Masculinity and the Occupational Experience of Male Independent Escorts Who Seek Male Clients

Abstract

While male sex work (MSW) is a highly gendered practice involving the commodification of the male body, masculinity has rarely been examined to understand this new occupational environment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty male independent internet-based escorts in Brisbane, Australia. Masculinity was used as a conceptual tool to understand the nuances of the escorting experience, resulting in two themes: Endurance and Technical Skill. These themes were aligned with hegemonic expressions of masculinity, a system that orders masculinity into a hierarchy and potentially marginalises escorts. Participants thus used features of a system that subordinated them to attain primacy in the same framework, avoiding stigma. These themes described were far removed from dialogues of deviance oft-repeated by past sex work research, and instead bolster the view that male escorting is moving toward a paradigm of normalisation. We thus argue that masculinity is a critical conceptual tool in understanding the contemporary dynamics of the male escorting experience as it becomes increasingly normalised

How perceptions of masculinity and intimate sexual relationships shape men’s experiences of paying for sex: A qualitative exploration

“…Within this unique context of masculinity performances, as experienced by the participants, there may be no single or even dominant script of masculinity to which all other masculinities subordinate, but rather multiple and often competing experiences, which affirm diverse notions of masculinity. Furthermore, similarly to other unique contexts in which men struggle to practice their masculinity (Kumar et al, 2017), MPWS seem to both align themselves with gender norms and be constrained by these very same norms. Namely, SFP may simultaneously confirm and diminish men's sense of masculinity.…”

Perceived Stigma and Stigma Management Strategies Among Online Male Sex Workers

“…Engagement in exchange sex (i.e., providing sex in exchange for money, drugs, shelter, or goods) has historically been highly stigmatized (Benoit et al, 2018 ; Hammond & Kingston, 2014 ; Sanders, 2008 ). For male-for-male sex workers (MSWs), the stigma ascribed to commercial sex may be compounded by the stigma associated with homosexuality, resulting in what has been referred to as a “double stigma” (Kumar et al, 2017 ; Minichiello et al, 2013 ; Vanwesenbeeck, 2013 ). The deleterious effects of stigma on both mental and physical health have been examined across a number of different stigmatized identities and practices.…”