Introduction
Sex work is "the exchange of sexual services, performances, or products for material compensation. It includes activities of direct physical contact between buyers and sellers as well as indirect sexual stimulation". Sex work only refers to voluntary sexual transactions; thus, the term does not refer to human trafficking and other coerced or nonconsensual sexual transactions such as child prostitution. The transaction must take place between consenting adults of the legal age and mental capacity to consent and must take place without any methods of coercion, other than payment. The term emphasizes the labor and economic implications of this type of work. Furthermore, some prefer the use of the term because it grants more agency to the sellers of these services. (Full article...)
Selected article -
An escort agency is a company that provides escorts for clients, usually for sexual services. The agency typically arranges a meeting between one of its escorts and the client at the customer's house or hotel room (outcall), or at the escort's residence (incall). Some agencies also provide escorts for longer durations, who may stay with the client or travel along on a holiday or business trip. While the escort agency is paid a fee for this booking and dispatch service, the customer must negotiate any additional fees or arrangements directly with the escort for any other services that are not provided by the agency involved, such as providing sexual services (regardless of the legality of these services). (Full article...)
Selected images
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Sex workers demonstrating for better working conditions at the 2009 Marcha Gay in Mexico City (from Sex work) -
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An Ancient Greek urn depicts a prostitute and her client. (from Sex work) -
A liberated Chinese girl who had been forced in to sexual slavery by the Japanese military sits on a stretcher and speaks to a British military serviceman. (from Prostitution) -
De Wallen red-light district in Amsterdam (from Prostitution) -
Statue to honor the sex workers of the world. Installed March 2007 in Amsterdam, Oudekerksplein, in front of the Oude Kerk, in Amsterdam's red-light district De Wallen. Titled Belle, the inscription to the piece says "Respect sex workers all over the world." (from Prostitution) -
A sex worker in Berlin in 2001 (from Sex work) -
Kisaeng women from outcast or slave families. (from Prostitution) -
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World map of prostitution lawsDecriminalization – No criminal penalties for prostitutionLegalization (regulation) – Prostitution legal and regulatedAbolitionism – Prostitution is legal, but organized activities such as brothels and pimping are illegal; prostitution is not regulatedNeo-abolitionism (Nordic model) – Illegal to buy sex and for 3rd party involvement, legal to sell sexProhibitionism – Prostitution illegal in all aspects (selling and buying)Legality varies with local laws(from Sex work) -
The red light district in Amsterdam (from Sex work) -
Stickers affixed to a payphone in São Paulo, 2006 (from Prostitution) -
Prostitution Information Centre in Amsterdam (from Prostitution) -
Legalization – prostitution legal and regulatedDecriminalization – No criminal penalties for prostitutionAbolitionism – prostitution is legal, but organized activities such as brothels and pimping are illegal; prostitution is not regulatedNeo-abolitionism – illegal to buy sex and for 3rd party involvement, legal to sell sexProhibitionism – prostitution illegalLegality varies with local laws(from Prostitution)
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Prostitute c. 1890. (from Prostitution) -
A detail from plate 1 of William Hogarth's (1697–1764) The Harlot's Progress, showing brothel-keeper Elizabeth Needham, on the right, procuring a young woman who has just arrived in London (from Prostitution) -
A street prostitute talking to a potential customer in Turin, Italy, 2005 (from Prostitution) -
A prostitute in Amsterdam's red-light district talks with a potential customer. (from Prostitution) -
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News report about three brothels operating in Albuquerque, New Mexico that were raided by police in 1922 (from Prostitution) -
An oiran preparing herself for a client, ukiyo-e print by Suzuki Haronubu (1765) (from Prostitution) -
World map of pornography (18+) lawsPornography legalPornography legal under some restrictionsPornography illegalData unavailable(from Sex work) -
A prostitute and her customer illustrated on an ancient Greek wine cup; the act of prostitution is indicated by the coin purse above the figures. (from Prostitution) -
Women in an early San Francisco bordello in 1870 (from Prostitution) -
A political cartoon from 1787 jesting about the notion of taxation affecting prostitutes (from Prostitution) -
Related portals
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Selected general sex worker
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Domenica Anita Niehoff (3 August 1945 – 12 February 2009), also known as Domenica, was a German prostitute and activist. She appeared in television shows in the 1990s, where she campaigned for the legalization and regulation of the profession. (Full article...) -
Kaoru Kuroki (黒木香, Kuroki Kaoru, born 21 January 1965) is a Japanese former adult video performer and a multi-media personality. Her role as a media counselor expressing outspoken views on sex and society have drawn comparisons to Cicciolina, sex therapist Dr. Ruth, and actress Linda Lovelace. (Full article...)
