Photojournalist Myrto Papadopoulos decided to capture the spirit of prostitution in Greece during the economic crisis. Her photos show that while Greece is by no means a sex tourism hotspot, it does offer a range of lustful pleasures to local and international visitors alike. The women in the photos are the successors of the women and young boys of Greek antiquity who engaged in the “world’s oldest profession”. Back in those days, a female prostitute (hetaera) could be extremely influential and charge exorbitant sums for her services.
These days, prices have plummeted with around 20-30 euros for a score at a seedy establishment. Most of these are housed in crumbling buildings with simple lightbulbs at the entrance. Prices go even lower for street workers at Solonos Street, Theatrou Square and Evripidou Street just off Psirri. Oftentimes the street workers are goodlooking illegal immigrants who usually don’t undergo medical examinations.
Prostitution is legal in Greece, but only in licensed brothels. The economic crisis prompted momentous changes throughout the country, including to the sex trade. As a result, the AIDS rate has skyrocketed by over 60% since 2012, sex trafficking has increased and prices have plummetted.
A bang to Greek prostitution in Athens – considered a ticking time bomb as far as transmitted diseases are concerned – came in 2012 when the Center for Control and Prevention of Diseases (KEELPNO) found a number of prostitutes in illegal brothels to be HIV positive. The names, faces and personal information of the women were publicly exhibited for all to see in a kangaroo court. Human rights groups were appalled by the violation.
It was at around this time that Ms. Papadopoulos, enraged by the way that these women were treated by the press and labelled by society, decided to capture another side to prostitution. She tried to understand the lives of these women, some of which were trafficked and pimped as well as local girls who had made the choice to enter the “game”.
She began her lifelong project at a time when then National Center for Social Research (EKKE) showed a steep rise in the rate of prostitution during the economic crisis.
Her hauntingly beautiful photos of sex workers, titled “The Attendants”, are geared towards making money to support them.
Who is Myrto Papadopoulos?
Born in Athens in 1978, she has contributed photos to some of the world’s finest publications and magazines, including National Geographic, TIME, GEO, Le Monde etc. She has also created documentaries. To see more of her photographs, including a wider more explicit range of prostitution photos, as well as other thematic units that Ms. Papadopoulos has focused on, visit www.myrtopapadopoulos.com
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