A typical conversation with Leena goes like this:
"This Halloween I want to dress up like a hooker/striper/sex worker/escort. Not when the kids are there, maybe we girls can go out."
"Hmmmm....Why?? You can be many things, why a hooker??"
"Because I am writing about this girl who had no choice in life but being a sex worker, part of one of my sci-fi novels."
"It's generic and kinda sad. It's tragedy for her, so we should not be having fun because of that."
"I read 'La Dame aux Camélias' when I was 12."
[ I loved it, felt for it. I think that was during the period of time when the sprouting of ideas such as 'who am I', 'what am I living for', 'what is the most valuable in life', 'what to look for in people, in anything' started, through the eyes of a woman, many women actually, with all those classics. Oh heaven... When do I get the leisure in life to do that again...]
"I hate things that glamorize sex workers."
"I'm not having fun with my handmaid's dress neither."
"But we don't go partying in that dress, right? You go to protests, which makes sense. You can dress sexy and party but why be a sex worker, striper whatever. Feminism is more than sexual freedom."
"No, nothing to do with feminism here. Ok, Japanese AV star. Just wanna be slutty."
"You can be sexy... that's fine. But not things that happen to women tragically."
"Right! I think slutty is exactly what I wanna dress up to, but not stopping the cars in the street to get customers, that could be dangerous I guess..."
"If given the right opportunities, those sex workers would be artists, scientists, cooks, journalists, astronauts and what not! Why in the world would we sell bodies to fucking men for money."
"Not really, if her mom is addicted to drugs, her dad abandoned her... "
"That's exactly my point. A person from a healthy family doesn't want to do that. 'If giving the right opportunities'... there."
"Ya, nobody who have a choice want to be raped for money. In China and India, they are raped everyday, beaten and sick because lack of proper protection. In rich countries, especially where the trade is legalized, life is much better, hence poor young girls choose to be stripers because it pays much more and faster. Like a lot of college girls get paid to be mistresses of rich men in China, huge business, very competitive market, however without any legal protection, cash is king. Still, I won't judge those young girls who are physically and mentally protected by the society. And remember that, huge percentage are trafficked, there is no way to escape, they are locked up, chained up, or mentally groomed and intimidated, do not know where to run, do not speak the language, maybe shipped from East Europe, Asia, Africa to rich countries. Usually for always, local police is invovled to turn a blind eye to the pimps."
"I have no idea what are you arguing against. These are my exact points and hence I told you to not have fun by just pretending to be them."
"Grooming works exactly the same as how domestic violence prevails in India. Most abused wives will never report the abusive husbands."
"I KNOW these Momo!"
"Ohhh! Sorry I am outside talking to a friend lol! Didn't see your messages properly. I thought you hate the girls..."
"No, I sympathize with them and hope they have their rights. Doesn't mean I wanna be a sex worker."
"I also don't want to be one. My way of sympathizing with them is not treating them differently."
"Fight for them getting rights and enough opportunities in life to grow and help society. Not dress up a a sex worker and party. That was my point. Now go eat!"
"Lol I was out... You are right. We were saying the exact same thing. But I don't think writing is glamorizing it. Like literature, journalism pieces, articles, protesting manifestos, feminism issues etc. People need to be aware. And I think originally my idea was to dress up as a professional because for a writer, you need to live in it to write it out properly, so I just want the experience, not to have fun. But I guess I completely mixed up the ideas. And for sure, as a personal expression during Halloween time, I love the idea about dressing up like a slut, I don't like high class escort type because I do think they have a choice in life, I like the cheap cheap prosititute type who generally have no choice in life, less educated and cared for etc. Well, again, I mix up the ideas of dressing up as a professional sex worker with being a slut. But guess what, in the eyes of most men, women and the society, it's all the same."
"Most people/companies glamorize this profession and make money out of it while the ones who actually are in the trade get nothing - no money, no rights, no family support. Bollywood does a lot of this. Frankly, make a bunch of movies with young, pretty actresses and have no strong message means nothing. Most prostitutes aren't young or pretty, they are FORCED into it. But now we have this idea of sexy, feminist prostitutes.... and look who makes money, Alia Bhatt, an actress whose father is a director in Bollywood for decades."
"So sad, you should be more vocal about this. I guess a lot of Indian women just passively accept it, but not knowing that they are being groomed by the images, no need to say going against it. Isn't it how they groomed the society for decades about men and women's places with countless sexist films? Same thing in America, in China, in Japan, in Korea, everywhere. Actually there are a lot of groups online consist of Chinese women, discussing such films and their short-term and long-term effect on women and society. Say if I want to know a little more about such specific Chinese or Japanese film, I can read the reviews from such groups, usually they are professional film critics or who major in social studies. Many Hollywood sexist films are reviewed this way too, Chinese people love Hollywood, but not many Bollywood movies, guess not enough voices out there to put a check on Bollywood film makers."
"I don't think everyone needs to be actively stating their opinion to the world... so I keep quiet. I talk to you and people in person during such discussions. Rest the fact that I studied and am independent is a good enough contribution in itself sometimes. Ok... off to bed soon."
"Right. I respect that! Night night."
This is just so typically us, period.
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