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Tericka Dye (born 1972/1973) is an American former pornographic actress who performed under the stage name of Rikki Andersin. Later known by the name Tera Myers, she made national headlines when, after retiring from the adult industry and becoming a high school science teacher in Kentucky, her brief pornographic career was discovered, leading to her dismissal. (Full article...)
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Domonique Simone (real name Deirdre Morrow, born June 18, 1971, in Valdosta, Georgia) is a retired American actress who was prominent in the adult film industry. Best known for her works in the 1990s, she starred in over 200 films, earning herself a place in the AVN Hall of Fame. in 2007. Since retiring, she has lived a very private life, primarily focusing on her role as a mother to her four children. Simone is also notable for her engagements outside the adult film industry, including appearances in music videos, mainstream film, and her active presence on social media platforms. (Full article...) -
Jill Kelly (born February 1, 1971) is an American pornographic actress, director and producer. Kelly is an AVN Hall of Fame inductee. (Full article...) -
James Elliott Naughtin (February 8, 1982 – June 14, 2012), known professionally as Erik Rhodes, was an American gay pornographic film actor and director. After making his adult film debut as a performer in 2004, Rhodes became an exclusive model with Falcon Studios, and began directing adult films for Raging Stallion Studios when the studio was acquired by Falcon in 2011. Beyond his work in pornography, Rhodes was active in New York City nightlife and celebrity circles, and was once linked to fashion designer Marc Jacobs. In 2012, Rhodes died from cardiac arrest at the age of 30. (Full article...) -
Richard Pacheco (born Howard Marc Gordon; May 5, 1948) is an American former pornographic film and video actor, writer and director who retired from the X-rated business in the mid-1980s.
He appeared in more than 100 x-rated films and videos. He has won multiple adult film awards for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Director. He was Playgirl magazine's Man of the Year in 1979 as Howie Gordon. (Full article...) -
Mari Ayukawa (Japanese: 鮎川真理, Hepburn: Ayukawa Mari, Chinese: 鯰川真理, Cantonese Yale: Nim4 Chyun1 Jan1 Lei5) is a former Japanese AV idol and pink film actress. (Full article...)
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Maria Tamiko Pozzi (born 1 June 1963), best known by the stage name Baby Pozzi, is an Italian former pornographic film actress.
Born in Genoa, Liguria, she is the younger sister of the pornographic actress and television personality Moana Pozzi. She started her career with some shows in clubs, while attending school to become a chemical analyst. After entering Riccardo Schicchi's agency, "Diva Futura", as a secretary, she debuted in the adult industry in 1987 and retired in 1991. She then moved to France, where she volunteered in an orphanage. In 1995, after the death of her sister, she briefly rejoined the industry but only for some live shows. Outside of her adult career, she had a leading role in the erotic film Abat-Jour, which was directed by Lorenzo Onorati. (Full article...) -
Richard Allen Karp (October 23, 1953 – June 7, 2015), better known by his stage name Cole Tucker, was an American actor in gay pornography. Tucker was born in New York. He started making appearances in gay pornography in 1996 at the age of 43, previously working as a realtor. In 1998, he appeared in Sex/Life in L.A. Jochen Hick's adult documentary about the sex lives of the men who make L.A. adult movies.
In 1999, he revealed in a story published in the London Standard that he was HIV-positive and also had a relationship with former British Conservative Party MEP Tom Spencer.
In 2000 he was one of the celebrity gay porn stars taking part in the "Pillage & Plunder" cruise to benefit Pride Tampa Bay. He was involved with South African TV director Ken Kirsten and they lived in Johannesburg. Kirsten was shot dead outside their home one Sunday evening in April 2006. Although police did not carry out a criminal investigation, Karp left South Africa shortly after the shooting. He died of an AIDS-related illness on June 7, 2015, in Palm Springs, California. (Full article...) -
Faith Bacon (born Frances Yvonne Bacon; July 19, 1910 – September 26, 1956) was an American burlesque dancer and actress. During the height of her career, she was billed as "America's Most Beautiful Dancer". (Full article...) -
Ty Mitchell (born April 8, 1993) is an American writer and former gay pornographic actor. (Full article...)
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An Nanba (Japanese: 南波杏, Hepburn: Nanba An) also known as Ann Nanba is a former Japanese adult video (AV) actress who had a long and prolific career in the adult entertainment industry. At the beginning of 2009, the DMM and Amazon sites both listed more than 250 DVDs available under her name. She retired from AV work in 2008. (Full article...)
