Denmark: Kathlyn Nguyen (Learning on Excursions)

Learning on Excursions 

The last excursion that we took for my course Prostitution and the Sex Trade in Europe was to the city of Aarhus in Denmark which is about three hours from Copenhagen. In this class, we talk about the sex work industry and how the industry includes a wide spectrum of services and individuals. More specifically, we learn about how the sex work industry came to be and address our preconceived notions. During this short study tour, we did a variety of activities including a pole dancing class and visiting a gender museum. In the pole dancing class, I learned about the different ways in which one can move their body and the various ways in which these body movements can be empowering. It was an amazing experience to personally experience this autonomy over my own body, and it gave me a whole new perspective on why someone may choose to partake in this industry for that freeing and controlling sense.

Then, we went to the gender museum where the main exhibits involved illustrated the evolution and relationship between sex and gender. The first exhibit illustrated societal creations of gender roles within a family. This exhibit furthered the idea of what society perceives sex workers to be, but it provided the groundwork for the other exhibit. The next exhibit illustrated a more modern approach to the fight for gender equality and the idea of decriminalizing sex work. This exhibit woke my curiosity about the difference between how sex work is discussed in Denmark and the United States. Currently, sex work is only legal in one state in the US, and I am curious to learn about why that is. By doing these activities, I was able to bring the conversations in class and apply them to real-life instances.

 

 

Kathlyn Nguyen

Major: Biology; Cert. Global Health

Hometown: Bloomington, Minnesota

Program: Denmark, Copenhagen / DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia