It's Labor Day, So Let's Talk About the Labor of Sex Work

So often the phrase Sex Work is Work is shouted and posted online, and obviously I know that, agree with it, and support it, but I think that for many the phrase itself lacks context. The idea of sex work as work is questioned by numerous people because, at first glance, it seems easy peasy—like a walk in the park. And that isn’t the case. Sex work takes a lot of labor of various types, and since it is Labor Day, I figured it was the perfect time to chat about that a little more. So let’s do that!

The Labor of Social Media

There are many different types of sex work, and they all have different components of work, but for most forms, one major aspect of labor is marketing. Whether someone is a full-service worker, cam model, adult content creator, or domme/dominatrix, they must do some marketing and promotion on their own to attract clients and subscribers. If you have never worked in social media or marketing, you might think that it's easy, but it’s actually strenuous labor. Developing ideas for social media content, creating and editing it, and then posting and engaging across multiple platforms requires hours of time. The labor is only further complicated when you consider the heavy censorship that sex workers face on social media platforms. Outside of Twitter and Bluesky, sexually suggestive or outright sexual content increases your chances of being shadowbanned or your profile just being shut down without warning. 

You might be wondering why sex workers even need to do marketing or self-promotion, and there are two big reasons that I think folks should be aware of for the why: the eradication of websites for finding sex workers thanks to SESTA/FOSTA, and the fact that most fan sites don’t have search functions. SESTA/FOSTA was a set of laws that were passed during Trump’s first presidency and are said to be about protecting people from sex trafficking. In actuality, the laws just took away safe digital spaces for sex workers to vet clients and publicize their offerings, such as Backpage. Because of these laws, sex workers and victims of sex trafficking have been pushed into more dangerous situations. 

Due to the way that most fan sites are designed, without the direct URL for a creator's profile, you can’t find them. Without a search function, sex workers have to bring their fans to their pages, and without Backpage, the only viable option for that is social media. When you consider the mental and creative gymnastics that sex workers have to do to keep their profiles and grow a following, but also get people to visit sites other than social media, the labor becomes a lot.

It’s Manual Labor

Another major area of labor involved in sex work is manual labor. Yes, there are plenty of jobs that require manual labor, like construction, laundry services, and so much more, but the manual labor of sex work often gets overlooked. Consider this, you have the work of getting ready, which for most sex workers is essentially like doing an everything shower every day, and then the maintenance stuff that most people only do once a month or before a big trip (like waxes, nails, hair appointment, etc.), because looks absolutely matter in sex work. Sure, some people make content how they are naturally (and we support people doing what they want), but when it comes to selling anything, presentation matters, and for women, the presentation is often ourselves. 

The manual labor of sex work also differs from other forms of manual labor depending on the type of sex work. The manual labor of stripping is quite apparent, and if you have ever tried to do tricks on a pole, you completely understand the labor that it is. For adult content creators, a good portion of them batch-create content. This means that they film multiple videos in one setting. This means setting up your shooting area for different videos, creating the videos, and likely taking photos as well as video. Then, you change your outfit and possibly makeup for the next video. Outside of acting, how many jobs do you know where you go through multiple costumes and set changes in one day of work? Not too many. And trust me, as someone who batch-creates their sex ed content, it takes a lot of time and energy to do that work.

After the filming is all done, the labor isn’t done, though. Sex workers then have to edit the content. Some people hire editors, but many edit their own content. Again, from personal experience, I can tell you that this is not a quick process. It involves the actual video editing, and depending on the individual, they may provide captioning for videos. When it comes to photos, unless they are professionally done, individuals must also edit their own images. That’s a lot of labor that you can’t really hire out—sex workers have to do it themselves.

Emotional Labor

Now, I consider emotional labor to be the most significant aspect of labor that gets ignored when people talk about sex work as work. It is already an ignored or erased aspect of women’s lived experience, so it’s no surprise it is overlooked in sex work. Take a moment to reflect on the effort required to show up emotionally for others. It can be exhausting, and that’s why we sometimes need days where we are by ourselves and not responding to texts or calls. When it comes to sex work, emotional labor is very much a part of the work because you are doing the emotional work of selling a fantasy to people. Sex workers have to show up for their clients regardless of where they are emotionally. For folks who do digital sex work, this is a smidge easier because you can automate responses, making it less labor-intensive. For folks who do full-service sex work, though, this emotional labor is much more. 

Next time you are discussing sex work or interacting with a sex worker, consider the labor of their work. Pay them for the time and labor they are putting in. You can support them by tipping them, subscribing to their fan sites, or hiring them directly. Take some time today to show some appreciation to sex workers you enjoy and find pleasure from their work.