I. Vanwesenbeeck

Male prostitutes and safe sex: Different settings, different risks

Twenty-seven male prostitutes were interviewed extensively about their work and considerations relating to safe sex with clients. Important differences were found between street prostitutes and those working at home. Street-workers were more likely to be using hard drugs, to have a heterosexual preference, to have no other occupation, to have more clients, but less steady ones, and to have a more negative working attitude. Sexual techniques most often practised were manual and oral contact; however, most prostitutes also practised either insertive or receptive anal intercourse. Homosexual male prostitutes reported more receptive anal intercourse than did their heterosexual male colleagues; but no such differences were found in insertive anal intercourse. Prostitutes were most likely to have had anal intercourse with steady clients, with clients whom they trusted regarding condom use, or with clients they felt sexually attracted to; and also when in dire need of drugs. Of those who had practised anal intercourse in the previous year, a minority had not consistently used condoms. The same factors that encourage anal intercourse also appear conducive to unprotected intercourse.

Factors and processes in heterosexual competence and risk: An integrated review of the evidence

Abstract Separate bodies of literature exist on factors influencing negative or positive outcomes in terms of sexual health. These research traditions have shown that sexual conduct is complex social behaviour. Both heterosexual pleasure and risk are influenced by a multitude of factors and cannot be reduced to separate causes. In this article we combine these separate areas of research by putting together the evidence on the use of contraceptives in general. condoms in particular, and on sexual aggression. The evidence on factors influencing either positive or negative outcomes regarding these risks is reviewed. and common factors are identified. An integrated conceptual view of heterosexual risks is presented. in which interactional competence is taken to be a crucial concept. The competence of both heterosexual partners is considered to be related to factors in childhood and adolescence, the wider socio-cultural and interpersonal context, the specific meanings and functions of sexuality for the individ...

Professional HIV risk taking, levels of victimization, and well-being in female prostitutes in The Netherlands

Professional HIV risk taking (nonconsistent condom use with clients) of female prostitutes in The Netherlands is addressed within the context of (early) experiences with abuse, well-being, coping behavior, job satisfaction, and financial need. Data were gathered from 127 female prostitutes on condom use, financial need, and professional attitude, and on experiences with violence and abuse, physical complaints, psychosocial problems, and coping responses. Violent traumatic experiences were found to relate to more severe complaints and problems, and a higher frequency of emotion-focused coping strategies. A risk-taking protection style (as opposed to consistent condom use and selective risk taking) appeared to be associated with more severe experiences with violence, both in childhood and in adult life, with more frequent dissociation as a coping behavior, and with more psychosomatic complaints. Of all the relationships found, more severe experiences with violence on the job were most strongly related to a higher professional HIV risk.

Psychosexual correlates of viewing sexually explicit sex on television among women in the Netherlands

This study focuses on frequency, motives, and reactions in relation to viewing sexually explicit sex on tv (SETV) among a sample of 201 Dutch women, and explores correlations with demographic, psychosexual, and behavioral variables. We found that 60% of these women watch SETV on a somewhat regular basis. Motivations are most often leisure or sensation seeking. Reactions appreciative of SETV are strong among only few women. Results suggest that the more vulnerable women may get uncomfortable and get their egos hurt by watching SETV, whereas the least vulnerable ones may profit by showing appreciative reactions and reactions affirmative of their own sex life. Evidence is in accordance with the notion of exposure to SEM as a cyclical process of information processing.

Gender attitudes, sexual meanings, and interactional patterns in heterosexual encounters among college students in the Netherlands.

This study investigated interactional patterns in heterosexual encounters in relation to gender, attitudinal variables, and sexual meanings among heterosexual, intercourse‐experienced college students in The Netherlands. Subjects (N=526, mean age is 21.7 years) reported the frequency of a number of behaviors in heterosexual interaction. Three interaction scales were developed: Anxious Insecurity, Pro‐active Control, and Defensive Control. Additional information was collected from three Sexual Meaning scales, three scales relating to gender and relational attitudes, and demographic variables. Results indicate that women experience more Anxious Insecurity and Defensive Control. Men report more Pro‐active Control. Other findings indicate that for heterosexual intercourse‐experienced women (n=275), Anxious Insecurity was positively related to Sexual Anxiety and to Adversarial Beliefs, and negatively to Sexual Sensation Seeking and having a steady partner. Among heterosexual intercourse‐experienced men (n=111)...

II. The Ever-Changing Female Body: Historical and Cultural Differences in Playmates’ Body Sizes

Idealized female bodies are used for an ever-increasing variety of commercial and ‘entertainment’ purposes and are an important instrument in pressuring women to adhere to beauty standards. They both reflect and reinforce the importance of physical appearance in women’s lives. Since the Second World War the measures of what are considered ideal female body sizes have steadily declined in the western world. Also, the weight advised for women by doctors has decreased continually over the past 40 years (StriegelMoore et al., 1986). In addition to historical variations, images of ideal female bodies have been shown to vary substantially cross-culturally. For instance, Japanese college students assigned more negative stereotypes to stimuli relating to thin body build and more positive stereotypes to stimuli relating to fat body build, compared with US students (Iwawaki and Lerner, 1974; Cogan et al., 1996). And in much of Western Africa, the term ‘fat’ is regarded as a compliment, implying strength and beauty (Cassidy, 1991). In this study, we explore (changes in) ‘ideal’ body images as reflected in the body sizes of models in Playboy magazine in different countries. Playboy monthly magazine was first issued in 1953 in the USA and started as a mixture of erotic photographs, cartoons, literature (especially short stories) and advertisements for luxury articles. The formula was an instant hit, and today the magazine still has the same features. Playboy focuses on the male population of the white middle class and tries to reflect its audience’s preferences adequately by means of extensive market research on its buyers and subscribers. The main population of readers is male (70 percent) and they are between 20 and 29 years old. They are highly educated and have well paid jobs. Playboy is also surprisingly often bought by women. Twenty years after its release in the USA, Playboy was also published in Western European countries. As in the USA, it has become the male-