Column: Sex Work, labels and hierarchy

I have always had a hard time with labels. Not because I don’t understand them – on the contrary. I understand exactly what they do. What they signal and what they force. And that is precisely why I almost never use them about myself.

“Sex worker” “woman” “neurodivergent” “left/right” – these are labels many people attach to themselves in the hope of being understood accepted or heard. For some they are chosen shields. For others – chains. I use labels only when I need to position myself on other people’s mental map. Like on Twitch or X. But I never express my identity through them. And IF I do it is strategic.

This post is about why labels are so important for others – and why it is in fact dangerous for the state when certain types of labels start climbing the hierarchy.

The history of the symbol: why humans must categorize

We humans have always used symbols and labels to decide who belongs to the tribe – and who does not. In prehistoric times belonging = survival. Exclusion = death. Later the label became a tool of control: in the guild system you were called blacksmith tailor painter or... whore. Everyone knew their place.

With modernity people started choosing their own labels. Worker. Feminist. Homosexual. Immigrant. In Foucault’s words the label was not just a description – it was a way for the state to produce and organize people.

And now we see the exact same thing happening in our time – but on digital platforms. And with sex work as the main target.

The psychology of labels: safety structure and reflection

Many need labels to understand themselves. They want a word that explains why they feel different. Piaget called it “mental schemas” – we want to simplify the world. Erik H. Erikson argued that in young adulthood we build our identity from the reflection of others. So the label becomes safety. It makes the world a little less scary.

For marginalized groups the label can also become a weapon: if I say “sex worker” first no one else can call me “whore” before me. I disarm your shame and turn it into my strength.

But there is a limit where the label stops being a tool – and becomes a cage. When you are your label. When you forget who you are without it. That is where I think label fatigue arises – the mental exhaustion of always having to position yourself.

My own stance: post-identity and strategic distance

I observe labels. I do not internalize them. I see their function but I never let them become my self. Maybe that is existential. Maybe just logical.

Sartre called labels a trap – a way of reducing human freedom. The Stoics agreed: what matters is what you do not what others call you. Byung-Chul Han today talks about how identity has become a commodity – and I agree. On social media people build their self-image on labels that are meant to fit an algorithm. It is tragic. And exhausting.

Proposition 2024/25:124 – when the state feels labels climbing

Here is the frightening part: when certain labels begin to climb the hierarchy – the state strikes back.

And that is exactly what is happening with Proposition 2024/25:124.

Digital sex workers have started to:

It is too much. Too visible. Too independent.

And then power responds with corrective violence. A law that says: “You may sell your body – but not with integrity. Not with profit. And definitely not with the authority to define yourself.”

The proposition is a symbolic punishment: “You have gone too far in trying to normalize your role. Now we shut the door.”

The logic of power: some must always stay at the bottom

That is exactly what this is. A silent hierarchy where some must always remain at the bottom: sex workers independent women influencers with too much money immigrants who refuse to be victims. All who do not fit the story of who should depend on the state.

As long as we are silent grateful ashamed – then we can stay. But as soon as we rise build our own stage demand respect – then we become dangerous.

And then comes the law.

Conclusion

The fact that I do not call myself “sex worker” does not mean I am ashamed. It means I do not believe in sticking labels onto my self. I am many things – but I am never a title. And definitely not a category. This is bigger than me. Bigger than labels. It is about who is allowed to be visible. Who is allowed to live free. And who must be silenced – the moment she starts climbing.

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