Thomas Schrader - Reproductive Labor - April 23

      Sex Tourism is not just a business limited to certain countries or area; it is something that has spread globally (even into areas with no sex industry) and is similarly something sought out by people of all ages, class, and genders, mainly Western World travelers traveling into Third World countries. Davidson and Taylor in “Fantasy Islands” explore sex tourism as it relates to gender and race mainly. This exposes a very complex insight. They explain how this occurrence plays off of the “eroticization of the ethnic and cultural Other,” a reoccurring historical pattern. This is a result of the perceived natural uncivilized nature of this non-Western places. At the same time, this leads to a desexualization of white women by men who seek out these tourist ventures. Male sexuality, then, is perceived as one that is not only oversexual, but hostile. Such hostility and aggressiveness is encouraged by sex tourism. What is not considered is that those local members who partake in this business may just be trying to make a quick buck. Rather, Westerners tend to believe that these groups are simply oversexualized.

            The quote that stood out to me pertained to the idea that “sex tourism can also be understood as a collective behavior oriented toward the restoration of a generalized belief about what it is to be white: to be truly white is to be served, revered, and envied by Others” (p.458). This racial lens is complicated by white woman who partake in sex tourism: “they can reinforce a sense of self through common racial identity or threaten and disturb that sense through their sexual Otherness” (p. 459).

            Another idea that was consistent with the other articles was that many of these people, particularly the women that engaged in sex tourism, did not consider what they were doing prostitution, even though there was exchanges of money or other payment. People were simply living out their “fantasies,” which just further demonstrates how, when othered, certain groups of people are marginalized.

            The other Taylor article on “Female Sex Tourism” described the double standard that is in place, with male tourists being described as “sex tourists” while female tourists are typically described as engaging in “romance” tourism. Men are simply described as oversexed and women are not. They are expected to be reserved and love-seeking. Again, the prostitutes themselves are usually seen as the more passive member of this arrangement, given little agency of their own. They are basically not given a  human status. Women, universally, struggle with their own double bind in terms of being expected to be economically independent while also trying to become good traditional wives and mothers. In any circumstance it is always the patriarchal global system at play.

            As Wonders and Michalowski explain, all this is the result of the formation of a single capitalist economy – what they term as “globalization.” Simply through the use of the word “tourism,” a commonly used word that connects to ideas of vacation and carefree-ness, sex tourism has connected prostitution with tourism, making the practice that much more universally acceptable. Mainly the result of migration over that past decades and the formation of an economy based solely on consumption, it is no wonder that this industry has flourished; and, it seems nothing is being really done to put a quick stop to it anytime soon. The authors’ comparisons between Amsterdam and Havana show that while sex work has become openly part of the area through a sort of industry, Havana has appealed to tourist emotional desire, especially the bodies of “others,” as we see time and time again. Both have made a spot in their cultures for this industry. At the end of the day, using the body as a commodity is the easiest mean to be successful in capitalism.

            The article on migrant Filipina domestic workers explored the lives of these individuals. The three-tier system was not something I had heard about. The author describes the systematic race and class hierarchies in the division of labor between “clean mistresses” and “dirty servants.” Furthermore, the more physically strenuous labor of the servant enabled the mistress to attain the markers of ideal femininity – fragility and cleanliness” (p. 562). The author goes on to describe how domestic servant who worked for upper-class women/families would hire their own domestic workers as well to clean their homes. Domestic workers from either of the tiers are mainly grouped, once again, as a group of “others.” The fact that many in this particular study were married, had an education, and had worked professionally previously were overlooked. Basically, these women have no other choice. What is also interesting is that this job is mainly for women who fulfill a typically male role of providing for the family. As a result of this increasing job field for these women, “diverted mothering” and family separation are problematic.

            The New York Time article showed the increasing acceptance of this industry. It has, in essence, become part of the vacationing experience, which is very concerning.