Last July, I went down an internet rabbit hole and discovered a t-shirt design that I immediately had to have. The only way I can describe the design is that it's a penis-shaped unicorn, with a rainbow horn, defecating a rainbow with a thought bubble that read
"Dreams do cum true". Aside from immediately ordering the design both on a t-shirt and a sticker, it also caused me to pose a question both to myself and those around me; How will sex change after a cataclysmic event? Whilst I will concede that this is a very unlikely event, the scenarios that were discussed were simply too good not to be written down.
|
The design that started it. I'm
still not sure how it prompted me to ask the question.
|
|
Firstly,
the scenario of a world ending event, be it economic collapse, a catastrophic
natural disaster, nuclear holocaust or even the dreaded zombie apocalypse; it
does not matter. The idea is that one way or another, the world as we know it
has collapsed and people have begun to rebuild society in their own image.
This then made me think about how sexuality would be effected, how would
society's views change? What would stay the same? As desperation rose, how
would society's conventions be tested? What would be normalized? What would
become taboo? Would taboo even be an issue anymore?
These were questions that I had theories about, but I knew that I was not the
best person to be answering them, so I sought out answers from those who knew
sex better than anybody else; sex workers. Putting out the call on both Twitter
and Facebook, coupled with a handy assist from a couple of friends, I was
linked up with a a cam girl and adult film performer in America named Riley.
After
briefly setting the scene and filling Riley in on the kind of piece I was
writing, I was able to get her opinion on the very questions I was asking myself.
Given the
distance between Riley and myself, being on opposite sides of the world, the
interview took place over twitter. Riley and I had a brief chat, I set the
scene for her and let her know the kinds of theories that I had been thinking
of and I must admit, I was quite surprised by her answers. Riley even had a few
comments about my writing as a whole, which was very welcomed feedback and
ideas.
After
society degrades and begins to rebuild, how do you envision the role of the sex
worker changing, if you believe that it will change at all?
I
believe that sex work would become even more stigmatized and pushed to the
brink of society.
What do
you think that the currency will become? Do you think that sex will become a
type of trade or barter?
The currency would be the same as for other necessary goods such as food,
water and clothing. I don't think that sex would become a type of trade or
barter, because I believe that sexual encounters would be pushed aside in daily
life. People would try to rebuild society, so dealing with essential things
would probably consume more of their time.
Do you
think the age of consent will become an issue?
Age of consent would probably stay the same as it is now.
Do you
think that child prostitution and child brides will become common?
I believe the standards of child protection would remain the same as they
are now if not even stricter. Mostly as a result of trying to keep the
remaining population safer and more protected to ensure it's continued
existence.
How will
one protect against disease and unwanted pregnancy? Do you envision these
becoming
more
prevalent?
That would depend on what natural resources would still be available. Probably
consumption of more natural vitamin C would increase as it reduces
inflammation. And in case of unwanted pregnancies there would probably be a
rise in consuming abortive plants like parsley, cannabis, wormwood etc. I do
believe that since we do have condoms now, that the remaining group of people
would probably find a way to get a natural substitute for them.
Do you
think that access to contraception will change? How and why?
I believe that forms of natural contraception would probably become more popular,
depending on the level of society degradation.
Post-collapse,
would you consider giving up your profession altogether and finding a new
avenue of employment?
Yes, because there would probably be a need to grow your own food and just
take care of necessities like getting running water to your shelter. So I would
imagine that I would probably have to take care of bare essentials first.
How do
you envision your worth as sex worker changing?
I would probably be more stigmatized in the new social structure.
Will
brothels become more widely available and how do you envision these brothels
being run?
I don't think there would be an increase in brothels. They would probably be
run in the same way as brothels in the past were run. Most likely similar to
the way brothels in the 19th century were run.
Do you
envision security becoming tighter or more relaxed in these establishments?
I assume it would be non-existent.
Will
pimps and madams rise up again? Or is this a common misconception held by the
public?
There will always be a certain amount of people who will try to make a
living by exploiting others.
I would like to extend my thanks
to Riley for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions and
allow me to speak to her on such a personal level. Whilst many of her answers
took me by surprise, this is not a piece that I could have adequately completed
alone and her help on the project is something that I very much appreciate.