Book Reviewed: Harlots, Whores & Hackabouts: A History of Sex for Sale by Kate Lister

The journey of a harlot: An historical perception of the sex trade The joy of sex is always an interesting topic to read, and so is the investigation of the sex industry. This industry is generally linked with poverty and coercion of sex-workers. But the illustrations, pictures, and art works that packs this book looks more like a book of pornography that is intended to bring more men to read this book for fun and enjoyment. Much of the illustrative artwork are from the Wellcome Collection, a free museum and library exploring human experience, and each image in this book is printed on thick photographic papers. A scratchy fresco of the god Priapus weighing his own manhood gets one full page, and so is an illustration of a Norwegian heroine waiting for a gynecological screening, and the high platform shoes of Venetian sex workers. This questions the intention of the author. Is she exploiting the sex-workers story for a fast sale of her book, or she is examining the historical facts to come to a reasonable conclusion? The sex-workers profession existed in many cultures in numerous forms and served many different purposes in history. The archives of photographs here do not offer wisdom to the contemporary debates about sexuality and the empowerment of women. The front cover page is a good example to discuss. This is a picture of a woman from the wild west entertaining a gentleman. The ladies of the saloon played an important role in the social scene of the Old West. They were exotic, alluring, pleasant, and helped to create a friendly atmosphere of entertainment and relaxation. Despite the challenges they faced and the negative stereotypes that surrounded them, many saloon girls were able to earn a respectable living and make a place for themselves in a rapidly changing and often dangerous period. Many of them worked for the saloon-owner and helped their employer to promote the saloon business. Most customers who were hard working cowboys liked to enjoy a drink, a conversation and the company of a beautiful lady, and even play a game of pool or poker. Sex for cash was not a pre-requisite in this relationship. In contemporary terms, saloon ladies and dancehall girls are marketing specialists who worked for their employers and helped them in promoting the saloon business. Ambapali (also known as Amrapali) was a courtesan and dancer who lived during the 6th century BCE, at the same time as Buddha, in ancient India. She grew up to be so beautiful and intelligent that princes vied with each other for her hand in marriage. Instead of marrying, she becomes a courtesan and begins to entertain wealthy and influential men in the city of Vaishali. After meeting Buddha and learning his teachings, she becomes one of his devoted followers, and through spiritual practice, becomes an important nun in his order. She finds Buddha’s teachings very spiritual and uplifting since suffering in life follows from all forms of desire, such as for wealth, prosperity, physical appearance, etc. She set herself to free her mind through the direct observation of impermanence. Her insight into impermanence leads to complete liberation of the mind. She wrote several poems, like many other Buddhist nuns (called Bhikkhunis) of her time, that reflect on lives of these women, their former lives, their suffering, their happiness, what they left behind, and the peace they have found in their new lives as nuns. These poems are called “Therīgāthā” in Buddhism. They question their established beliefs, and reflect on their practices, life’s rituals and traditions that dictated them. Therīgāthā has an important dimension to contemporary issues that inspire women and spiritual seekers. The story of Mary Magdalene is another good example, a sex worker in ancient Israel meets Jesus and deeply influenced by his teachings, emerges as one of his closest disciples as illustrated by her gospel about Jesus’s teachings. In fact, she was instructed by him to lead his ministry after his departure. But the copies of her gospels would be destroyed in the third century by the church leaders since it does not agree with the teachings of the four canonized gospels of New Testament, until a copy was discovered in late nineteenth century. These are the fascinating stories of ancient sex-workers who found wisdom and peace in their lives. These are the stories that would be empowering to women.