EB is so obviously right that I'm not sure what there is to talk about. He has made two basic points: 1) our language matters; 2) the word "hobby" may be offensive to the women we see (and to many men as well). On the one hand, it's possible that many use the term in a seemingly benign way: what we do for pleasure in our own time. But on the other hand, I can certainly understand why women might feel demeaned and objectified by it. Our "hobby" is their livelihood; it's hard work with not inconsiderable risk. More to the point, it's not really up to us to decide what's offensive to escorts; if it's offensive, it's offensive. (Why do we use "SP" or "escort" and not prostitute or many of the other, often more derogatory words out there?) That's basic respect; we should all have the autonomy to define ourselves to a large degree.
Language matters, not only for the respect (or ideology) it conveys, but because it participates in the construction of our reality. There is a reason we use "hobby" and not "sex work," although the terms refer to the same physical acts and the same interpersonal relationships. The first sounds fun, playful, pleasurable; it's something we can control, it's something we want; just think about other hobbies, most of which we do for our own enjoyment. Now think of "sex work"; gone is the playfulness, gone is the intimacy, gone is the sense of a shared experience, etc.--
What's really interesting to me is what our alternatives are, what other words we might use--in a shared discussion between the key players here, SPs (?) and clients (?). What language can we find that speaks to the experience we're having, the experience we want to have, and the respect we want to show?
It's a fascinating problem.....
