I'll get right to the point, it's time we stop shaming sex workers.
First off, because it's 2020 and if you still haven't learned that what other individuals do with their bodies is none of your business, then there's really no hope for you at this point.
Second, because some sex workers are actually using their platform and assets to do good for our planet and population, something that others with "proper" jobs consistently fail to do.
One prime example of this is nude Instagram model and activist Kaylen Ward (known as The Naked Philanthropist on Twitter).
This woman was able to raise upwards of $700,000 for charity to aid the victims of Australia's massive bushfire crisis by sending nude pictures of herself through DM to anyone who donates at least $10 to the cause.
Photo courtesy of @@lilearthangelk on Twitter
To participate, Twitter users have to donate directly to one of Australia's bushfire aid fundraisers and present a picture of the donation receipt to Kaylen before receiving naked pictures.
Kaylen first Tweeted about the swap on January 3, and raised more than $10,000 overnight. Since then, her tweet has gone viral and has been retweeted about 84 thousand times.
Because of her fundraising efforts, she has also gained a larger following on Twitter - going from around 30,000 followers to now 321,000 in four days.
Most of the responses to Kayeln's efforts have been positive, with users praising her for her commitment to helping Australia and hoping that all the attention she's getting will help bring more respect to the sex worker community.
The Instagram model's success even inspired other sex workers to follow suit, many replied to her tweet saying they'd also send nudes in exchange for donations.
Unsurprisingly, there were also those who responded negatively to Kaylen's venture. On January 4, the Instagram model tweeted the following:
My IG got deactivated, my family disowned me, and the guy I like won't talk to me all because of that tweet. But fuck it, save the koalas.
— THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST (@lilearthangelk) January 5, 2020
According to Refinery29, Instagram deleted Kaylen's 50K-followers IG account not once but TWICE after reading the model's initial post insisting that she "violated user guidelines." Instagram is notorious for penalizing sex workers on the app, so we're not too surprised by this consequence.
Time and again, society claims to support sex workers and points the finger at anyone who objectifies them, but it's clear that many still look down on the profession.
It can be very difficult for people in this field to find jobs outside of the trade without keeping their past hidden, and it's often hard for them to find partners that fully accept what they do.
It's time to end the stigma against sex workers once and for all.
Who knows? Maybe charities will start employing sex workers to raise money in the future, given Kaylen's success.