User:Honorsstudent612/The History of Prostitution in the Caribbean and its Modern Day Effects

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Map of the Caribbean

Prostitution in the Caribbean has largely been characterized by the oversexualization of “exotic” women as a means of sexual pleasure in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries followed by a gradual transition to tourism-based prostitution, otherwise known as sex tourism, in the twentieth century. British colonialism in the Caribbean brought about the fetishization of mixed raced and light-complexion women who used prostitution as a means of buying their way out of slavery and providing for their families. Prostitution in the Caribbean colonies in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries thus was a direct result of the African slave trade, which brought slaves from West Africa to the (North American) colonies, Central America, and the Caribbean. For African women, slavery was not only forced labor. Attracted to the “inherent sexual deviousness” of black women, white British colonial men used their female slaves for both labor and pleasure, seeing them as a means to which they could obtain both sexual satisfaction and children who would take the mother’s status and a slave, and thus the slave-owners property. From this dynamic, the mixed raced children of black slaves (and freed women) and white slave owners would become the object of fetishization for colonial British men. Prostitutes in the Caribbean were often mixed raced or of lighter brown complexions. Fast forward to the twentieth century, a new, tourist-oriented style of prostitution would be common for many countries in the Caribbean, many of which have tourism-driven economies. Prostitution centered around tourists visiting various Caribbean countries became a more lucrative means of making money for people who were already engaging in sex work. The rise of a more escort-based prostitution thus signaled a change in the sex industry that mirrored the change in economic focus for many of these countries housed in the Caribbean, especially Jamaica and Barbados.

The Development of the European Male Gaze Towards Caribbean and African Women in the 18th and 19th Century

Exoticism

Phenomena surrounding prostitution during the late 1700s and the 1800s can be closely linked to the idea of exoticism and the way in which male British colonists in the Caribbean viewed Caribbean and African women. This idea, exoticism, was largely based on the way colonists romanticized and fetishized, yet equally demoralized, these women, whom they deemed beautiful in a sense of exotic otherness. British women at the time were not comparable to African and Caribbean women whom they conquered in the eyes of European men. Their civilized and religious nature were far different from the animalistic and primitive seduction afforded to the conquered women. These women were viewed as other and through European conquest and domination, colonists were essentially able to define them and their culture in a way that would categorize them as both fascinatingly exotic and intrinsically barbaric. There was a sense of inherent duality in which they viewed the lands and people, mostly women, they conquered as both fascinating yet uncivilized. Thus, the result of these views is that European conquerors could pillage lands and conquer people all over the world on the basis of their inhumane and uncivilized ways of living while simultaneously fetishizing the women of these lands for their seductive yet, primitive beauty.

Black Femininity

With the implementation of a complex system of slavery and indentured servitude, new ideas surrounding black femininity would arise that explained the sexual desire afforded to them by white men. European colonists viewed Africans during this time as “inherently slave-like”, possessing qualities that made them naturally predisposed to the forced bondage conditions that were imposed on them . The traits that were attributed to African women included being submissive and subservient, a product of their natural condition. Continuing with the theme of duality however, these women were also viewed as sexual deviant. In many ways, European colonizers viewed them as inherently rapeable and projected their own promiscuity and sexual deviousness onto African and Caribbean women as a means of justifying their desire for these women and the sexual exploitation of them that followed. Soon the world would see a dynamic rise in which young male European men would consider Caribbean and African women their sexual property and the lands that they resided in as places available for sexual opportunity and exploitation.

The Development of the Sex Trade in the Caribbean as a Product of European Colonialism in the 18th and 19th Century

Dynamics Between White Colonial Men and Black Slave Women

With the implementation of a larger, more defined slave trade in the Caribbean came a unique sex market, with the main actors being white slave owners and black slave and freed women. Sexual conquest and the exploitation of women are just two factors that European men leveraged in an attempt to conquer the Americas. Through slave breeding, the trafficking of women to use as sex slaves, and the use of wet nurses and maids as concubines, exploitation served as means of fueling economic and social conquest. White men who owned slaves viewed them as their property, void of rights and freedoms. This ownership over the bodies of their slaves extended into the sexual realm as well, with slave-owners believing they had a right to sexual access to their slaves whenever they deemed fit. This right was seen as common place in the Caribbean colonies. The belief that slave-owners could not rape their slaves was on the basis that as the owner’s property, there was no part of the slave that could not be used by the owner as they saw fit. And so, with this development arose a sex market in which both slave women and free women of color could leverage the sexual desire white men held for them to make money, though very little, in very specific circumstances. This development however did not fully extend itself to black slave women until after many were emancipated. When black slave women were able to commodify their bodies through the sale of sex, it was due to their slave owners selling sex with the slave women to other white men and slave owners and keeping a majority of the profit for themselves. Black women were for this time period seen almost as “accessories” to white men, most of whom had a colored mistress of some sort at the time.

