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A sex worker in Germany

The sex industry consists of businesses which either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The sex industry includes adult sex-related products and services such as prostitution, pornography, sex shops, strip clubs, sex-oriented men's magazines, and sex movies and sex channels for television.

The sex industry is subject to a variety of legal restrictions and regulations around the world. For example, participation of minors in the industry is almost universally not permitted, as is the trafficking of people for the purpose of prostitution. The regulations which apply to the industry vary considerably from one jurisdiction to another.

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Participants[link]

"Cream", a lesbian live sex show in Granada

The sex industry employs a multitude of people. These range from the sex worker, also called adult service provider (ASP) or adult sex provider, who provides sexual services, to a multitude of support personnel. Sex workers can be prostitutes, pornographic actors, pornographic models, sex show performers, erotic dancers, telephone sex operators, or webcam sex operators.

In addition, like any other industry, there are people who work in or service the sex industry as managers, film crews, photographers, those working in development and maintenance of websites, processing orders, producing and selling DVDs and other sex articles, printing magazines and books, etc. Some create business models, traffic trading, press releases, negotiate contracts with other owners, buy and sell content, technical support, servers, billing, payroll, organise trade shows and various events, marketing and sales forecasts, human resources, taxes and legal.

Usually, those in management or staff do not have direct dealings with sex workers, instead hiring photographers under contract who have a direct social network with the sex industry and sex workers. Pornography is a product that management and staff in the adult industry professionally markets and sells to adult webmasters for distribution on the Internet.

Brothel business models[link]

Brothels operate using a variety of business models:

• the prostitutes can operate as contract workers who split their earnings with the brothel. They can at times be expected to "tip" support staff (cleaners, limo drivers, etc.). They will usually receive no benefits, such as health insurance, and no withholding for taxes.
• the prostitutes can be employees who receive a small fixed salary and a portion of the money paid by the customer, the balance of which is retained by the brothel.
• the prostitutes pay a fee for use of the facilities, with the brothel owner not being involved in the financial transaction between a prostitute and client. In cases of illegal brothels, this arrangement provides some level of plausible deniability to the facility owner, who maintains that the facility is legitimate, such as a massage parlor, bar, strip club or similar business.

Pornography[link]

Pornography is the explicit portrayal of explicit sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction. A pornographic model poses for pornographic photographs. A pornographic actor or porn star performs in pornographic films. In cases where limited dramatic skills are involved, a performer in pornographic films may be called a pornographic model. Porn can be provided to the consumer in a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video, or video game. However, when sexual acts are performed for a live audience, by definition it is not pornography, as the term applies to the depiction of the act, rather than the act itself. Thus, portrayals such as sex shows and striptease are not classified as pornography.

Pornography is classified into softcore and hardcore categories, based on whether or not penetration is depicted,^{[citation needed]} and laws and social attitudes are not as critical of soft core pornography.

The first home-PCs capable of network communication prompted the arrival of online services for adults in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The wide-open early days of the World Wide Web quickly snowballed into the dot-com boom, in-part fueled by an incredible global increase in the demand for and consumption of porn and erotica.

Sex tourism[link]

Both men and women travel away from their home to engage in sex tourism, though the pattern of attraction tends to differ between them. Male sex tourism can create or augment demand for sex services in the host countries, while female sex tourism tends not to use existing sex facilities. Like tourism in general, sex tourism can make a significant contribution to local economies, especially in popular urban centers. Sex tourism may arise as a result of stringent anti-prostitution laws in a tourist's home country, but can create social problems in the host country.

Location[link]

Businesses that provide sex services tend to cluster around military bases. The British naval port of Portsmouth had a flourishing local sex industry in the 19th century, and until the early 1990s there were large red light districts near American military bases in the Philippines. The Monto red-light district of Dublin, one of the largest in Europe, gained most of its custom from the British soldiers stationed in the city; indeed it collapsed after Irish independence was achieved and the soldiers left. The notorious Patpong entertainment district in Bangkok, and the city of Pattaya, Thailand, started as R&R locations for US troops serving in the Vietnam War in the early 1970s.

Opposition[link]

The sex industry is very controversial, and many people, organizations and governments have strong moral objections to it, and, as a result, pornography, prostitution, striptease and other similar occupations are illegal in many countries.

