Hostage to hospitality: Is there a relationship between 'sexual hospitality' and sex in commercial hospitality?. Issue 2 (1st June 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wijesinghe, Gayathri
• Is Part Of: Hospitality & society. Volume 7:Issue 2(2017)
• Page Start: 181
• Page End: 201
• Publication Date: 2017-06-01
• Subjects: Hospitality industry -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Hospitality -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; 338.4791
• DOI: 10.1386/hosp.7.2.181_1
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2042-7913

Abstract

This article, through the prism of 'sexual hospitality' explores the tradition of the sexualized, objectified and later commodified roles imposed on women through their hospitality provision. Sexual hospitality was an ancient custom whereby the host provided a hostess from his household to the male guest for his sexual pleasure. It is argued that in the transition to contemporary commercial hospitality, women's sexuality became a commodity employed to attract customers. In the past, hostess-guest behaviour was endorsed by societal and religious beliefs, whereas in the commercial sphere today, the sexualization of hospitality workers in some hospitality establishments, while not officially endorsed, nonetheless creates ambiguous and dangerous workplaces. There is a risk involved for servers as some customers still view women's bodies as being available for their enjoyment in the hospitality encounter. A broad sweep of the literature indicates that commercial hospitality not only to some extent legitimizes, reinforces and perpetuates these historical gender stereotypes (both male and female), and unequal power relations, but also eroticizes hospitality, making it 'sexy', and leaving room for potential degradation and sexual violence. Studies that are more focused on specific time and cultural contexts are encouraged to consider whether contemporary servers are still hostage to patriarchal hospitality through the sexualized commodification of their labour.