The YouTube video “Prostitute interview-Exotic AKA Asriah” by Soft White Underbelly offers a raw and revealing look into the world of prostitution through the eyes of a young woman named Exotic. Over the harrowing decade she spent in the sex trade starting from age 13, Exotic endured severe exploitation and violence, leaving deep physical and emotional scars.
Her candid account sheds light on the grim realities facing vulnerable girls and women caught in systems seemingly rigged against them. It highlights the urgent need for greater protections, support and opportunities to help those victimized escape “the life.”
Falling Into the Sex Trade’s Grip Through Youth Homelessness & Neglect
Exotic shares that her path into prostitution began around age 13 after leaving behind an unstable childhood in foster care. With no family able or willing to take her in, Exotic met an older girl on the streets who recruited her into prostitution as a way to earn money for survival.
Sadly, Exotic’s background fits a common profile. Those with a history of homelessness, parental neglect or abuse are at much higher risk of entering the sex trade as vulnerable minors. Recruiters easily exploit their unmet needs for shelter, affection and resources.
Average Age of Entry Paints a Disturbing Picture
- 12-14 years old: Average age of entry into prostitution in the U.S. for girls
- 12 years old or younger: Est. age for 57% of children engaged in prostitution per one Philadelphia study
- 33%: Portion of underage sex trafficking victims previously in foster care system
For the next decade from her early teens throughout her youth, prostitution became Exotic’s dangerous default world due to the pull of “easy money” and lack of better options without a proper education or safety net to develop job skills.
The Harsh Realities: Violence, Trauma and Shortened Lives
Over the course of the interview, Exotic opens up about the severe physical and emotional trauma she endured working in prostitution – the only lifestyle she knew from 13 to 23 years old. The bitter realities she faced contrast sharply with any illusions of “easy money” or “empowerment.”
In reality, Exotic suffered relentless abuse and chronic unease while also witnessing other young women around her falling prey to client violence or pimp coercion.
Rampant Violence and Record Death Rates
One especially horrific account involves a client who initially seemed friendly, but later kidnapped Exotic at gunpoint to rape and rob her before dumping her back out on the street.
“It‘s dangerous. You literally could lose your life,” Exotic comments solemnly, stating her constant underlying fear of being assaulted or killed on the job.
Her sentiments ring true when looking at alarming statistics on violence faced by women in prostitution:
- 82%: Prostituted women physically assaulted in prostitution
- 78%: Prostituted women raped in prostitution
- 84%: Underage victims raped in prostitution
Equally disturbing are mortality rates showing drastically shortened lifespans:
| Country | Average Life Expectancy | Average Age of Death for Prostitutes |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 79 years | 34 years |
| South Africa | 63 years | 23 years |
| Kenya | 66 years | 29 years |
No population faces this level of violence and murder. The pervasive physical dangers seriously undermine any defense of prostitution as “a victimless crime between consenting adults.”
Psychological Trauma
Beyond direct bodily assault, the psychological strain of enduring years in prostitution also haunts survivors like Exotic:
“We start to think so lowly of ourselves. We don’t even care no more. We don’t care if we die half the time.”
The trauma of repeated sexual exploitation, assault, objectification and instability often sink survivors into depression, PTSD, anxiety, addiction and dangerously low self-esteem. Studies confirm the correlation:
- 68%: Prostituted persons meeting criteria for PTSD diagnosis, equivalent to rates among battered women or state torture victims.
- 89%: Wished to escape prostitution immediately if given another way to survive and support themselves.
This dispels myths that women freely or happily choose this lifestyle. In reality, the vast majority urgently want out and are simply entrapped by financial despair and vulnerability.
Pimps Can Provide Safety But Mostly Seek to Exploit
Exotic’s interview also gives a mixed perspective on pimps – one of few potential sources of “protection” for women facing highly dangerous clients, yet generally exploitative handlers seeking to maximize their own profits above all.
On the less harsh side, some pimps seemingly took on a guardian-like role at times:
“Some pimps, they genuinely do care… He made sure I ate, didn’t do drugs. Went out there, looked out for me.”
Having an intimidating pimp openly claiming them offered physical shelter from violent customers for their “property.”
However, these instances appeared more an unhealthy codependence than true security. Other pimp stories showcase blatant manipulation and bottom-line greed:
- One pimp viciously attacked Exotic out of jealousy that she altered her appearance with an eyebrow tattoo without his permission.
- Another ruthless pimp demanded daily earning quotas upwards of $1500, driving Exotic into crippling drug addiction just to stay awake and energized enough to meet expectations.
Even with kinder pimps, loss of personal freedom and agency remained:
“You still have to give somebody all your money and ask permission to do anything… That gets tiring.”
While perhaps providing a needed sense of security in the short-term, pimps ultimately strip away dignity and self-direction from already vulnerable women for their own gain.
Dim Prospects of Ever Breaking Free
Toward the interview’s close, Exotic strongly urges any young girls listening to avoid following in her footsteps down this dangerous path, insisting “it’s really not worth it.”
Yet the realities painted clearly illustrate how challenging escaping “the life” proves for most entrapped there from youth with no safety nets or job skills. The psychological damage done also haunts long after leaving.
“It stays with you forever. You get nightmares. Years later you still remember and have flashbacks of those times,” says one survivor named Lauren.
Without substantial support, the barriers to getting back on one‘s feet seem insurmountable:
Needed Aid to Transition Out of Sex Trade
- Safe housing
- Trauma counseling
- Medical & legal assistance
- Education & job training
- Childcare
- Drug rehab programs
- Financial relief/basic income
Very few robust public resources exist providing this web of care. Underfunded non-profits like CAST, GenerateHope, and WithNoWalls barely scratch the surface of those needing specialized long-term support.
So while Exotic and others may harbor hopes of someday leaving prostitution, tangible options to stabilize feel preciously rare. Once marked as “damaged goods”, returning to mainstream society proves incredibly difficult.
Key Takeaways on the Plight of Exploited Young Women
Exotic’s candid glimpse inside the grueling world of illicit prostitution reveals important points for reflection:
Traffickers Ensnare the Most Vulnerable — Childhood instability through foster care, parental neglect or abuse preys on young minds desperate for security. Traffickers easily manipulate these needs to recruit catastrophe survivors barely surviving street life.
The Risks Severely Outweigh Any Perks — Despite illusions of “easy money” luring them in, the bodily safety threats, trauma incurred and truncated 20-something life expectancy cost nightmarishly high over the long run.
Rehabilitation Resources are Desperately Lacking — For those seeking escape, few comprehensive programs provide enough sustained care across practical needs like: counseling, education, safe housing, child services, financial aid. Healing feels out of reach.
“Sex Work” Too Often Equates to Exploitation — In contemporary pushes to destigmatize “sex work", we must scrutinize what portion of prostituted girls & women truly consented from positions of reasonable power and options. Vulnerable youth especially have no proper agency.
Outrage is Warranted Over This Human Rights Crisis — Exotic’s tale cannot be dismissed as an outlier. Countless young women and girls face similar pipelines into sexual exploitation through failures of social safety nets combined with manipulative traffickers ever hunting fresh prey. This should spur moral indignation and drive to prevent.
In the end, may Exotic’s courage to share her traumatic past wake more citizens up to the harrowing realities in the shadows. Only through uncomfortable truths comes catalyst for real societal progress and support to help exploited youth restore their dignity.