Let’s face it, being a sex worker is hard. Aside from the social stigma around the profession, there’s constant pressure to adhere to unrealistic beauty standards and expectations. This is why there are many sex workers nowadays that don’t necessarily feel confident in their own skin.
One of the key factors in succeeding as a sex worker is confidence. Confident sex workers attract more clients and generally succeed in the industry.
So, what body image and self-esteem issues do sex workers face, and how does it impact their work?
While everybody’s story is different, there’s no denying the real effects that self-esteem issues have on sex workers.
- Body image and self-esteem challenges sex workers face
- How can it affect a sex worker’s performance?
- Improving your self-confidence as a sex worker
- Supporting the sex worker community and empowering them to self-acceptance and body positivity
- The takeaway
This Work Naked Day, we’ll take a look at some of these issues, how it affects their work, and how sex workers can improve their self-confidence overall.
Read on to learn more.
Body image and self-esteem challenges sex workers face
There are many body image issues that sex workers and everyone in society face nowadays. And to perform well sexually, it’s important to have a good body image.
However, since the sex work industry is heavily reliant on a person’s appearance, these issues can greatly affect their performance. Here are some of the biggest body image and self-esteem challenges that sex workers face.
Low self-esteem
The first challenge that many sex workers can face is low self-esteem. There are many societal stigmas and negative stereotypes around the sex work industry that can affect the way sex workers feel about themselves. On top of that, since success in the industry can often rely on a person’s appearance, sex workers hear a lot of criticism about how they look, which impacts their self-image and self-esteem.
Pressure to adhere to beauty standards
There is work for all body types, genders, and personalities in the sex industry. People can fulfil many kinks and niches, but that doesn’t mean sex workers aren’t constantly pressured to meet certain beauty standards. And this rings true regardless of the niche or kink you work in.
While the industry has some body positivity, the standards can get fairly toxic. This is why many sex workers can struggle with body dysmorphia.
Constant negative comments
As mentioned earlier, sex workers hear a lot from clients, people online, strangers or even people close to them. These comments can get very negative and hurtful, which majorly affects a person’s mental health. One of the biggest challenges as a sex worker, whether selling content online or meeting clients in real life, is dealing with the negative comments people have to say.
How can it affect a sex worker’s performance?
One of the best ways to attract clients as a sex worker is to have an air of confidence. When you exude confidence, clients are more attracted and are more likely to avail of your content and services. As a sex worker, it’s very important to be confident in yourself and feel comfortable in your own skin, as it makes it easier to attract new clients.
Without self-confidence, it gets harder to find work in the industry. But the effects of self-acceptance stretch much further than attracting clients.
When you feel good in your skin, you can do your job much better. Whether your sex work involves selling adult content on the internet or if you provide escort services to clients, body positivity will make you perform much better.
For example, feeling confident allows you to take better and more appealing pictures if you’re taking photos of yourself. And when you feel comfortable with yourself, it will also be easier to talk to clients, engage with them, and give them a positive experience.
But most importantly, body positivity and self-acceptance are good for your well-being. As a sex worker, it can be hard to feel confident sometimes. However, self-confidence improves your overall happiness levels and makes it much easier to head out and go through your day.
Improving your self-confidence as a sex worker
We all understand that self-confidence is important in the sex work industry. That said, it’s also a fact that many professionals in the industry struggle with self-confidence issues. And with so many challenges, it’s much harder to build and improve your self-confidence as a sex worker.
So, we’ve listed a few tips that you can practice to improve your self-confidence. Now, these aren’t cure-all methods, and improving your self-esteem takes time. We recommend practising these tips as much as possible but remember to be patient and not to be too hard on yourself if the progress seems slow.
Practice self-care
The first tip we can give you is to build and practice a good self-care routine. These could be simple routines such as taking care of your skin, taking long showers and baths, or going out with friends. Everyone approaches self-care differently. And as a sex worker, the most important thing is to make time for self-care and dedicate yourself to it.
It’s easy to forget about self-care in this industry. There are so many challenges and things to consider that it slips your mind. However, practising a self-care routine is great for your self-confidence and general happiness, which is why we insist that you make time for it.
Change the way you talk about your body
Some of the most negative comments about our bodies and appearance come from within. If you want to improve your self-confidence, you must pay closer attention to what you say about your body. Whenever you catch yourself being too harsh, take note of it and take steps toward changing that behaviour.
Set boundaries
Boundaries are very important when working in the sex industry. It’s important to set boundaries with your clients and always let them know what you are and isn’t comfortable with. However, it’s also very important for sex workers to set clear boundaries for themselves and the people around them.
For example, you can set boundaries around how people talk about your body. If you feel like a person is talking in a way that isn’t healthy, then call them out for it and tell them that you aren’t comfortable with their comments. Be firm and strong with your boundaries, and you’ll notice how much better you start feeling.
Supporting the sex worker community and empowering them to self-acceptance and body positivity
Addressing the challenges and issues that sex workers face around body image and positivity is something we should approach as a society and community. The beauty standards and norms that cause body issues for many people are societal issues. And if we want to improve the way we feel about ourselves, we have to work together to correct the mistakes that brought us here.
It will be hard, and it will definitely take a lot of time. However, this is something we should do to ensure future generations won’t have to deal with the same self-confidence issues many of us feel today.
The takeaway
It’s common for sex workers to feel uncomfortable in their own skin and have low self-esteem. The nature of the industry and the way society treats sex workers can be really damaging to a person’s self-confidence. And while it can be hard to maintain your self-confidence in this industry, it’s necessary for your mental health and overall success.
Improving your self-esteem and feeling confident in your body will take time, and it will take some work. But when you put in the effort, it will all be worth it. When you feel more comfortable in your skin, you are happier, and you can attract more success in your field.
