New Delhi, July 11: Netizens have applauded a woman who recently posted sex work as an experience on professional networking platform LinkedIn. US-based Arielle Egozi, with nearly 10,000 followers, was praised by internet users for her courage and breaking the taboo. Egozi shared that she "left an in-house job with fancy benefits two weeks ago and the reason I could do that was sex work".
"Sex work shows me what my power can do when i own it intentionally," she said, adding "I set and hold boundaries, and engage only in ways that are safe, playful, and abundant for me." Eight in 10 Working Women Want to Work More Flexibly, Finds LinkedIn Survey.
Egozi said that because people have time and again stated that sex work is different from any "other client work", she thought of putting it up as a profession on LinkedIn.
"Not only is my new standard for incoming creative clients that they be at least half as respectful, generous, and grateful as the John Does online - but that anyone who I partner with celebrates and accepts every experience as one I will inevitably bring with me into a project."
She said she charges "exorbitant amounts" and also for the "emotional labour" and that she has "no problem taking rejections from those that don't want to pay it".
One user said: "Why should "the dignity of a women" be restricted only to her body. It is ok for a person to sell his or her mind for money, but if a person sells his or her body it is morally corrupt. Is that not contradicting!"
"We talk about women's rights in the context of abortion but we don't see much talk about the right of a woman to use her body (physically or graphically) to earn income. As long as the woman is voluntarily using her body to earn income, I am good with it, even if the activity is related to sex. Her body, her choice," added another.
However, some also criticised her post as acesomewhat tone deaf, self-absorbed and disingenuous due to "this ridiculous portrayal of prostitution as somehow liberating and empowering for a woman".
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 12, 2022 11:25 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).