Overview

Exposing the 'Pretty Woman' Myth presents the lived experiences of women who prostitute themselves on the streets. It is based on research conducted with prostituted women over a six-year period. Author Rochelle Dalla presents case-history analyses of the women participants and opens a window into the world of street-level prostitution. This informative and engrossing book allows for the women's voices to be heard and their stories to be told. Importantly, this is not a book about sex and prostitution, per se. This is a book about prostitutedwomen. It is about the lives and relationships and pivotal occurrences in the developmental trajectories of vulnerable female populations. The women's involvement in street-level sex-work is important, but it is only one segment in the entire spectrum of their lived experiences. Within these pages, Dalla presents the entire spectrum giving the women's lives context and texture, including and beyond prostitution.

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9780739123256

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Reviews

Exposing the Pretty Woman Myth is a book which does just that. Through in-depth explorations of the lives of 43 women in prostitution, Dalla helps us to see them as real people, rather than as the embodiments of johns' fantasies. Dalla is a compassionate, humanitarian researcher who cares deeply about her interviewees. In this book, she asks lots of questions about the women's lives, and as a result we learn some new things about prostitution. She details the wrenching and often life-threatening abandonment they experienced as children, their chaotic family environments, and the extreme violence suffered at the hands of partners and pimps. Dalla describes the intergenerational nature of prostitution, a topic rarely if ever addressed by other researchers. Perhaps most important, Dalla re-interviewed a number of the women after 3 years and discusses some of the factors that contributed either to their staying out of prostitution or to their re-entry into it. She eloquently describes the crucial role of social relationships in their remaining out of prostitution and makes some wise policy recommendations. -- Melissa Farley In her well-researched book, Dalla blends her scholarly voice with the voices of women who are or were involved in street-level sex work. Together, they tell the real story of the women's lives and experiences on the streets. This book is highly recommended for academics as well as lay people who seek to understand the harsh reality of the lives of prostituted women. -- Lynda M. Baker I have not seen a book that so accurately tells the story of women's lives while involved in street-level prostitution. I am very excited by this book as I believe it encapsulates all of the current research and findings about women in street-level prostitution in the U.S. What is particularly impressive is the way Dalla weaves relevant sociological and social work theories throughout the book. -- Williamson, Celia

Exposing the Pretty Woman Myth is a book which does just that. Through in-depth explorations of the lives of 43 women in prostitution, Dalla helps us to see them as real people, rather than as the embodiments of johns' fantasies. Dalla is a compassionate, humanitarian researcher who cares deeply about her interviewees. In this book, she asks lots of questions about the women's lives, and as a result we learn some new things about prostitution. She details the wrenching and often life-threatening abandonment they experienced as children, their chaotic family environments, and the extreme violence suffered at the hands of partners and pimps. Dalla describes the intergenerational nature of prostitution, a topic rarely if ever addressed by other researchers. Perhaps most important, Dalla re-interviewed a number of the women after 3 years and discusses some of the factors that contributed either to their staying out of prostitution or to their re-entry into it. She eloquently describes th

Exposing the Pretty Woman Myth is a book which does just that. Through in-depth explorations of the lives of 43 women in prostitution, Dalla helps us to see them as real people, rather than as the embodiments of johns' fantasies. Dalla is a compassionate, humanitarian researcher who cares deeply about her interviewees. In this book, she asks lots of questions about the women's lives, and as a result we learn some new things about prostitution. She details the wrenching and often life-threatening abandonment they experienced as children, their chaotic family environments, and the extreme violence suffered at the hands of partners and pimps. Dalla describes the intergenerational nature of prostitution, a topic rarely if ever addressed by other researchers. Perhaps most important, Dalla re-interviewed a number of the women after 3 years and discusses some of the factors that contributed either to their staying out of prostitution or to their re-entry into it. She eloquently describes the crucial role of social relationships in their remaining out of prostitution and makes some wise policy recommendations. -- Melissa Farley, Prostitution Research & Education In her well-researched book, Dalla blends her scholarly voice with the voices of women who are or were involved in street-level sex work. Together, they tell the real story of the women's lives and experiences on the streets. This book is highly recommended for academics as well as lay people who seek to understand the harsh reality of the lives of prostituted women. -- Lynda M. Baker, Wayne State University I have not seen a book that so accurately tells the story of women's lives while involved in street-level prostitution. I am very excited by this book as I believe it encapsulates all of the current research and findings about women in street-level prostitution in the U.S. What is particularly impressive is the way Dalla weaves relevant sociological and social work theories throughout the book. -- Celia Williamson, University of Toledo

Exposing the Pretty Woman Myth is a book which does just that. Through in-depth explorations of the lives of 43 women in prostitution, Dalla helps us to see them as real people, rather than as the embodiments of johns' fantasies. Dalla is a compassionate, humanitarian researcher who cares deeply about her interviewees. In this book, she asks lots of questions about the women's lives, and as a result we learn some new things about prostitution. She details the wrenching and often life-threatening abandonment they experienced as children, their chaotic family environments, and the extreme violence suffered at the hands of partners and pimps. Dalla describes the intergenerational nature of prostitution, a topic rarely if ever addressed by other researchers. Perhaps most important, Dalla re-interviewed a number of the women after 3 years and discusses some of the factors that contributed either to their staying out of prostitution or to their re-entry into it. She eloquently describes the

Author Information

Rochelle L. Dalla is associate professor in the Department of Family & Consumer Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Omaha Campus).

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