Submitted by: Submitted by katvalencia
Views: 105
Words: 16135
Pages: 65
Category: Literature
Date Submitted: 07/06/2014 06:58 AM
Diana E. H. Russell, Ph.D.
Home
Biography
Curriculum Vitae
Books
Articles
Articles and Books Online
Political Actions
Feminist Flag
Activism Photos
Reddy Sex Slavery Case
Personal Photo Album
Adorable Animal Photos
Videos and Audio
Links
Follow Diana at Twitter!
Support Diana at YouTube
Support Diana at Facebook
Recommend Site
Search this Website
Contact Information
Vienna Declaration
The Making of a Whore: The Story of Lara Newman
THE MAKING OF A WHORE:
THE STORY OF LARA NEWMAN
Introduction
“If I had to describe myself in one word, I'd say, 'I'm a whore.'”
I interviewed Lara Newman (a pseudonym) in Cape Town in 1991. The interview lasted approximately two-and-a-half hours. All the names in her story have been changed.
Lara was born in Johannesburg into a middle-class English, South African family. She was 23 years old with two younger sisters aged 18 and 16 at the time of the interview. She was married and living with her husband and two children — a boy aged five and a girl aged two. Her husband, Brian, an English South African, was a successful marketing manager. Lara was studying for a Bachelor of Accounting degree. Lara's father obtained several diplomas but never went to university. He spent the last 20 years in charge of the computer programming department of a major commercial enterprise. Lara described him as “always ready to help when they phone him after work with computer problems, even if it's three o'clock in the morning.” Her mother left school after finishing standard eight and worked as a bookkeeper before becoming a full-time housewife.
Although Lara went to school at a Catholic convent, she was brought up as an Anglican. This remains her religious preference now.
I chose the title for this article (with Lara's blessing) because I found Lara's story particularly helpful in illuminating how the experience of incestuous abuse can train a victim to become a prostitute. As Lara herself so poignantly stated it,...