ILLUMINATING THE FLESH TRADE: A STUDY OF CONTEMPORARY PROSTITUTION IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

They ply the streets, they masquerade as waitresses in lounges, they assume pseudo identities and they are much stigmatized. They are the prostitutes inhabiting in Singapore, an island-state known for its "squeaky-clean image" and strong stance towards the world of vice. Why would anyone want to live a life of a prostitute? What is a typical day like for a prostitute? How are they able to cope with the criticisms and insults labeled at “their kind”? It is with these questions in mind that I set out to investigate the world of prostitutes in contemporary Singapore. This thesis is sub-divided into three sections. The first section examines the various reasons and factors which influenced a prostitute to enter the flesh trade, an arena worth exploring as it could potentially elucidate the continual existence of the sex industry. The next section deals with the prostitute subculture and its fundamentals and intricacies, including the enculturation process which a majority of prostitutes have to undergo in the initial stages of their “career”. The third section will examine the concept of stigma and its inevitable presence in the world of prostitutes. There will be an attempt to illuminate the different types of denouncements experienced by different categories of prostitutes and the potentiality of them utilizing varied manners of coping with these denouncements. A segment examining the effects and impact of the law on prostitutes will be incorporated at the beginning of each section to showcase its influence and invariable presence in the prostitute subculture.