If I were to think of a word for photographer Alicia Vera's portraits of exotic dancers at a San Francisco "gentlemen's club," it would be "stripped." And indeed, that's what she calls her essay.
Women's sexuality stripped of its dignity. Men's sexuality stripped of its joy. The softcore side of sex work stripped of any excitement whatsoever.
Women giving up fake intimacy for paltry tips, men giving up money for fake attention.
But like a good, objective eye, Alicia does not judge. She just watches.
Great, heartbreaking, and even inspiring work. Whether you frequent these establishments or not, it will be hard to unsee these images.
See the rest at her portfolio site.
Tip via The Photo Brigade.
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ReplyDeleteOn a more sobering note and in broad day light.
ReplyDeleteThe phenomenon of foreign women, who line the roadsides of Italy, has become a notorious fact of Italian life. These women work in sub-human conditions; they are sent out without any hope of regularizing their legal status and can be easily transferred into criminal networks.
Paolo Patrizi, Photographer
http://www.paolopatrizi.com/index.php?/projects/migration/
I used to live in Milan. I went to a party at a park on the outskirts once, and returned to my car to find two roadside prostitutes leaning against it. They were Brazilian, I think.
ReplyDelete