They parade around with perfect posture, an angelic smile which almost disguises their inner struggles. Almost. Their porcelain skin and delicate cheeks radiate in the sunlight; with their innocent glare, the ordinary mind would not begin to fathom their creativity and resilience by which they navigates the very system designed to oppress them. Una diabla disfrasada de mujer.
Day by day, the non-binary entity who is “Salina la Feminista” faces struggles derived from past traumas while simultaneously fighting to validate their existence. Night by night, however, they use their femme anatomy to use men’s lust for women’s bodies for profit. Or as explained in better terms by them, “Putting a price on the preciousness of a femmes touch, time, and energy. Capitalism will do that.”
Besides the everyday struggles of genderqueer and non-cisgender folks, Salina la Feminista also deals with the common discrimination associated with being a sex worker. By choosing the path of transparency when publishing bits of their personal life including her journey as a stripper, randoms on the internet immediately feel the entitlement and need to give their opinions and criticize how Salina La Feminista chooses to make a living. Nunca falta un pendejx. Initially, when posting a stripping-related media on Instagram, unsolicited comments flooded the comments section with body-shaming trolls, followers who felt “concerned” their choice for sex work was a result of their past sexual trauma and others who insisted sexualizing their body gave a misrepresentation to feminism.
The most recent post contains more positive comments from supporters, however, no matter how many heat-eyed emojis left on their sexy post, they are outnumbered by real-life acts of discrimination sex workers face in society. Sex work is no modern concept; with prostitution dating back to the Mesopotamian times and even portrayed in bible stories, sex work rarely, if ever, was beneficial to the victims who were often forced into sex work. In the 1900s the rise of pimp culture gave prostitutes a bad name and associating them as “dirty” while in the other hand glorifying the pimps through music and movies..
Society tends to reject sex workers while simultaneously consuming their labor. As much as most sex workers claim to not care about people’s opinions as long as they’re getting paid, it must be emotionally exhausting for everyone to invalidate your work and point the finger with one hand while masturbating to your work with the other. Though sex workers are constantly fighting to end the negative stigma against them, sex work has evolved into various practices with new technology helping distribute and advertise their work through multiple mediums. From camming, which consists of sex workers opening a video chat in which they can get tips from their fans/audience for sexual and non-sexual activities, selling individually catered and personalized nudes, to premium Snapchat accounts which they charge monthly subscriptions for access, technology continues to revolutionize the way sex workers can continue to produce content.
Making money through sex work without the exchange of physical contact has gained popularity due to dangers associated with prostitution and stripping such as physical abuse from clients and even death. Since society is constructed to find sex workers as worthless or second-class citizens, their lives and natural rights are disregarded with no respect for them as individuals. Physical assault is rarely reported to the authorities, as sex workers fear they will be the ones taken into custody or being fined for participating in sex work.
Online sex workers are not free from malicious attacks, however, as many crusty men on Twitter started the hashtag #ThotAudit in a movement to report all online sex workers to the IRS for not paying taxes. Yes, you read that right. Grown ass men took real time to try and report various women who make about $15 per nude picture, to get taxed
Though this act of hatred caused temporary panic among the sex worker community, professional web sex workers educated the Twitterverse that they do in fact pay taxes. Those who only partake in sex work as a side hustle are at minimal risk of being reported, for the snitch would need to have access to very personal information about them to successfully file a report.
As apparent as the dangers and discrimination are against sex workers, they still want everyone to know they don’t want to be “saved.” Too many times, men or family members want to take the role of “Captain-Save-A-Hoe” assuming sex workers are FORCED to do sex work.
That is a common misconception, however, keep on mind sex work is not synonymous with sex trafficking which is a severe issue and claims many victims against their will. As for those who claim to utilize one’s body for profit isn’t empowering or real feminism should maybe spend a day next to a stripper as people make it rain bills on their carnal shell as they dance in a dimly lighted stage.
“If you’re harassing me or I just don’t fuck with you, I can get you kicked out of my fucking spot with one hand signal,” said La Feminista.
Now that’s what I call empowering.
Real feminism is realizing everyone owns control to their own body. Nudity empowers many, while modesty empowers others. While many try to paint sex workers as some dumb, untalented bimbos incapable of committing to a “real” job, sex workers are educated individuals making money off their physical being, doing things others do for free. A femme realizing they can profit off the perverted minds of men alone already makes them smarter than a lot of people.
“I love stripping because I deal with interactions that already occur in everyday life for womxn,” said Salina La Feminista, “This time you’re in my fucking house, I am in control, and you have to pay to even have a segment of my time, attention, and presence.”
Salinas La Feminista uses their platform to constantly inform their following on the misconceptions of sex work while remaining brutally honest in their approach, they shut down those who categorize sex work as an accomplice of body objectification by calling out the absurdity behind the arguments.
“To summarize stripping as the objectification of womxn is oppressive in itself and such a surface level perspective,” said La Feminista. “I’ve tried to use this platform to demonstrate the effort and skill it takes to work in this industry, and I’ve only been doing it a couple of months. Womxn who choose this as a career should be respected for it and not viewed as internally misogynistic for dedicating themselves to taxing men for their ability to charm while combining the strength to invert and death drop in that motherfuckin’ pole.”
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