Are you lonely? Do you desire the company of a very willing woman? If you want to relax in an exotic location and are unconcerned with the detriment you may cause to third world women, then sex tourism may be right for you!
As travel becomes an increasingly easy venture the industry known as sex tourism flourishes. This growing branch of the tourism industry is devoted to adding sex to vacation packages. First world travelers (usually men) pursue third world sex workers (usually women or Transwomen) in “exotic” locations. Many of these women and girls have been trafficked into sex work, others were sold by their families, others still have families to support. My blog is devoted to a discussion of sex tourism and the injurious effects this industry has on the women and girls involved.
Websites promoting sex tourism appeal to men in the middle or upper classes, typically those with stressful jobs and who can afford a tropical getaway. These sites offer eligible women and girls who will provide “company” for the traveler. They show pictures of beautiful beaches and scantily clad women and girls. One site boasts: “We are the world's leader in providing discreet erotic vacations in some of the most sought after global locations.” In case readers are unsure of what an ‘erotic vacation’ consists of, the site goes on to say: “In Thailand we have many stunning 18+ year old guaranteed Virgins that have never been with a man!”
According to Cynthia Enloe, “Sex tourism is not an anomaly; it is one strand of the gendered tourism industry” (Enloe, 36). By gendered tourism, Enloe is referring to ways in which travel and globalization negatively impact women and girls more than they do men. She also argues that women make up a disproportionate number of those involved in world travel. That is, the service industry is comprised mainly of feminized jobs: flight attendants, hotel maids, sex workers. These jobs tend to be low wage, especially compared to the service jobs afforded to men: pilot, concierge, pimp.
As the semester unfolds I hope to address the affects that global travel has on women and girls. I will discuss tourism and trafficking as they relate to globalization and the contexts corporate take-over. Some of the blog will focus on Transwomen and their over-representation in the sex tourism industry. Much of the rhetoric I use will be womanist in nature and I would like to examine what feminism can do (or perhaps can’t do) for the future of the women and girls involved in the global sex industry.
So if you need some time away from the office, make a reservation with your local sex tourism agency. Your pleasure is of utmost importance. And don’t worry; a little misogyny never hurt anyone… except for women.
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Enloe, Cynthia. Bananas, Beaches and Bases. Berkeley: University of California Publishing, 1983.
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