Victims or empowered entrepreneurs? Media constructions of sex workers in Italy and Belgium

As digital platforms and neoliberal discourses contribute to reshaping notions of visibility and empowerment, understanding how sex work is framed becomes increasingly important. The representation of sex work in mass media plays a crucial role in shaping public perceptions and influencing policy debates. This article investigates the representation of sex work in online newspapers through a comparative analysis of headlines and images in Italian and Belgian online newspapers, adopting a post-structuralist perspective. Using Critical Analysis, it examines how two European countries with different legislative approaches to sex work frame the issue in public discourse. The analysis reveals how visual and textual elements, shape the narrative, contributing to the construction of sex workers as either visible or invisible subjects. The anonymity of sex workers who are victims of trafficking or femicide frames them as ungrievable lives, devoid of agency. In contrast, mainstream media have increasingly featured OnlyFans creators and high-end escorts, promoting a neoliberal ideal of empowerment tied to market value and self-branding. By mapping the tensions between visible and invisible lives and linking it to dominant notions of women’s empowerment and productivity, this study highlights how public discourse on sex work is shaped by dichotomies and stereotypical representation.