Abstract

After Socialism, Fighting Sexism

This article focuses on the condition of women in Vietnam, with specific reference to prostitution and period after the Vietnam war. A traveler goes to Hanoi and notes that the women are dressing more colorfully, a pleasing sign that the country is loosening its authoritarian restraints. Calendars and tourist brochures featuring buxom young women with come-hither smiles and pre-revolutionary attire put in an appearance, followed by beauty contests and imported pornography. Many women, so new at the trade that their shame is more evident than their seductive skills, are dragooned into selling their bodies for quick gain. It is painful to see this happening in Vietnam. Socialist countries that fight hard for their freedoms never know quite what to do with their women after the revolution.