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Phoenix at "Porn Star Karaoke", 2007
Satine Phoenix is an American comic book illustrator, cosplayer, model, and former pornographic film actress. She is the co-creator, with writer R.K. Syrus, of the graphic novel New Praetorians and the founder of CelebrityChariD20 (formerly CelebrityCharityDnD). (Full article...) -
Nicole Aniston is an American pornographic film actress. She was the 2013 Penthouse Pet of the Year. (Full article...) -
Richard Holt Locke (June 11, 1941 – September 25, 1996) was an American actor in gay erotic films of the 1970s and 1980s, who went on to become an AIDS educator and activist. As a performer in adult cinema, Locke has been credited with being one of the "earliest and most widely emulated VCR stars" in gay erotic cinema, as well as someone whose performance and physicality contributed to the evolution of gay sexual behavior in the 1970s and 1980s. (Full article...)
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Akiho Yoshizawa (Japanese: 吉沢 明歩, Hepburn: Yoshizawa Akiho, born March 3, 1984), often known simply as Acky (あっきー), is a Japanese actress and former adult video (AV) actress, who also appeared in pink film and mainstream (non-erotic) film, as well as television. With a career spanning over more than 15 years and over 1,000 adult film appearances, Yoshizawa was widely renowned as one of the most famous and recognizable faces in Japanese adult entertainment, with an appeal that managed to cross over into mainstream entertainment.
She started her AV career in 2003 with the companies Alice Japan and Max-A, and in 2007 she transitioned to studios Maxing and S1 No. 1 Style appearing along with other famous AV actresses like Yuma Asami, Mihiro, Sola Aoi or Megu Fujiura. She was also a member of the idol group Ebisu Muscats between 2008 and 2013. Yoshizawa announced her retirement from AV in late 2018, and her final adult films were released in March 2019. (Full article...) -
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Chesty Morgan, real name Ilana Wajc and also known as Liliana Wilczkowska and Lillian Stello (born October 15, 1937) is a Polish-born, retired exotic dancer of Jewish descent, who also starred in two films directed by Doris Wishman. Morgan was billed as having a 73 inches (1.9 m) bust measurement. (Full article...) -
Denice Klarskov (born 18 April 1986) is a Danish pornographic actress and entrepreneur. (Full article...) -
Katalin Vad, better known by her porn star name Michelle Wild [[vad literally means "wild" in Hungarian;]], (born 16 January 1980) is a Hungarian actress and former pornographic actress who worked mainly for Private Media Group (international) and LUXx Video (Hungary). (Full article...) -
Hilda Isabel Gorrindo Sarli (Spanish pronunciation: [isaˈβel ˈsaɾli]; 9 July 1929 – 25 June 2019), nicknamed Coca, was an Argentine actress. She was known for starring in several sexploitation films by Armando Bó, especially in the 1960s and 1970s. She began her career as a model, becoming Miss Argentina and reaching the semi-finals of Miss Universe 1955. She was discovered by Bó in 1956 and made her acting debut the following year with Thunder Among the Leaves, in which a controversial nude scene featuring Sarli made it the first film to feature full frontal nudity in Argentine cinema.
As the muse and protagonist of Bó's films, Sarli became the quintessential sex symbol of her country and a popular figure worldwide. After Bó's death in 1981, Sarli virtually retired from acting until the 1990s, when she appeared in a handful of film roles and TV cameos before her death in 2019. Since the year 2000 and onwards her films have been revalued for their camp and kitsch content and are recognised as cult classics, while Sarli has established herself as a pop icon. (Full article...) -
Australia's Thunder from Down Under is an Australian male revue who perform in Las Vegas and tour internationally. The show is a 90-minute, interactive performance with choreographed dance and flashing lights. Their main competitor is Chippendales. The show is co-owned by Adam Steck and founder Billy Cross.
Since its debut in 1991, nearly 10 million people have watched them perform. Originally, the show uses the Australian practice of no tipping as a way to attract audiences. Their first show was in an old theater in The Frontier in '01 and booked a show in the Excalibur Hotel in '02. Since then, Thunder has toured over 15 countries including Russia, England, Canada, South Africa, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Ireland and, in 2017, will be headed to Thailand and China as well. (Full article...) -
Kay Taylor Parker (28 August 1944 – 14 October 2022) was a British pornographic film actress who later worked as a metaphysical counselor and mentor. She was the author of an autobiography Taboo: Sacred, Don't Touch which chronicles her life including her work as an actress in adult films. (Full article...)
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Did you know...
- ... that Lea Ackermann, a German nun of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, fought against forced prostitution and sex tourism in East Africa?
- ... that a Harvey's franchise known for being a hub for sex work was described by one artist as a "legendary Toronto icon"?
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