Sex Work and the Pandemic
Shadait, Escort, 2016 © Julia Fullerton-Batten
Workers in the sex industry often rely on independent contractors for money, making them one of the most affected populations of the COVID-19 pandemic. While some strip clubs provide employee status, and brothel workers in certain counties of Nevada remain secure due to legalization, many have nowhere to turn for financial help. In the same way undocumented workers are struggling to get by, sex workers have no legal protections in the United States. Porn-stars, strippers, sex workers, and adult entertainment/sex toy companies, are all ineligible for grants and disaster loans that many others have received to stay afloat. The federal government has outlawed financial assistance to any applicants who earn money through ‘sexual’ performances, products, displays, or services. An entire portion of people, who are vital members of the American economy, have been deemed invisible by the government. The porn industry brings in an estimated $6 billion to the American economy a year, but receives no financial aid in return.
Veronica, Aerial Artiste, 2016 © Julia Fullerton-Batten
This is why a series such as The Act by London-based photographer Julia Fullerton-Batten is imperative to advocate for workers of the sex industry. She documents a variety of women, including aerial artistes, dominatrixes, burlesque and lap dancers, strippers, porn-stars, escorts, webcam girls, sex-slaves, and a ping pong girl. In a recent article for the New Yorker, sex worker and organizer Tea Antimony explains, “We are yet again seeing how race, class, and immigration status intersect in terms of which work is defined as valid,” she said. “Sex work, like other feminized labor, is defined as not valid.” Fullerton-Batten, recognizing this erasure of sex workers, combined stylized portraits of 15 women that feature in-depth and personal stories from each of them. During a time of vital antiracist demonstrations, recognizing the intersections of race and sex work is imperative to generate more protections for black members of the sex industry.
Chloe and Ella, Slaves, 2016 © Julia Fullerton-Batten
In her artist statement, she explains how these careers could make one feel like they are constantly working on a stage. The foundational income of the sex industry is made through providing entertainment for an audience. Each stage and setting relates to the specific woman and her career, raised above eye level with theatrical lighting to represent the spotlight often placed on each of them.
Lola Marie, Escort, 2016 © Julia Fullerton-Batten
The first woman featured is an escort named Shadait, whose passion involves vintage fashion, with her sights set on entering the high fashion industry. The second woman is Veronica, an Asian-American aerial artist and drag king performer, who hangs from the ceiling using her elegantly long hair and one single ribbon. The third is a pair of women, Chloe and Ella; Chloe is a submissive sex slave to her partner Lisa and Ella, to the left, works as a sister sex slave with the couple. The fourth, Lola Marie, is an escort who explains to Fullerton-Batten the empathy she feels for people who keep returning to her services for loneliness, seeking company, and how much she enjoys fulfilling people’s fantasies. Finally is Monique, a London-based stripper who is a trained martial artist and ballerina, and finds erotic dancing to be a gratifying release.
Monique, Stripper, 2016 © Julia Fullerton-Batten
Many are unaware of the variety of careers in the sex industry, and Julia Fullerton-Batten brings visibility and personality to each of these performers. She explains, “Most are single, but some have relationships. Some are brazen, others palpably very vulnerable. It is these nuances of conviction and inner conflict that I hope I have captured in my images.” Whether you disapprove of the sex industry, or advocate for its complete legalization, Fullerton-Batten does not directly point to one opinion or the other. Rather, she shows the nuances, delicacy, and zeal of the women that go completely unrecognized by the federal government. It is work such as hers that can advocate for the protection of women that earn money by utilizing their bodies. In a time when most are living off of government checks, it is important to remember those that are not being considered a valid concern.
Julia Fullterton-Batten has a new book on The Act, which is available for purchase here. With forewords are by Alessia Glaviano, Senior Photo Editor of Vogue Italia and Helen Tootsi, an emerging art critic, making it a vital addition to your photography book collection.
