{"id":73916,"date":"2025-05-16T15:48:44","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T14:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sheffieldwire.co.uk\/?p=73916"},"modified":"2025-05-16T15:48:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T14:48:47","slug":"the-sex-industry-should-be-abolished-a-radical-feminist-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sheffieldwire.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/05\/16\/the-sex-industry-should-be-abolished-a-radical-feminist-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"The sex industry should be abolished: a radical feminist perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A radical feminist is calling for the complete abolition of sex work following years research revealing how men talk about the women they buy sex from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elly Arrow<\/a>, an activist, never set out to campaign against the sex industry but her perspective hardened after hearing the derogatory and explicit language used against women. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her involvement with the Invisible Men Project<\/a> exposesd her to the attitudes and language of men who create the demand for sex work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat they say about women, how they talk, it\u2019s quite disturbing stuff that I find hard to justify,” said Arrow. The Invisible Men Project unearths that men speak of girls as young as 13 and describe women as, \u201cfresh meat\u201d, \u201cprey\u201d and \u201csubmissive\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrow said: \u201cOnce you learn all these different things, it\u2019s like you feel like you have to do something about it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In April this year, the Crime and Policing Bill<\/a> proposed the implementation of a Nordic-style model in the UK, which decriminalises the sale of sex but criminalises the purchase of it. It aims to reduce the demand and shift the legal burden away from sex workers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSociety really, really despises women in the sex industry,” said Arrow, who has her own YouTube<\/a> channel. She feels the Nordic model challenges that rhetoric and acknowledges that the women have nothing to be blamed for, “They\u2019re just trying to make ends meet,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrow’s work has exposed her to the experiences of sex work under a legalised model. Although she believes at the minimum, a Nordic-model should be introduced, Arrow said: \u201cAn abyss opens when you get into what happens in a legal brothel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The idea of a safe, sane, consensual sex industry is not possible in my opinion.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrow acknowledges the need for reform and revision of areas of the Nordic model, arguing it does not provide a stable income or a functional marketplace for those currently working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Arrow said: \u201cIf people are looking for a stable market where every woman makes a good liveable income, it doesn\u2019t exist.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is co-founder of the Red Light Expose<\/a>, a podcast run by a group of exploitation survivors and allies which highlights the issues inside the sex work industry. She has worked with sex workers in Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Germany, sex work is legal and regulated by the government. Sex workers must register and obtain a license to work but Arrow believes the system fails to challenge the deeper structures of power and control in the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same concerns apply to online sex work. The rise of OnlyFans, and other digital or custom pornography that is often described as safer. Often it is viewed as a form of empowerment through self-employment and financial independence.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Arrow feels it is important to acknowledge the danger in a space that has been perpetuated as safe or glamourised by popular culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explained the sex industry used to be populated by impoverished women and marginalised women but new forms of online sex work are even starting to endanger middle class women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrow, who has concerns about Only Fans, live camming, and custom pornography, said: \u201cYou think it\u2019s just you and a camera. No one can hurt you. And that\u2019s absolutely not true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She described it as \u201cpersonalised pornography\u201d, where men now expect direct access and bespoke content which can be accompanied by parasocial relationships that border on obsession and danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elly said that women in the sex industry use aliases not only because they are subject to public shame and stigma but also because there\u2019s so many stalkers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said: \u201cSo many men think, \u201cI\u2019ve poured this money into you, why won\u2019t you meet me in person?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elly Arrow did not set out to campaign against the sex industry but, after years of conversations with sex workers and hearing the way men talk about the women they buy sex from, her perspective hardened.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":221,"featured_media":73921,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2117,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campaigns-sex-work","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe sex industry should be abolished: a radical feminist perspective - Sheffield Wire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sheffieldwire.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/05\/16\/the-sex-industry-should-be-abolished-a-radical-feminist-perspective\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The sex industry should be abolished: a radical feminist perspective - 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