"If you see woman who is always laughing, fond of gaming and jesting, always running to her neighbours, meddling with matters that are no concern of hers, plaguing her husband with constant complaints, leaguing herself with other women against him, playing the grand lady, accepting gifts from everybody, know that that woman is a whore without shame."" .
-The Perfumed Garden- .
One wonders what images appear in people's mind when they hear the word "prostitute-. What would that word mean to different individuals? That, what kind of person is a typical prostitute' to them? The answers may vary since it is a very subjective question. Therefore, one yearns to search for their identity' inside the complicated labyrinth of myth and truth about them. To introduce different ways of seeing and helping people understand better about the complex mystery that surrounds them "prostitutes. Is there a difference between whores' and sex-workers'? Or are these just terms created under the rules and regimes of ethics, morality, religion and state law created by men? As the essay goes deeper into the problems, one will realise how much society has contributed to prostitution in reality. And how much society has contributed to creating wrong or false image of prostitutes, which lingers in the minds of people till now. It was not surprising to find out that women have been identified, then objectified' with the words passive' inferior' and submissive'. The popular terms that have been tagged along with the characteristics of women, which bestowed another par excellence stereotyped identity. And it was even more surprising to find out that there are men prostitutes, although they are not as explicit as compared to women prostitutes. .
Hence, as a result to find the answers to the questions raised in the above, gender inequalities, religious interpretations of women and men, economic factors and social discourses will be the key elements which will be discussed in depth throughout the essay.