The "Mulatto"

As white men and black Caribbean women engaged in consensual and nonconsensual sexual relations, the offspring produced would be referred to as “mulatto”. These light-skinned children would take the mother’s status as either slave or freed woman, but what is more important is that, for a variety of reasons, they would become the object of further fetishization for colonial male settlers. Attracted to their light-skinned complexions, which closely resembled that of European women, and their retain sexually promiscuous figures and subservient temperaments, colonial men used these women for what their bodies could provide in both the arena of labor and sexual intercourse. Slave women in the Caribbean, especially mulatto women, could expect to be hired out and used as concubines. If a female slave could leverage this sexual relationship with her owner to her advantage, she could potentially be rewarded with certain benefits such as freedom for herself and possibly her children or preferential treatment among her counterparts. Sexual relations with white men were essentially one of the only means to which one could obtain freedom.

The Continuity of Exotic Sexual Preference in the Caribbean in the 20th Century

Sex Work

The Caribbean offers a model of sex work that focuses on both financial and non-financial gain. Two prominent forms of sex work that appear throughout various countries in the Caribbean include sex tourism based in hotels, resorts, and the communities that surround them as well as brothel work, which may or may not involve tourists. In 1949, the Dutch opened one of the largest brothels in the Americas, situating it in the country known as Curaçao and funding it through the Dutch Savings Bank. This brothel was a means to which the Dutch could control and regulate prostitution while catering to the demand for sexual services desired by the single men on the island. First named Campo Alegre (Happy Camp), the brothel is now operating under the name Mirage present day. While Mirage is technically a hotel, the model is similar to what many countries around the world would consider a brothel, only it is considerably more sophisticated. Mirage is a sex house in which hundreds of rooms are used by the sex workers to conduct business. There is a police department which regulates the brothel and the activities within, as well as government regulated medical services to ensure the health of the sex workers and clients. This model, government regulated prostitution with proactive services to ensure health and safety, has been a working model in the Caribbean not only for the Mirage, but for other smaller sex work hotels seeking to earn a profit through sex services. The high demand for sex work and the allowance of regulated prostitution makes for an environment that brings in potential customers not only from Curaçao but also from the countries/islands surrounding it. In addition to bringing in potential customers, hotels like Mirage have high volumes of women from various countries, especially Columbia and the Dominican Republic applying to work in these places. While organized and regulated sex work does exist within the Caribbean, attitudes towards it are not always favorable and each country has a different response towards it. In countries such as Cuba, sex workers are viewed as young deviant, asocial men and women .

Sex Tourism

Throughout the Caribbean, a form of sex work known as sex tourism appeared and became fairly prominent beginning in the mid to late 20th-century. Countries whose economies depend largely on tourism, which is the case for many countries in the Caribbean, often see this phenomena arise as a response to large amounts of western tourism. Sex tourism involves the exchange of sex or sex adjacent activities for money, gifts, relationships, etc. Through sex tourism, men and women can profit off of tourists in ways that are more than monetary. They are able to gain recreational opportunities, expensive gifts (including but not limited to jewelry, expensive clothing, cars, money to maintain their homes, etc), travel opportunities, and marriage. Both parties engaged in sex tourism exploit one another in some fashion. The tourist uses the sex worker as a means of entertainment during the duration of their trip, gaining sex and companionship throughout the process. In exchange, the sex worker is able to gain monetary compensation and can be seen developing the relationship with the hopes of return visits. The types of sex workers also very significantly. There are males sex workers, often referred to as beachboys, sanky pankys, or pingueros. They typically are known for seducing female tourists into romantic encounters that build over time and that are not just based in sexual intercourse. Fine dining, adventures, and flirtation are all apart of the overall experience. Many sex workers in the Caribbean who engage in sex tourism use it as a "side hustle" of sorts. It is used to bring in additional income to provide for oneself and ones family but it is rarely used as a primary income.

Racial Disparities

While the sex industry in the Caribbean is unique compared to other areas of the world, racial disparities are still commonplace and point to underlying racial issues that stem from European colonialism. As mentioned previously, European colonialism left a mark on the Caribbean via the set beauty standards that were imposed during the slavery and post slavery era. In countries like Curaçao, Cuba, Jamaica, and more, sex workers are typically fair-skinned with lighter hair. Lighter Dominican women are often perceived as exotic and professional whereas dark-skinned Caribbean women are seen as undesirable. Fair-skinned Latina women who immigrate to the Caribbean to engage in sex work are favorable above dark skinned women as well. Fair-skinned, fine-featured women are often the highest paid and typically work as escorts. These racial biases in the sex industry are not just put in place by tourists who are buying sex. There are arbitrated by locals who have over time begun to align themselves more closely with Western beauty standards. These these beauty standards typically affect female sex workers more than male sex workers.

European Colonialism's Legacy on Sex Tourism in the Caribbean

Western Influence on Modern Day Sex Tourism

Three factors that are of significant importance to the current tourism industry in the world today are sex, travel, and globalization. European colonialism that was in place in the 18th and 19th centuries heavily influenced the Caribbean to this day. The most impactful way colonialism can be seen affect the modern day sex industry is through specific beauty standards that favored mulattos and fair-skinned women. What was once fetishization by white European men aimed at black women's inherent sexual promiscuity turned into desire for racially ambiguous women with exotic features by Caribbean men. The effect is that black women who do not fit the exotic beauty standard are unable to leverage the sex trade in their favor. They are either excluded from high end hotels and brothels, given behind the scenes roles in resorts and vacation hotspots, or relegated to the lower-end/less profitable forms of sex work apparent in the Caribbean sex trade. In addition to this, other western influences include dependence on the Western world to provide said tourism to keep economies afloat.