The term anti-pornography movement is used to describe those who argue that pornography has a variety of harmful effects, such as encouragement of human trafficking, desensitization, pedophilia, dehumanization, exploitation, sexual dysfunction, and inability to maintain healthy sexual relationships.

Sociological objections[link]

Dolf Zillmann asserts that extensive viewing of pornographic material produces many sociological effects which he characterizes as unfavorable, including a decreased respect for long-term, monogamous relationships, and an attenuated desire for procreation.^[1] He claims that pornography can "potentially undermine the traditional values that favor marriage, family, and children" and it depicts sexuality in a way which is not connected to "emotional attachment, of kindness, of caring, and especially not of continuance of the relationship, as such continuance would translate into responsibilities"^[2]

Additionally, some researchers claim that pornography causes unequivocal harm to society by increasing rates of sexual assault,^[1][3] a line of research which has been critiqued in "The effects of Pornography: An International Perspective" on external validity grounds,^[4] while others claim there is a correlation between pornography and a decrease of sex crimes.^[5][6][7]

Feminist objections[link]

Some feminists object to the sex industry, which they argue is exploitative of women who work in it and contributes to the male-centered objectification of women, increases sexual violence against women and undermines the objective of gender equality. They argue that prostitution is a form of male domination and violence against women. Feminists argue that, in most cases, prostitution is not a conscious and calculated choice. They say that most women who become prostitutes do so because they were forced or coerced by a pimp or by human trafficking, or, when it is an independent decision, it is generally the result of extreme poverty and lack of opportunity, or of serious underlying problems, such as drug addiction, past trauma (such as child sexual abuse) and other unfortunate circumstances. Based on these arguments, Sweden, Norway and Iceland have criminalized the buying, but not the selling, of sexual services (the client commits a crime, but not the prostitute).

Some feminists are opposed to pornography, arguing that it is an industry which exploits women and which is complicit in violence against women, both in its production (where they charge that abuse and exploitation of women performing in pornography is rampant) and in its consumption (where they charge that pornography eroticizes the domination, humiliation, and coercion of women, and reinforces sexual and cultural attitudes that are complicit in rape and sexual harassment). They charge that pornography contributes to the male-centered objectification of women and thus to sexism. However, other feminists are opposed to censorship, and have argued against the introduction of anti-porn legislation in the United States - among them Betty Friedan, Kate Millett, Karen DeCrow, Wendy Kaminer and Jamaica Kincaid. ^[8]

Statistics show that 61% of Americans believe it is morally wrong to spend a single evening with a prostitute. Two-thirds of the British population believe that "paying for sex exploits women," and young people are even more likely to hold this opinion: 80% of those aged 18-20 years of age. ^[9]

Other objections[link]

The sex industry often raises objections because it is sometimes connected to criminal activities, such as human trafficking, illegal immigration, drug abuse, and exploitation of children (child pornography, child prostitution). The sex industry also raises concerns about the spread of STDs.

See also[link]

Sexuality portal

References[link]

External links[link]

• Principles for Model Sex Industry Legislation
• Sex Industry - A Guide to Occupational Health and Safety in New Zealand
• "City’s sex industry worth £6.6m a year and growing", news article from The Herald, Scotland.

America Ferrera
Ferrera in April 2010
Born	America Georgina Ferrera[1] (1984-04-18) April 18, 1984 (age 28) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, producer
Years active	2001–present
Spouse	Ryan Piers Williams (m. 2011–present)

America Georgina Ferrera^[1] (born April 18, 1984) is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her leading role as Betty Suarez on the ABC television series Ugly Betty (2006–2010). Her portrayal garnered critical acclaim, and she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She transitioned to a film career, starring in several films aimed at young audiences, including, Real Women Have Curves, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, its sequel Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, and The Dry Land, and had a small role in the skateboard biopic Lords of Dogtown (2005). In addition, she was the voice of Astrid the Viking in the Dreamworks animated picture How to Train Your Dragon.

