Why do some females become prostitutes, pornstars, or strippers?

Question

I am doing a project for my summer psychology course could you people give me some insight as to why they chose to do this. Note: please concentrate on the social reasons why, not just financial.

Answer 1

I could probably sit here and tell you some reasons but the problem is this kind of thing happens to a lot of people throughout all levels of social class. The reason why some women go into those directions is because:

1. They want to be accepted, ( popularity makes you memorable in a lot of peoples eyes. )

2. Over protective parents who didn't allow their kids to experience life.

3. An overwhelming need for attention.

4. Issues with their father's because, he wasn't around when they were babies.

My true opinion is that when it's all said and done most women want to be able to tell this illustrious story to their friends about how they did something no one else has done before. They want to be able to say; " that I've seen it all and done it all." Like it's an actual process to life. These women that end up doing these things come from many different backgrounds. I think the one that shocks everyone the most including myself is the woman that has a solid foundation within her own family, a Master's degree, and anything she could want for herself. It all boils down to the streets in the end, no matter how you slice it.

Let's not forget the ones who are forced into this way of life as well.

Good luck!

Answer 2

I'm a social worker; been in the field almost 30 years; met lots of prostitutes (male and female). While everyone doesn't fit into this scenario, the majority of sex workers get into that work with slight variants on this story:

Teenage (or younger) girl has been getting molested at home by step-father, mom's boyfriend, or biological father. Not a one-time thing; usually has been going on for awhile. Girl doesn't tell mom because mom will get upset and blame the girl, or mom who's a little unbalanced may become totally unglued.

Mother finds out, blames daughter for being seductive, kicks teenage daughter out on the street immediately. (Hopefully you are aware that mom is blaming the wrong person here, but you weren't thinking these are happy households, were you?)

Once on the street the girl hangs out in metropolitan areas where she can meet kids her own age; usually pimps identify them super fast (most stories I hear it's the same day) and offers them food and money and a place to stay, maybe some new clothing too. They feel cared about and that they have a protector finally (since mom and dad both flunked out on that job). Being offered money for sex is seen as a way of "paying back" for favors plus pays better than a minimum wage job. And in the course of being molested, most girls learn to deal with that by becoming emotionally numb during the sex act (also called "depersonalization"), so they already know how to transfer that to prositute sex. They really don't see any future for themselves and so the possibility of getting HIV or being beaten up doesn't seem so serious.

Yes, some sex workers do get into it to make good money and feed their egos but those are more like movie versions of call girls. Trust me they aren't anywhere near the "rank and file" in temperment, resources or life story. And they sure don't look like Julia Roberts. And Richard Gere doesn't come in and sweep them off their feet. Reality is more like $15 for oral sex to some guy cruising down the boulevard in his car, then move on, hope he doesn't beat you or give you AIDS.

And as you can tell from the first poster here, men frequent prostitutes for sex but still hold them in contempt. That guy thinks he understands prostitution but all he's showing you is his bitter opinion of women.

Answer 3

I know a woman who paid for her education with prostitution, because the hours were flexible, and the employment was dependable.

the hours for prostitutes and strippers are good for single moms, you are home when the kids get in from school, and gone while they are asleep.

I happened to have met all of the strippers in two alaskan nude clubs a few years ago. The clubs were a lot nicer than mostelsewhere, and the girls who worked there were pretty drug free and safe from hassle. I think you would have to be pretty desperate to work in some of those places.

The former ms universe is a nude dancer, she finds that it is a great way to stay in shape... AND get paid for it. Stripping is hardly the only sport or profession that includes a hefty dose of exibitionism... If you are already an exhibitionist, or comfortable with exibiting your body, why not get paid for it, when the wages are so high?

For non-shy outgoing people in a nice place, it is a way of getting paid to play and flirt, with little risk.

There are few jobs open to unskilled young women, especially if they speak little english. There was a problem lately with some illegal immigrants actually enslaved to be nude dancers in Alaska. In their prior life they had been a government funded traditional dance troupe in a soviet block country. they were economic refugees.

Some men live off of the earnings of their women, and are proud of that. If you are interested in prostitutes or strippers, and available to watch your woman all night, it is a great way to make a buck off of her. In other words, it can be an exploitive relationship... whether there is full consent to that exploitation or not. If there is full consent to exploitaive relationships, then it is a demonstration of low value of self, or self hatred. If there is not full consent, men are bigger than women, physically end economically.

Answer 4

You do see strippers and escorts from middle class and upper class families. I'm a male stripper/escort and do this work to help pay for school. For many of us in this line of work it's not our first choice but the money is better than other options out there for jobs.

Answer 5

seems that you know the main reason...it's financial, the biggest income for doing so little and with little or no resources, it needs no start-up money, it is or could be an independent contractor type of work, and also because it requires no education, and it can be done anywhere, and they bring the tools of the trade with them, but also because it's a career in demand. Of all the things you could talk about in your psychology course I can't believe that this is a topic.

Answer 6

most are from dysfunctional broken families.Many are physically sexually and mentally abused.They have low self esteems.They get on drugs,need money for the habit.A great idea would be to actually interview some of these people and gain some real insight.Interview a psychologist or a social worker.Don't just ask why you do it.Make up a list of questions about their family childhood.What an interesting project.Hope you do well.

Answer 7

I'm not going into details as that would be a violation of privacy, mine and theirs.

I've found the vast majority of women who go into such lines of work were sexually abused as young girls. Of course, not all who were abused in that way turned to those professions, so it's not a direct cause and effect relationship.

Answer 8

Because all three of those women have one thing in common., Low self esteem.

Answer 9

"Female" is for animals. A female human is called a "woman."

Now: it's a lot easier to be a stripper or a porn star than to do proper work. If you are moderately attractive, or don't mind plastic surgery, you can be paid several hundred dollars per day to have sex and tolerate some mild humiliation. For some people this is a reasonable proposition, either because they are lazy, because they lack the ability to understand that this line of work will likely destroy their lives in the long term, or because they don't have the intelligence or skills necessary to do respectable work. Doesn't seem mysterious to me.