Whorephobia
Categorism focused on targeting people who are sex-workers, perceived as such, or otherwise deviate from traditional ideals of chastity. Sometimes also called “whore-stigma”. Typically targeting women only, making it a combination of misogyny and paraphobia. While mostly interchangeable, the words whore-stigma and slut-shaming do have slightly different connotations. The term whore-stigma tend to refer to accusations of being a sex-worker as well as prejudice, bigotry and discrimination against actual sex-workers. The term slut-shaming tend to be more about clothing style and supposed sexuality in general. (In Swedish: horstigma or horfobi)
This is an intersectional focus of categorism.
(Note: The thesis primarily use the term "whore-stigma", because that was the term used in the source material. However, whorephobia seems to become the more popular term in public discourse. The suffix "-phobia", may also the preferable term on a theoretical level: While the term itself may be unfortunate, it is a deeply established suffix for facets of categorism and it is not as tied into a single facet of categorism such as stigmatization.)
Expressions of whorephobia
- Categorist Slurs: Using words such as "whore", "sex worker" or "slut" as insults.
- Privateermongering: Constructing men and boys as incapable of containing their lust around “certain kinds of women”.
- Redirection privateermongering: Women using some version of the “I'm not the one wearing a short skirt” defense or the “I'm a virgin, not like that slut over there – please rape her instead” defense.
- Stigmatization: People constructing sex workers as being "dirty" harms sex workers in many ways. Including, ironically, making it harder for them to quit because thy fear they might get fired from any other job if their background gets outed.
Whorephobia in example texts
- A frivolous arrest: The woman is definitely targeted for being a sex worker. While she's not actually a sex worker, she is seen as one by the people who are doing the categorism.
