Catchy headline yes? Yet quite a “touchy” subject. Trying to talk to your kids about sex when they very well may know more than you? That’s the internet and the telly for you…
I was talking with my team of Angie’s Angels and the subject of the Channel 5 Sex Business documentary came up. We talked about how sex, and issues surrounding sexuality, have been brought to the forefront like never before.
This is good yes? It’s good to talk about sex and sexuality and to be free and open and honest and… are we taking it too far?
From Toy Story 4 : Woody being asexual? Little Bo Peep wearing trousers instead of a dress? Designated Survivor and some seriously aggressive sex between men on the telly… Don’t even get me started on how Fifty Shades has made things mainstream that used to only get talked about behind closed doors…
Teaching children this… sexuality. It decreases stigma and I’m ALL for that. It’s good. It’s really good that we’re talking about this. But there is a downside I think…
Channel 5 Teens Selling Sex: The Sex Business
More than 72,000 escorts currently work in cities and towns across the UK – including a rising number of teenagers who are using sex as a way to make money.
It’s a shocking statistic when you consider the dangers inherent in this line of work.
Now aged 19, Chloe’s on a two-day trip to the capital to sleep with “posh” strangers for hundreds of pounds. Disturbingly, that can include an extra £50 if they don’t want to use a condom.
Channel 5 gives you an insight into the UK sex industry with its shocking show – Inside The Sex Business.
The TV show comes with a pre-warning: “Be prepared for full-frontal nudity, graphic extreme sexual activity including consensual violence, offensive language and drug use.”
Trigger Warning: I originally posted the video for this. It was too graphic for me to share with you. If you’d like to see the video on teen sex workers it is HERE.
I don’t agree with prostitution however if a man wants to do something with a grown up then that’s their choice. But for teens and tweens to prostitute themselves is TRAGIC.
But why are we surprised? They can make more money being an online web girl than they can with a job as a graduate of uni. Prostitution seems pretty appealing when you can maintain a standard of living all the way through college and then make more doing that then a “real” job. It’s sick and sad. Part of me thinks we shouldn’t see this on the telly… part of me says we won’t change it unless we know it’s going on. It’s a difficult choice. The saddest bit is that sex work is these girl’s “normal”.
Their normal has consequences.
Is all this focus on sex too much? Are we becoming desensitised or has this been happening all along and we’re ignoring it (don’t even get me started on Love Island)? Is sex and sexuality becoming too mainstream for our kids? Should they be identifying genders and discussing who they’re attracted to at the early stages of primary school? I’d love to hear your thoughts… let’s talk about it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
