Risky Pleasures

This ethnographic study explores the discourses and practices of male clients of foreign female sex workers (FSWs) who carried out relationships with their regular FSW. Situated in an environment that rejects and stigmatizes sex work, this study explores the paths taken by this small group of men pu...

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Main Authors: Lim Soo Jin, Cheah Shu Xu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2016-05-01
Series:SAGE Open
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016650241
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spelling doaj-69e46aa9ca6b41209703903ad229d78e2020-11-25T03:22:47ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402016-05-01610.1177/215824401665024110.1177_2158244016650241Risky PleasuresLim Soo Jin0Cheah Shu Xu1Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kajang, Selangor, MalaysiaUniversiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kajang, Selangor, MalaysiaThis ethnographic study explores the discourses and practices of male clients of foreign female sex workers (FSWs) who carried out relationships with their regular FSW. Situated in an environment that rejects and stigmatizes sex work, this study explores the paths taken by this small group of men pursuing a relationship with a FSW. Findings from a sample of 23 Malaysian men obtained from an online forum and through snowball sampling display a demand for intimacy that for some clients transcends conventions of commercial sex, while for others display a desire for consumption of commodified intimacy within the sex trade. Participants’ narratives provide an insight as to how FSWs adapt and utilize emotional labor to their advantage. The resulting relationship is one of extreme inequality in power relations, resulting in both sides developing different strategies to compensate for their vulnerabilities.https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016650241
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Lim Soo Jin
Cheah Shu Xu
spellingShingle Lim Soo Jin
Cheah Shu Xu
Risky Pleasures
SAGE Open
author_facet Lim Soo Jin
Cheah Shu Xu
author_sort Lim Soo Jin
title Risky Pleasures
title_short Risky Pleasures
title_full Risky Pleasures
title_fullStr Risky Pleasures
title_full_unstemmed Risky Pleasures
title_sort risky pleasures
publisher SAGE Publishing
series SAGE Open
issn 2158-2440
publishDate 2016-05-01
description This ethnographic study explores the discourses and practices of male clients of foreign female sex workers (FSWs) who carried out relationships with their regular FSW. Situated in an environment that rejects and stigmatizes sex work, this study explores the paths taken by this small group of men pursuing a relationship with a FSW. Findings from a sample of 23 Malaysian men obtained from an online forum and through snowball sampling display a demand for intimacy that for some clients transcends conventions of commercial sex, while for others display a desire for consumption of commodified intimacy within the sex trade. Participants’ narratives provide an insight as to how FSWs adapt and utilize emotional labor to their advantage. The resulting relationship is one of extreme inequality in power relations, resulting in both sides developing different strategies to compensate for their vulnerabilities.
url https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016650241
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