Receipts Please! Myths Don't Stand A Chance! Myth #9: Sex Work and Pornography Are Harmless Entertainment

This myth is the flip side of the “glamorous and easy” narrative—the belief that all sex work and pornography are simply harmless fun, no different than any other form of adult entertainment. On the surface, it’s a comforting idea, especially for consumers who want to enjoy without questioning the conditions under which porn or sex work is produced. But the truth, as always, is more complicated. Sex work and porn are forms of labor, and like any industry, they contain both ethical practices and exploitative ones. Reducing them to either “pure entertainment” or “pure harm” flattens the reality and erases the voices of workers themselves.