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Marketing Sex: US Legal Brothels and Late Capitalist Consumption

University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA, barb.brents{at}unlv.edu

Kathryn Hausbeck

University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA, kate.hausbeck{at}unlv.edu

Recent scholarship has begun to examine the effects late capitalist economic structures and cultural practices have on sexuality. What effect do recent shifts have on various parts of the global sex industry? To answer this question, we examine one local institutional site of consumption, the legalized brothel industry in the US state of Nevada. We argue that the brothel industry in Nevada is beginning to use similar marketing strategies and business forms to other tourist service industries. The brothels are also increasingly selling individualized, interactive touristic experiences. We conclude that it is no longer useful to examine the sex industry as generalized `other' to mainstream businesses. It is imperative to study local sex industry sites to examine how late capitalist forms of consumption might have an impact on the sale of sex, especially in comparison with expanding global touristic service industries.

Key Words: consumption • late capitalism • prostitution • sex industry • sex work

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