Teen Vogue Promotes Prostitution to 13-Year-Old Girls In a New 'Article'

Brittany M. Hughes | June 17, 2019
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Just days after publishing an article telling underage teen girls how to obtain abortions without their parents’ knowledge or consent, Teen Vogue, a magazine geared toward minor-age and even prepubescent young women, is now openly encouraging prostitution.

Among 13-year-olds.

In an article titled, “Why Sex Work Is Real Work,” the publication details how “Tlaleng Mofokeng, MD, founder of Nalane for Reproductive Justice, explains why she believes sex work should be decriminalized across the globe.”

Set in Amsterdam, known for it’s infamous “Red Light District,” the article delves into the lives of prostitutes, detailing why the women – and men – who sell their bodies for sex don’t want the government interfering with their “right” to prositute themselves.

Here’s an actual excerpt from the piece itself:

This situation in Amsterdam, and the continued criminalization of sex workers around the world, is yet another example of how we disregard the needs and opinions of the people most impacted by policies. But even more so, it’s another example of how we misunderstand what sex work actually is. I am a doctor, an expert in sexual health, but when you think about it, aren't I a sex worker? And in some ways, aren't we all?

Did I mention this magazine is marketed to 13-year-olds? Yes? Just making sure.

The magazine goes on to explain that “not all sex workers engage in penetrative sex,” and other activities “may include companionship, intimacy, nonsexual role playing, dancing, escorting, and stripping.”

“The idea of purchasing intimacy and paying for the services can be affirming for many people who need human connection, friendship, and emotional support. Some people may have fantasies and kink preferences that they are able to fulfill with the services of a sex worker,” the magazine encourages, before openly alleging that medical doctors providing health care for “sex-related problems” like erectile dysfunction is “basically” the same thing as “sex work” like prostitution.

Of course, in their article aimed at promoting prostitution to young girls, Teen Vogue fails to mention several other pertinent facts – for example, the close link between “sex work” and human trafficking.A 2014 study from Harvard Law School found that “Countries with legalized prostitution are associated with higher human trafficking inflows than countries where prostitution is prohibited.” 

“A 2011 report from the Department of Justice found that of more than 2,500 federal trafficking cases from 2008 to 2010, 82% concerned sex trafficking and nearly half of those involved victims under the age of 18,” the report added.

2010 study published in the National Institutes of Health also found, unsurprisingly, that women in poverty are disproportionately lured in by the sex trade, explaining that “the driving forces behind women resorting to sell sex were poverty, materialism, and the desire to move up in society” and that these women “continued to sell sex due to poverty of opportunity and influencing social factors.”

The CDC also warns that “the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases is high among persons who exchange sex for money or nonmonetary items,” adding that “[t]here is a strong link between exchange sex and drug and alcohol use,” particularly because many sex workers also trade their physical services for drugs and are more likely to share needles.

Exactly what we want all 13-year-old girls leaning toward – right, Teen Vogue?

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