Channel4 newscaster's chauvinism

A sex worker who became famous by blogging about her experiences under the name of "Belle de Jour", revealed that she was actually a middle-class woman who funded her PhD by becoming a prostitute. Her real identity was Dr Brooke Magnanti, a specialist in a hospital research group in Bristol. She led a double life by securing book deals and a TV spin-off under the identity of "Belle de Jour".

However, she felt "lucky to be able to reveal her identity by choice (she says on her blog she decided to do it because she could no longer face living a double life, but a fear of being outed by an ex-boyfriend apparently also influenced the decision".

Channel 4 newscaster, Jon Snow, interviewed Zoe Margolis, the author of the sex diary blog Girl With a One-track Mind, and sex worker cum International Union of Sex Workers (IUSW) spokesperson, Catherine Stephen, to talk about women who had similar experiences of living a double-life.

(Click on the following screen shot for the video)

(In the background, you can see the picture of Dr Brooke Magnanti)

Now, it was really interesting how the host Jon Snow exposed his own preconceptions (misconceptions?) and stereotypes. First, he showed his lack of background knowledge by asking Zoe Margolis if it surprised her that there are PhD students in the profession in "such high proportions". Margolis replied that it isn't and it's an "under-reported story". Then he went on to ask if Margolis' blog actually attracted male readers to go for paid sex. Margolis rebuked him by saying that actually most of her readers were females and found an "outlet" which they could relate to. She also added that many men are also in the business, except that it goes unnoticed. To me, why this goes another unnoticed as compared to female prostitution says something about the hypocrisy of society--that women are under greater moral scrutiny than men.

And Snow went on to ask Catherine Stephen another presumptuous question. I think Stephens answered brilliantly:

Snow: "But we are having a discussion in the very clinical confines of a studio, you are nice middle-class women and the rest of it, it isn't so for all, is it? Let's face it, this is a exploitative, dirty, vicious business for many."

Stephens' reply: "Can we first stress the fact that you are making two assumptions about me. One is that you're making the assumption that I am middle-class, which I would contest. The second assumption you are making about me that I am nice, which I would not." Then she went on to discuss the work of IUSW which campaigns for the rights and safety of female sex workers whom have been exploited. Why Channel4 chose only to introduce her as a "sex worker" and excluded her IUSW's worker title (see picture below) is another interesting thing altogether.



Snow's questions are fraught with stereotypical assumptions he has of gender, class, sexuality and profession. First, he already has the belief that men make up the readers of Margolis' blog, which is not true. Then he reveals his discrimination of sex workers by saying that Margolis and Stephens are "nice, middle-class women", implying that their "middle-class" backgrounds have given them some form of values and protection from the "sordidness" and "viciousness" of the world's oldest career, leaving them unscathed and clean. This sure says something about his moral expectations of women.

Very condescending indeed. Jon Snow should be thankful that Catherine Stephens and Zoe Margolis were gracious enough not to scoff him outrightly for his gratuitousness and chauvinism.