Sex work, 'normal work,' and men — as told by Alyssa

Alyssa was in between jobs when she started temping at a chauvinistic, male-dominated office. She says her colleagues constantly made fun of their wives, disparaged other women’s appearances, and ridiculed people with mental health issues.

She was fed up. Alyssa found no reprieve to this daily deluge of “locker room talk” until she made a post in r/TwoXChromosomes detailing her experience.

Alyssa’s post gained a lot of traction, not only because her experience is (unfortunately) common around the world, but because of her work history. Before turning to office work, Alyssa was a sex worker (or “sworker” as she says on Reddit.) Forcing fake politeness in the face of blatant sexism was excruciating for Alyssa, and she wondered if corporate employment was really for her.

On today’s episode we hear from Alyssa about why she made her Reddit post, her present and past workplaces, and why she is hesitant to return to sex work and office work.