Sex for "anything"...Really?

Did anyone else see this story in yesterday's Globe and Mail? (And check out the above video, too!)

The sensational title definitely did what it was supposed to do - it grabbed my attention. And while I think that the topic is worthy of discussion, the tone of these types of articles always make me feel a bit...uneasy.

Obviously if "teen prostitution" is indeed an "emerging middle class phenomenon" in Canada, it would be troubling and warrant a serious intervention. But I am a bit doubtful of this research and here's why: it seems as though we love to catastrophize the plight of teen girls and these stories make good news. This is especially true about issues related to girl's sexuality. When we hear these almost cautionary tales we allow ourselves to moralize their actions and judge their behaviour. Girls are often still viewed as needing a (male) interventionist to keep them on track and they are seen as unable to control their own sexuality, making them targets for boys to take advantage of.

In comparison, we rarely see stories related to boys' sexual escapades and when we do they remain framed by the old "boys will be boys" explanation. Boys are still seen as in control of themselves.

The cause of this new trend?

"The author (Sharlene Azam) argues that father absenteeism, ineffectual sexual education classes, Internet porn and a hypersexual, “poisonous culture” that promises status through the accumulation of luxury goods are to blame."

The absentee father aspect makes me uncomfortable (the male interventionist?) because it conjures up notions about fathers protecting their daughters' sexuality and purity. I don't doubt that there are similarities between girls who participate in these activities, but I suspect other social factors like class issues are the real culprits.

Some of what's being said by Azam is spot on, like her discussion about healthy sexuality vs. "porn sex." I also think she's uncovered some interesting points, like girls talking about being "empowered" by their power to sell sex acts. And exploring these ideas in relation to what we see in popular culture is totally relevant.

But I'm still leary of these moral panic stories....they create a lot of hype that is interesting for people because of a certain scandalous nature of the topic, whether people want to admit it or not.

xo, jessalynn