Discourses of prostitution/discourses of sexuality

This essay addresses the problem of the representation of prostitutes as “others”; through discourses of sexuality in contemporary media. It has been argued that feminism has changed women's images and, in particular, the prostitute's image, from sensationalized, deviant, and/or disordered actor to working woman. This essay challenges both contentions: first, by examining traditional representations of prostitutes; second, by analyzing the extent to which contemporary representations of prostitution, particularly on television, challenge former representations; third, by arguing that feminist voices within television texts do not effectively challenge the normalizing effects of representation; and, finally, by examining the identity politics that impede feminist influence on images of prostitutes and all women.