Woman causes controversy for adding ‘sex work’ to LinkedIn profile

Well, that’s one way to get views.

A woman who posted on her LinkedIn profile that she is self-employed via “Sex Work” is on the receiving end of both praise and criticism.

Arielle Egozi shared in a post how sex work helped her become financially independent.

“I left an in-house job with fancy benefits two weeks ago and the reason I could do that was sex work,” the brand advisor and creative consultant wrote.

“I had just enough saved from selling and engaging my image that I could ask myself if I was happy,” she continued. “I wasn’t.”

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Resume with “Sex Work” circled in red on it. (Arielle Egozi/LinkedIn)Photo by Arielle Egozi /LinkedIn

Aside from having a “few grand” saved, Egozi explained that the main reason she was able to walk away is because “sex work shows me what my power can do when i own it intentionally.”

Egozi said that she has “no problem” charging “exorbitant amounts” and being rejected by potential clients.

“Why is this different than any other client work?” she asked before answering her own question: “It isn’t.”

Now, she only works with clients that are “respectful, generous and grateful,” adding “they don’t have to understand it, but they better respect the hell out of it.”

While most people have supported, lauded and celebrated Egozi’s move, there were some who took to the comments section to voice their opinion.

“This is a very dangerous game you are playing,” wrote one user. “You get money, but is it worth looking in the mirror and crying in the shower when you still feel unfulfilled trying to fill a void?”

Another wrote, “I am all for women’s rights, equality, personal choice and bodily autonomy but I found this post to (be) somewhat tone deaf, self-absorbed and disingenuous due to this ridiculous portrayal of prostitution as somehow liberating and empowering for a woman.”

Egozi followed up the post with another, acknowledging all those who chimed in and reacted to her update.

“It’s weird to share something to own it, then having others take it and try to make it theirs anyway,” she wrote, adding that the “messages of support mean everything,” while shrugging off the haters.

“It wasn’t to inspire. It wasn’t to be radical. It wasn’t to make you upset,” Egozi explained of her initial post. “It was to make space for myself.”