In my attempt to understand prostitution through the public health lens, a commonly propounded question was whether prostitution should be legalized. In the Harvard article “To Protect Women, Legalize Prostitution,” a point author Annamarie Forestiere made for legalizing prostitution was that women sell their bodies every day in legal ways through pornography, sugar-dating, and exotic dancing. The last example—exotic dancing—caught my eye.

After reading Forestiere’s article I wondered why she singled out exotic dancing, as well as whether prostitution could be validly compared to exotic dancing. Exotic dancers, better known by the sobriquet “strippers,” often perform acrobatic tricks on poles on strip clubs. There are several disparities between prostitution and exotic dancing; in exotic dancing, the rates of sexual abuse are much lower than in prostitution because the dancer has more control of his/her/their body. Many—if not most—strip clubs have strict regulations on whether patrons can touch exotic dancers. Additionally, in her article “Exotic Dancers Aren’t Prostitutes,” Judith Lynne Hanna writes that exotic dancing “offers women the opportunity to work fewer hours and earn more income than they would in doing many other jobs.” In fact, another article by Cosmopolitan chronicles a woman’s journey through medical school, which she paid for through exotic dancing. Hanna also writes that “most dancers feel empowered by the financial independence they achieve, and they talk about the increased self-confidence and self-esteem gained.” There are also myriads of health benefits that come from pole dancing, such as the healing effects on bones, joints, and blood flow. From the articles I’ve read about exotic dancing, most performers are passionate about the art form itself—not the financial benefits.

...which brings me to my question: Was Forestiere correct in comparing prostitution to exotic dancing when so many view the latter as a genuine art form? Or was Forestiere implicitly perpetuating the chronic stigma against the sex industry?