The Making of a Whore

This article opens with a lengthy personal account of a 23-year-old incest survivor who was interviewed in South Africa in 1991. She defined herself as a “whore” and described how her abusive maternal grandfather had groomed her for this role. The relationship between incest and prostitution in general is documented in the concluding section of this case study; relevant literature on this relationship is cited, and illustrative statements by the survivor are quoted. This case study provides a powerful example of how illusory the “choice” of prostitution as a lifestyle and/or a means of work can be for some incest survivors.