who engage in it (both client and provider) - prostitution is a covert operation, unlike porn which is all about exhibitionism.
Porn and whoring - same region, sovereign nations.
Posted by: Dacia Ray on October 6, 2004 03:58 AMDacia,
yeah you're right.
When I wrote the above comment I thought that's not right. But I couldn't take it any further.
But is not the mystery being lifted with the redefining of whore as a sex worker? Is not the covert operation changing as whoring becomes seen in terms of rights, as a small business (the agency)and health and safety issues come to the fore.
Is not coming into the open with the very good writing by the whores on their blogs?
Is there not another well known activity that is surrounded by mystery, covert operationsand sex? Politics!
Posted by: Gary Sauer-Thompson on October 6, 2004 09:40 AMHi Dacia !
As a huband and a father of three children, I still enjoy the power and force that attracts the opposites.
In my case, it is the opposite genders.
With the passing of time, the force diminishes between husband and wife, the reasons I do not know. My wife and I love each other even after 20 years of marrige just the same way as we did on the wedding night. No doubt in this commitment to each other as a married couple we are satisfied.
Yet, the thrill of a powerful attraction is just like a click of this PC Mouse with my wife. But, when She is another woman in my room, then it is an E X P L O S I O N !! The thrill is so very volcanic.
I personally enjoy it. Please, do not tell my wife of this wonder excitement, which multiplies when kept a secret.
I shall pay any amount to the woman, if she is freely willing to enjoy the excitement of this powerful attraction. No compulsion whatsoever on the woman in my bed of clandestine.
Several times, I have told my partner to take the money and go as soon as she entered my hotel room in case she is under any compulsion. No one has left me and my bed so far. This freedom, when granted to the woman with me, she comes out in all the natural beauty of the feminine powers and enjoys the masculine powers in me.
I have had many many times a Bliss undescribable with my women whose names I do not remember now.
So for now, I thank all those darlings for being so good to me. Also, thanks those that will be excellent with me in future.
They were and will be paid well, always.
I do not hesitate to buy any of my pleasures at a good price. But in this case, I consider this pleasure priceless.
Good write up and the pictures.
Regards,
Anthony
_____________________________
Dear Dacia,
Please acknowledge my posting.
Thanks.
Anthony.
Posted by: Anthony on January 26, 2005 01:17 AM