“Brothels, Bordellos, & Bad Girls” by Jan Mackell Book Review

Jan Mackell in her “Brothels, Bordellos, and Bad Girls: Prostitution in Colorado, 1860-1930” explores one aspect of the social life that has always been present: prostitution. No matter how hard the government wants to fight this issues, this profession is likely to survive anything. The only thing that is subject to change is the perception of the sex workers by the public. It may be useful to carefully examine the theme of prostitution and what role it serves in the society.

To begin with, one should point out that this theme is relevant to the contemporary society and is widely debated. Today, with the advent of the Internet, selling sex is rather easy. A person who is willing to be a part of sex industry might find any kind of position in it: from conventional street prostitution to novel web models. Given the tight economic conditions, high unemployment and liberalization of sex life, more and more women turn to this as a stable source of income. There are many groups that hold sometimes opposite views on this issue. Some point out that sex workers should not be ostracized by the society for they are doing what has been done for centuries. In other words, the sex industry is an irreplaceable part of the social environment whether the public likes it or not. Others insist that the modern United States should get rid of practice which might have been acceptable before.

One can be said for certain: the concerns of the modern public are different from what the public felt in the late nineteenth century. The book insists that sex workers were not treated particularly warmly by the society; however, they were living in a niche that was reserved for them and no one was trying to oppress them. However, the situation is dramatically different today. Prostitution is illegal in the majority of the states which put sex workers in a difficult situation. In addition to that, the public today also puts emphasis on numerous aspects such as health, security, and ethics. The Americans of the past were not interested in those aspects of this issue: they treated prostitution as an inevitable phenomenon, a shadow of the society, figuratively speaking. However, today, many insist that it should be dealt with.

There is a number of aspects that are still unresolved. To begin with, it is still difficult for women to openly admit their involvement in the sex industry. Many hide their identities and true names. As a result, they have to live a double life which has all kinds of negative consequences. In spite of the fact that centuries past, the public still cannot develop a comprehensive position towards sex workers.  Another point that should be mentioned in this regard is the legal status of the prostitutes. On the one hand, there are laws that treat prostitution as an illegal act. However, on the other hand, some state legalized prostitution and some apply less severe punishments for it, making it formally punishable, but acceptable to many. As a result, the society still has not been able to settle this issue down, applying ambiguous measures.

It may be useful to examine the contribution of scholars to this topic other than the book. Woodworth-Ney points out that prostitution is a global societal phenomenon; therefore, its existence in the early United States is natural (14). Conlin claims that the society has always condemned prostitution, but it never was too harsh on it which allows sex workers to operate in the gray area (6). Friedman points out that prostitution is inevitably associated with certain risk; that is why it is suitable for a particular kind of women only (43). Ditmore insists that the future of the social environment depends on whether it will be able to develop a proper treatment of this phenomenon (81). According to Rutter, one should keep in mind the economic aspect of the prostitution and the extent to which it is able to have a positive impact on the economy (34). Hawes and Nybakken assume that a view on sex industry change in the future, prostitution will become more acceptable in the society (59).

After reading the book and seeing the lives of the people described there as well as the way in which prostitution was treated at that time, one might suggest that the image that can capture this controversy in the most accurate manner is the advertisement of heroin. It used to be that this substance was not only freely sold in pharmacies, there were many physicians who encouraged their patients to use it. It is true that heroin has certain aesthetic qualities; however, today everyone knows that it is an addictive drug. Though it is still consumed by the people, it is illegal. The same can be said about prostitution: it used to be that it was acceptable; however, today the views on it have changed. Nevertheless, many people still use those services.

Having examined all the points that were mentioned in the paragraphs above, one is able to come to the following conclusion: the book in question provides a rather peculiar perception of prostitution in the late nineteenth century. It represents a perspective that used to be acceptable in the past, but is no longer acceptable. One should keep in mind that this issue is extremely important for the contemporary society. It is possible that the future of it will be shaped by the position that the public takes on the subject.

Works Cited

Conlin, Joseph Robert. The American past: a survey of American history. Thomson/Wadsworth, 2004.

Ditmore, Melissa Hope. Prostitution and sex work. Greenwood, 2011.

Friedman, Lawrence Meir. Crime and punishment in American history. Basic Books, 2010.

Hawes, Joseph M., and Elizabeth I. Nybakken. Family and society in American history. University of Illinois Press, 2001.

Rutter, Michael. Upstairs girls: prostitution in the American West. Farcountry Press, 2010.

Woodworth-Ney, Laura. Women in the American West. ABC-CLIO, 2008.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
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[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]
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