vastmachinery asked: Regarding your thoughts on Short Bus: "Representing sex workers as damaged human beings..." I think this is offset by all of the characters in the film being damaged in some way, regardless of their profession. The film is daring in that it presents a certain equality among the characters despite the 'industry standard' of presenting sex workers as Other. In some respects, if a film has created a rich character that engenders empathy, isn't that enough?
I thought about that too, while I was writing that post. I couldn’t quite articulate why I still had a problem with it, but I’ll try to now. If you need more clarification, just let me know.
Both Severin and James went into sex work already damaged. This encourages the societal belief that only people who have been damaged in some way enter the sex industry — and you can see this when many out sex workers are questioned about their childhood history. Many people can’t imagine any sane, stable person choosing to be a sex worker. Filmmakers have to find some “sensible” reason for a character to be a (former) sex worker, so that the audience isn’t uncomfortable. It’s just so typical to see a filmmaker do this. So while, yes, I loved these characters, I also think it’s important to watch movies/tv/etc with a critical mind and question why certain people are portrayed a particular way.
What are your thoughts?