Early life[link]

Ferrera, the youngest of six children, was born in Los Angeles, California.^[2] Her parents, América Griselda Ayes and Carlos Gregorio Ferrera, were originally from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and immigrated to the United States in the mid-1970s.^[3] Her mother worked as the director of the housecleaning staff for Hilton Hotels,^[4] and stressed the importance of higher education.^[5] When she was 7, her parents divorced and her father returned to Honduras.^[6] Ferrera's father died in 2010.^[7]

Ferrera was raised in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles, where she attended Calabash Street Elementary School, George Ellery Hale Middle School and El Camino Real High School.^[8] From the time she was seven years old, when she landed a small role in a school production of Hamlet and then at age 10, the role as the Artful Dodger in Oliver!, Ferrera knew that she wanted to be a performer. Her first play was Romeo and Juliet, and although only in the third grade, she went to the junior high school and auditioned and got the role of the Apothecary.^[9] She acted in school plays and community theater in Los Angeles throughout her youth, though with little help from her mother, who insisted that she pursue other interests because she was concerned her daughter would not be treated fairly. Ferrera was forced to take the bus to auditions, though eventually her mother saw her daughter’s dedication and began to drive her.^[5] Ferrera disliked her first name as a child and went by her middle name, "Georgina", until she began acting professionally.^[10]

While at El Camino High School, she took acting lessons at the age of 15 and was able to pay for them by waiting tables and babysitting. She graduated with a 4.3 GPA and was named class valedictorian.^[9]

She entered the University of Southern California on a presidential scholarship, with a double major in theater and international relations. She dropped out of school one semester short of graduating due to her wanting to focus on Ugly Betty.^[9]

Career[link]

Ferrera in 2006

In July 2002, Ferrera made her first TV movie, Gotta Kick It Up! for The Disney Channel. While at drama camp at Northwestern University that same year,^[11] she made her feature film debut in the indie sleeper hit Real Women Have Curves. Ferrera followed this with roles in both television (Touched by an Angel) and film (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Lords of Dogtown). Ferrera received a 2005 Movieline Breakthrough Award.^{[citation needed]} She was also in the movie Plainsong, based on the novel by Kent Haruf which starred Aidan Quinn and Rachel Griffiths. Ferrera plays a pregnant teenager, Victoria Roubideaux, who has been kicked out of her mother's house, and she is taken in by two kindly brothers who live alone on a farm.^[12] How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer came out in 2005, and she starred as the third generation of a Mexican-American family. She played Bianca, a 17 year old who while on the verge on womanhood is fed up with the boys in her neighborhood but finds romance with another boy from a neighboring town. In 2006, she appeared in the short film 3:52 which won the Audience Award at the San Diego Women Film Festival. Later that year she starred in Steel City which received nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards and the Sundance Film Festival.^[13]

In December 2005, she appeared in the off-Broadway play Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, directed by Trip Cullman.

She landed the lead role of Betty in Ugly Betty in 2006. Ugly Betty is an adaptation of the Colombian hit telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea, in which Ferrera portrays a girl whom her peers find extremely unattractive, thus the series title. As Betty Suarez, Ferrera wears braces, has bushy eyebrows and a disheveled wig, and make-up and clothing intended to downplay her own looks, in contrast to most of the "glammed up" characters; Ferrera herself coined the term “Bettification” to describe the process of creating her onscreen persona.^[14] The first run of Ugly Betty was completed with the series finale on ABC-TV on Wednesday, April 14, 2010.

For her role in Ugly Betty, Ferrera won the 2007 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical. As a result of the award, she was congratulated by the U.S. House of Representatives as being a role model for young Hispanics.^[15] On January 28, 2007, Ferrera won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Female Actor in a Comedy Series.^[16] She also starred in and was the executive producer for the poignant short film Muertas.^{[citation needed]}

In 2007, TIME chose Ferrera as one of the top artists and entertainers in their "Time 100: The Most Influential People In The World" issue.^[17] In July 2007, Ferrera won Imagen Foundation's Creative Achievement Award.^[18]

On September 16, 2007, Ferrera won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Comedy Series^[19] for her Ugly Betty role, the first Latina to win in that category.^{[citation needed]} In the summer of 2007, she wrapped filming on The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, the sequel to the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, as Carmen. Among other film work, she supplied the voice of Astrid in the hit animated film How to Train Your Dragon (2010). She appears in The Dry Land which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival^[20] and ran at the Dallas International Film Festival where it won the top prize in the Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature.^[21]

