As seconds flew in air, she was inching very close to me, closer than I could ever fantasize. My nerves trembled when the air between us was rushing its way out, as it penetrated through my senses. She was deliberately compressing the space between us, as the people in the bus stand saw with disgust and dirt. I do not know who she was? Why she was embarrassing me and what was she up to? Thousand questions lined up one by one haunting, but being a fun-loving person and social-minded devil, I continued to escape eye contact, still noticing her acts of sexual innocence. I slowly crawled away from her, wishing I could hypnotize myself when she repeats her act of disguise. My mind, which for most of the time was a vacuum-prone base, wanted to travel to the deepest, underlying thoughts of a woman, considered out of question by the majority, tried and flopped by the minority. She was casting herself as a person who she never was, she had something that her eyes never reflected and her lips perfectly faked her heart. Catechizing out her thoughts was impossible at that very instinct because of the situation I was put into. My ears un-muted when the genius and humane part of me accurately synchronized with my thoughts and woke me up from dilemma and, yes, she was a sex worker.  If not for her profession, people would also take pride in calling her a PROSTITUTE. Minutes later, I started to walk towards light, not because she was in darkness but because I met someone who has taught me to contradict between light and dark. She is a part of womanhood seldom respected, often misused and molested. She thrives for her living and yes, she too is a WOMAN – born blessed, facing hazards, speculations and insults all through.

Two extreme contradictory faces of womanhood that happened to come across my livelihood, gagged my unstable mind and insensitive heart, humping a big question within me.

One tried to seduce, enchant and take me to some cop- free lodge so that I would reward her to sleep with me and would pay suitable wages for the pleasure of having her body. She didn’t even torment about the fact that I was way too young for her. She was trading her sexuality for the money that could get her a meal, her ailing husband who required medical treatment, shelter for her children and her parents and a chance to survive in this ruthless society. Now, are the words ‘slut’, ‘whore’ and ‘bitch’ suitable enough to describe a woman of such stature fighting all odds in their life? Thus we equipped her with a more furnished and modest name ‘SEX WORKER’. Somewhere deep within she wanted to live a transparent and authentic life, but society?

One, tolerating all the bullets, still remaining firm and breaking all the barricade has bestowed women with the maturity that age is not a part when we fight against anti-social elements. A sixteen-year-old, probably one of the strongest girls by heart has ensured that all Pakistani women would be literate in the years to come. Malala Yousafzai is not only a girl, but a complete woman. Weakness, hopelessness and fear died. Strength, courage and power were born. Her words are a source of wisdom anytime.

Both are women combating with diversified attitudes, fighting out for their own rights and living. What makes the difference is all what matters. We are people who always talk and revolutionize good and that is the sole reason one is standing in United Nations and the other in some stupid roads waving hands for consumers of SEX. Ethos of men has never changed over the years, desiring to just sleep with women anytime and anywhere. If ever we tried to bring parallelism in thoughts and made men perceive the fact that virginity is not a symbol of womanhood, prostitution would have never been the big game of filth, in survival today. Prostitution is not only a conviction, but the act of penetrating a woman both sexually and mentally by one man, another man and it goes on. That’s what it is.

What does feminism have to do with the work of sex? Are sex workers feminists? Aren’t they concerned about their own sex, striving and falling to the wickedness of men? Many questions evolve when we go deep inside. Only 30 percent of the total women living are feminists. The remaining still fall prey to some inadequate and idiosyncratic mindset of man. If feminism is all about equilibrium of sexes, why are all women not feminists? The problem is when women don’t care about their liberties; men stab them with their power of dominance, prostitution is no different. Feminists are turning out to be egotistical and self-seeking, difficult to interpret. Most women don’t like to presume themselves as helpless victims and even after years of battle against men, the unethical prostitution can never be displaced from the society. Instead of reasoning and winning over arguments with men, if feminists could have accommodated women with proper sex education, termination of prostitution would have been very much possible. Still they put up a struggle to prove that the profession of sex is degrading and only serves to enhance male supremacy. They present facts, but refuse to bring a change ahead. Feminists are not willing to accept SEX WORKERS as their own selves. But somewhere deep within there is a feminist within each of the sex worker, only buried amidst the evils of the society. They are feminists in disguise.

Women, a symbol of love and power, have learnt to face odds but are they equipped well enough to fight it out themselves, is a big question. Society is creating an ambiance that places sex workers at risk, not their profession. If it was the other way round, feminism would have had its share of success, but literally demanding equal rights and speaking that sex work is degrading our customs and some saying that it is also like any other profession, we have forgot ten the women caught in between the extremities. They have had their own dying situations and speculations for being pushed into the sex industry, and we instead of providing them with an option of educating and spreading awareness, have insulted them all the way, calling and addressing to them as a prostitute, whore, slut and so on. They are prone to rampage and insult everywhere. Sex workers are not given a platform to voice their opinion about themselves. Being women, they are not even allowed to speak about women. They are a part of womanhood, turning out to be OBJECTS to be spoken for and about, sometimes by feminists themselves.

Women would be truly unchained only when the male hold on clutches of influential power are relieved. They need the power to echo their ideas, tell their own stories in their own way and perspective, rather than through male dominant mirrors. A recent study shows that men’s self-esteem is hurt if their opposite sex succeeds at something that they themselves fail at. Feminism for sure, would see an increase in number if so, but whatever the profession of sex is never going to be impacted unless the male dominant mentality of men and equality demanding feminists go hand-in-hand and work together for the well-being of the marginalized community of sex workers, pliable to all the anti-social elements.

Like every girl, she too would have wanted to become a doctor, activist, engineer or a painter, only to find herself in a place that she was propelled into. Sex workers are not criminals; they are just women who lack resources and dignity in the society. Instead of showcasing and discussing about her purity, it’s high time we cleanse and retune ourselves before we pay to sleep with them. Until and unless the temperament of men keeps trading them, they would be the same workers, sweating for payable SEX.