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Circle for ex-"sex workers"?
Would be nice to have a circle for those of us who were previously involved in sex work/prostitution, or those of us trying to get out of it. Can be a space to receive support and share resources and thoughts!
I know I totally won't belong in such a circle, but I would love to lurk on there. If I could arm myself with the stories of those who got out or are getting out of prostitution, maybe one day I could be there for a woman who needs some help.
I second this opinion. I don't fit the circle, but to know we have a place that supports women in this way would be great. I think you would get a lot of empathetic ears (ok, eyes) and lots of support and good vibes.
Yes I did a short stint of cam work and sugar daddy interactions and I want to talk about it with people. I feel totally disgusted for having strange unknown men see my body, who knows how many took screen captures...
Hey - I realise you made this comment weeks ago but I only just signed up and didn’t want to scroll past without comment.
I’d like to reassure you that those feelings will fade with time. It’s more than 20 years since I was involved in similar (it was the 90s so it was hostessing/table dancing/phone sex) and it literally feels like a lifetime ago, like a movie I watched or something. I never even think about it now unless the topic comes up in feminist/woman centred discussion. Disgust is a powerful feeling, it’s a protective mechanism that enables you to make a clean break and stops you from falling back into it. Eventually you’ll have no use for it and it will dissolve like ice in water 🌼
I’ve thought about joining groups with women who have had the same (or similar) experiences but it’s never worked out to where I’ve found one I feel comfortable in, so ld really like to see this happen.. We’ll have to get some ground rules & boundaries in place before the circle is up, if we can get it approved. There are more instances lately where I’ve seen users on here turn out to be ignorant & unhelpful & I think the nature of what we’ve been through will attract some of those people. It often does anyways.
What are some guidelines you’d all like to put for circle rules? It can be as simple as “respect differences in experience”; or we can be more specific: “Women who have had experiences with the sex industry are welcome, regardless of the type of experience, or the ‘severity’ of it.” I would want women on here to know that they don’t have to have prostituted specifically to be part of the circle.
I don’t think we have the option to provide circle-only visibility, but we can try to put additional safeguards in place to ensure members feel safe to share. Having something in the circle rules that encourages women to protect their privacy when sharing is better than nothing. I also don’t trust that ovarit is completely clean. I’ve just seen some real fuckin weird people on here say weird fuckin shit. We can’t control what other people do/say on here, but I’d volunteer to mod the circle specifically if it’ll help maintain a good atmosphere.
What do you guys think? I don’t think we have to do too much, but I do think it’s important we make sure women feel comfortable & know we’re all on the same page.
These are all really good ideas! I agree with all of the rules you’re proposing. We definitely would have to prioritise ensuring that women feel safe to share things. I know there is a post in the STEM circle about preventing doxxing, so that could be promoted if women want to feel safe before posting?
I think a space like this would be great. There’s something similar on Reddit but everyone there has libfem brainworms...
Would that include those of us trafficked out of our beds as children by family members? Just curious, since I know some of the dynamics are different. I'd support this circle either way. It's the sort of thing people who haven't been there can be squeamish about.
of course. i think it would be important to have a circle for any women who were/are involved in prostitution/trafficking. the dynamics can be different, but there are still many similarities.
Unfortunately I think this is a much needed circle.