As a presenter at the 2007 Film Independent's Spirit Awards, she said the United States won't be free again until President Bush leaves office in 2008.^[22] The Bush administration ended in 2009.^[23]

Ferrera made her London stage debut on November 7, 2011, playing Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago in London's West End.^[24]

Personal life[link]

Ferrera and her husband Ryan Piers Williams in October 2010

Ferrera married Ryan Piers Williams on June 27, 2011.^[25]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Won

• 2010 - Imagen Awards; Best Actress - Television (Ugly Betty)
• 2008 - NAACP Image Award; Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (Ugly Betty)
• 2007 - ALMA Awards; Outstanding Actress - Television Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie (Ugly Betty)
• 2007 - Emmy Awards; Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Ugly Betty)
• 2007 - Golden Globe Award; Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (Ugly Betty)
• 2007 - Imagen Awards; Best Actress - Television (Ugly Betty)
• 2007 - Imagen Awards; Creative Achievement Award
• 2007 - Satellite Awards; Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (Ugly Betty)
• 2007 - Screen Actors Guild Award; Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (Ugly Betty)
• 2007 - Teen Choice Awards; Choice TV: Breakout (Ugly Betty)
• 2006 - Imagen Awards; Best Actress - Film (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)
• 2002 - Sundance Film Festival; Special Jury Prize: Dramatic (Real Women Have Curves)

Nominated

• 2010 - Gay Peoples Choice Awards Favorite Female TV Star (Ugly Betty)
• 2010 - Lesbian/Bi People's Choice Awards; Favorite Female TV Star (Ugly Betty)
• 2010 - Imagen Awards; Best Actress - Film (Our Family Wedding)
• 2010 - Imagen Awards; Best Actress - Film (The Dry Land)
• 2010 - NAACP Image Award; NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (Ugly Betty)
• 2009 - Peoples Choice Awards; Choice TV Comedy Actress (Ugly Betty)
• 2009 - Imagen Awards; Best Actress - Television (Ugly Betty)
• 2009 - NAACP Image Award; NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (Ugly Betty)
• 2009 - ALMA Awards; Actress in Television - Comedy (Ugly Betty)
• 2009 - Golden Globe Award; Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (Ugly Betty)
• 2009 - Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards; Favorite Television Actress (Ugly Betty)
• 2009 - Screen Actors Guild Award; Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (Ugly Betty)
• 2009 - Teen Choice Awards; Choice TV Actress: Comedy (Ugly Betty)
• 2008 - Gay Peoples Choice Awards Favorite Female TV Star (Ugly Betty)
• 2008 - Imagen Awards; Best Actress - Television (Ugly Betty)
• 2008 - Golden Globe Award; Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (Ugly Betty)
• 2008 - Emmy Awards; Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Ugly Betty)
• 2008 - Satellite Awards; Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical (Ugly Betty)
• 2008 - Screen Actors Guild Award; Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (Ugly Betty)
• 2008 - Screen Actors Guild Award; Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (Ugly Betty)
• 2008 - Teen Choice Awards; Choice TV Actress: Comedy (Ugly Betty)
• 2007 - NAACP Image Award; NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (Ugly Betty)
• 2007 - Screen Actors Guild Award; Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (Ugly Betty)
• 2007 - Teen Choice Awards; Choice TV Actress: Comedy (Ugly Betty)
• 2007 - TCA Awards; Individual Achievement in Comedy (Ugly Betty)
• 2006 - Satellite Awards; Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical (Ugly Betty)
• 2006 - Satellite Awards; Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)
• 2006 - ALMA Awards; Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)
• 2005 - Teen Choice Awards; Choice Movie Breakout Performance - Female (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)
• 2005 - Teen Choice Awards; Choice Movie Hissy Fit (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)
• 2003 - Independent Spirit Awards; Best Debut Performance (Real Women Have Curves)
• 2003 - Young Artist Awards; Best Leading Young Actress in a Feature Film (Real Women Have Curves)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: America Ferrera

• America Ferrera at the Internet Movie Database
• 10 Questions for America Ferrera – Time.com Video
• America Ferrera at Emmys.com