Prostitution - why people are still attracted to it

Tuesday, 2nd March, 2010

For me, one of the best things about being a university student is that I get to be involved in so many different topical debates, many of which are quite controversial, to say the least! But although current issues are changing almost on a daily basis, there are a small number of topics which have repeatedly attracted heated discussions for as long as most of us can remember. One such subject is prostitution, and whilst it is considered to be both socially and morally unacceptable and still remains illegal in the UK, it nevertheless continues to go on behind closed doors, as it always has done.

According to statistics produced by the University College London and Home Office, nearly one in 10 men pay for sex. The figures also suggest that the age group which is most likely to use prostitutes is between 25-34 and they are also more likely to be single: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7257623.stm

Prostitution, so they say, is the oldest profession in the book, and indeed, in the Bible, Mary Magdeline is reputed to have been a prostitute in the time of Christ although the accuracy of this story remains uncertain. One thing that is clear, however, is the fact that for people in the public domain, an association with a prostitute nowadays is a very risky business, as many high profile figures have discovered to their peril.

And it's not just the matter of being caught with their trousers around their ankles either (if you'll pardon the expression) - there is also the risk of public humiliation and professional suicide, not to mention the devastating effect on family relationships. Such scandals involving prostitutes can cause untold damage to a person's life, yet surprisingly, there are still those who continue to risk everything in the face of temptation.

Most of us will remember the distraught images of Hugh Grant a few years ago when he was publicly slaughtered in the press following his arrest for lewd conduct with Hollywood prostitute Divine Brown in Los Angeles: http://www.cnbc.com/id/27653548/27459849?slide=9

(And by the way - this shot of him looking particularly pleased with himself was taken before the event - not after!). But whilst his professional career did not appear to suffer much as a result, his previously apparantly happy relationship with long-time girlfriend Liz Hurley did, and it led to their eventual split some time later.

But he's not the only high-profile figure who has succumbed to the temptation over the years either, there are plenty more where he came from!

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was forced to resign from his job after being identified as 'client 92' in a prostitution ring: http://www.cnbc.com/id/27653548/27459849?slide=2

(Mind you - with ears like that, is it any surprise?)

And religious leader Jimmy Swaggart also faced damnation after he fell into temptation! : http://www.cnbc.com/id/27653548/27459849?slide=4 But in today's advanced technological climate in which an abundance of pornographic images are so readily available at the click of a mouse button for just about anyone who might be looking for a cheap thrill, what is it about prostitution that attracts people to it to such an extent that they are prepared to risk losing everything?

Some might suggest that prostitution simply provides a useful service in order to fulfill a basic human biological need, and that it is a convenient way of aquiring sex without the emotional attachments of a relationship, and an article on the BBC website suggests that this is very often the case: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7257623.stm

However, whilst this seems to be the situation some of the time, it nevertheless, seems unlikely in others. In the case of Hugh Grant, for instance, given the fact that he was a highly successful actor and quite wealthy, a man in his position would have experienced little difficulty in obtaining sex whenever he wanted it, and indeed, there would have been no shortage of women who would have been only too happy to oblige. This would suggest the fact that he did it for reasons other than just sex alone.

However, what ever the reasons are for the fact that so meny men still use prostitutes today, whether it be for excitement, sexual gratification or to satisfy that otherwise unfulfilled biologogical need, the fact is, they will continue to do it as they always have done and the industry will continue to thrive as a result.

Perhaps it might just be another example of the fact that mankind wants to behave badly. The excitement of being caught, the physical attraction of prostitutes and the sexually-charged belief that prostitution is a bad thing, might all be just too much for some people to resist!