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Inappropriate LinkedIn Message Sparks Debate
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A woman who listed her profession as a "self-employed sex worker" on LinkedIn has triggered a debate online.
Arielle Egozi, who has more than 10,700 followers on the professional networking platform, included the work experience and wrote a lengthy post describing her reasoning.
Two weeks ago, she left "an in-house job" with great benefits so she could do sex work.
"I had just enough saved from selling and engaging my image that I could ask myself if I was happy. I wasn't," she said.
"Yeah, the few grand I'd stashed up over time helped, but the biggest reason I could walk away is because sex work shows me what my power can do when I own it intentionally. I charge exorbitant amounts."
Egozi also delved into the "emotional labour" aspect of "rejections."
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"I have no problem taking rejections from those that don't want to pay it because I charge what emotional labour is required right into the feel," she said.
Egozi also noted that she sets boundaries and only partakes in activities that "are safe, playful, and abundant" for her.
"I don't waste my time with anything less. I stopped pitching and negotiating. I have nothing to prove. I've done the work up front to make my value evident."
She then posed the question of what makes sex work different from other client work before incorporating her opinion on the matter.
"The answer I come to, again and again, is that it isn't. So it's now up on my linkedin," Egozi said.
She concluded, in part: "They don't have to understand it, but they better respect the hell out of it."
Her post garnered over 9,200 reactions and more than 1,600 comments.
Some people who commented on the post congratulated her for finding work that empowers her and compensates her well.
One wrote: "Innnnnteresting how quickly folks' (read: mostly men) prejudices, assumptions, and misogyny surface when sex work is illuminated - which, last time I checked, IS paid work. It just has been historically vilified (even though there's been a robust market for it since, well - forever).
"Go back and read the words of the [original poster] - the work is engaging, consensual, empowering, and she is paid well. How many posts are devoted to the lack of any or all of those job qualities?
"Consider setting aside (and working through) your prejudices and seeing this in a wider lens. Congratulations."
"I love this and thank you for this. Too many times has my past in exotic dancing, and nude modeling come up as a problem for employers, and I never quite understood why. I became very transparent with my past and my other hustles so that I can work with Partners who celebrate me as I am and see the things that I bring to the table because of those experiences," another added.
A third wrote: "This!! I celebrate you, your story, and all that you bring to the table. Thank you for sharing and for talking about "emotional labor" as part of your fee. A very important line item to dealing with anyone that believes they are in the dominant position only because they write the check."
Someone else felt "saddened" by Egozi's choice of work and added: "Nothing to be proud of. I'm sorry you felt the need to go into sex work, and I feel even sadder for you that you felt you needed to post this on LinkedIn. Shameful and wrong to try and pull this off as 'female empowerment.'"
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