Being and Being Bought

Overview

Grounded in the reality of the violence and abuse inherent in prostitution—and profoundly affected by the death of a friend to prostitution in Spain—activist and writer Kajsa Ekis Ekman exposes the many lies in the “sex work” scenario in this polemic in which she also criticizes the booming surrogacy industry. The author places the theory that it is possible to separate the “self” from the body, thus making it possible to sell the body for sex without compromising an individual’s fundamental human dignity—a key argument of the pro-sex worker narrative—under the microscope. Taking the belief at face value, she extends it to the practice of surrogacy, pointing out that if a woman is neither connected to her body nor to the child that grows within her, surrogacy itself can be viewed as a form or prostitution where the product sold is a baby, rather than sex. If this is the case, Ekis Ekman argues, is surrogacy not a form of child trafficking? Written with a razor-sharp intellect and disarming wit, this illuminating exposé seeks to highlight the dangers of commodifying the human body and presents both prostitution and surrogacy as emotionally fraught enterprises rife with power imbalances and the potential for abuse.

Reviews

"A riveting analysis of prostitution and surrogacy that shatters the great wall of lies about these two institutions. Brilliantly analysing the parallels, Kajsa Ekis Ekman wages a multi-pronged attack on sexism ad classism that leaves the reader with hope for change. If you've ever wondered how to respond to those who say there are no victims in prostitution or what to say when someone proposes surrogacy as a solution to childlessness—this book is a must-read."  —Melissa Farley, executive director, Prostitution Research & Education

"Being and Being Bought gives an incisive portrayal, not only of the sex and surrogacy industries, but also of the arguments used to justify them both, arguments that Kajsa Ekis Ekman skillfully and comprehensively pulverizes. Her work is overflowing with humanity and empathy for some of the most downtrodden women and girls in the world."  —Laura Fitzgerald, Irish Socialist Party, SocialistParty.net

Author Biography

Kajsa Ekis Ekman is a writer for the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter and a member of the editorial collective of the anarchist magazine Brand. She is the founder of the network Feminists against Surrogacy and the climate action group Klimax.