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Author Topic: Questioning the stigma surround the sex industry. Photo-documentary project.  (Read 885 times)

Socialdoc

  • Guest
Look, before I start to explain. I know that many will uncomfortable with the idea of someone creating a photographic documentary, so this won't be for everybody. Privacy is an important aspect of everyone's life and due to the nature of punting, it's even more important. To have someone from the 'outside' to come in and ask questions is daunting. I'm fairly open minded to the idea of punting, sex is one of our main and most powerful desires. It only makes sense that an industry would be formed around it, a self-regulated community is much safer for both the provider and clients compared to the other alternatives.

I'm a documentary photographer based in Cardiff and I am currently acquiring a degree from USW, Cardiff. I'm creating a photo-documentary project on the sex industry in south Wales and England, from the people's point of view. I'm focusing on the relationship between the client and the practice as a project because I want to question the stigma that surrounds this subject, it surprises me considering how much influence sex has on our society and that it is a basic drive for many people.

I'm looking for anyone who would be interested in being involved, people surrounding the Cardiff and Bristol area would be great. To begin with it can be something as simple as a quick chat over the phone or email, what ever you feel most comfortable with.

I am a male student.

This post could stretch on forever, so I'll leave it there. Post a reply if you have a question. If you would prefer to PM me, here is my email

15065987@students.southwales.ac.uk
« Last Edit: February 23, 2017, 08:02:38 pm by Socialdoc »

sloopjohnb

  • Guest
I realise you’re young and inexperienced, but you’ll have to do better than that a to be taken seriously.

As a university student you’re supposed to be able to express yourself in coherent sentences:

“an industry … a self-regulated community” - you string these two labels together as if there were necessarily a link between them. Not only is that a highly questionable proposition, but the mere use of those labels indicates a lack of critical thinking.

“the relationship between the client and the practice” - what on earth does that mean? What do you imagine “the practice” to be? The whore’s service? The process of meeting a whore? How can there be a relationship between a person and a process?

“the sex industry” - what do you include in this? Porno film-making? Ann Summers? Streetwalkers? Massage parlours? The Sun?

"from the people's point of view” - do you mean “the peoples’ point of view”, or are you after the viewpoint of “the man in the street”, or are you coming at this from the viewpoint of dialectical materialism?

“because I want to question the stigma…” - two points here: first, the stigma, inasmuch as it exists, is in the minds of people who are not involved in the “sex industry”, so maybe you should go photograph them; second, why is “focusing on the relationship” your chosen method of questioning (by which I assume you mean “showing to be unjustified”) a social attitude?

“it surprises me considering how much influence sex has on our society…” - it doesn’t surprise me that it surprises you, given that you are young and obviously naive, except that it surprises me that you think a different, albeit related thing (influence of sex) would alter “our society” (what is that, by the way, this ubiquitous, homogeneous, nebulous concept that is universally accepted and understood by everyone in exactly the same way?) in its attitude to a diverse and ill-understood set of commercial enterprises trading in and on the desire for sexual gratification in any one of many complex forms?

However, it is good to know you are “fairly open minded to the idea of punting”, so you won’t be too judgemental (or do you mean, you fancy a punt yourself but you can’t quite screw up the courage, or you’re a bit too cash-strapped?) and your questioning of this stigma you’ve identified is presumably also going to be at least “fairly” open-minded.

So, dear male student, you want to take photos of whores and punters in their natural habitat (or have I misunderstood something?) so you can do a project for your university degree course, which photos will, in the nature of such projects, be published and available to anyone with an interest in looking for them, and you'd like us to help you out by volunteering as subjects.

Have I got that right?

Offline HawkG

A bit harsh perhaps Sloopy. The original post raises some questions but it seemed polite and respectful and surely deserves a response in the same spirit?

Online Bertiebeenthere

I don't think it's a "bit harsh".
Maybe it's because I'm an "old git" and a pedant, but IMHO the OP has not been 100% clear what he wants,

BBT

Offline baranabus96

I don't think it's a "bit harsh".
Maybe it's because I'm an "old git" and a pedant, but IMHO the OP has not been 100% clear what he wants,

BBT

I agree, his wording is a little vague.


Offline XTC2

I think a bit of a reality check may be required here. 'Stigma' aside (which could be career-ending for many people by the way) it's also true that a large number, quite possibly the majority, of punters are married and/or in a relationship. There's no chance in hell they're going to let you potentially expose them just for the fun of it.

If you restrict yourself to working girls themselves you'll have a lot more luck, but I'm not sure how original or valuable that would be.

I suspect the whole thing is a non-starter, certainly if you're wanting more than a couple of photos in total. There would be massive ethics problems if anyone was identifiable. If you have a supervisor and they actually OK'd this, you need to have words with them.

Offline Mcping

Pay for some punts...I'll happily put on a show for you!