Why I Love Amsterdam's Red Light District

When I tell people that the Red Light District is one of the reasons I love Amsterdam, they instinctively begin lathering their entire body in hand sanitizer. I’ve spoken to people who went to Amsterdam without setting foot in the Red Light District. This is their prerogative, but if travel is about the opportunity to experience new things, why skip out on such a meaningful chance to learn about something so pervasive in cultures around the world?

Often called “the oldest profession,” prostitution does not have the best reputation in many parts of the world. As an American, I grew up thinking it was bad and dirty. As a feminist, I’ve spent years hearing debates among women on all sides of the argument. One of the most feminist women I know is aggressively anti-sex industry. Certainly, there are many parts of the sex industry I’d like to change to be kinder to women, but seeing the Red Light District in Amsterdam was so surprisingly powerful and reaffirming.

I didn’t know what to expect. I thought it would be like many seedy parts of cities I’d been to before, with sex shops and skeezy people and (duh) red lights, with a cherry-cheeked prostitute on top. Our first pass through the Red Light District was around 11pm on a Thursday. It was lively and filled with stag dos, but aside from those groups, it was not a scary or dirty scene in the slightest. First of all, the RLD is located in one of the oldest parts of Amsterdam and is architecturally stunning. The red lights reflected on the canal create such a cozy and lovely ambiance.

The next surprising thing was that the women were at street level. My partner and I both expected them to be in windows above the street, but instead it looked like women in bikinis about to walk out someone’s back patio door. And the women? Were beautiful. I tried to look at many of their faces, trying to judge what they might be feeling or thinking. We’re all conditioned to think that prostitutes have experienced some level of abuse; something must have driven them to this life of squalor and crime, right?! *shakes bible at sky*But instead, they matched the same range of emotion you would find when walking into any establishment: the welcoming one, the apathetic one, the bored one, the confident one, the one who has probably been in this job too long, the new and eager one, and so on. Seeing it face-to-face really brought it home: these are just women at work. Tomorrow, they probably have brunch plans with their friends, and maybe they’re going to visit their grandmother on Sunday.

The booths are kept immaculately clean. Women rent them and work for themselves, on their own schedules, and keep all of their fees. They can dictate how much or how little they work, can take a break whenever they need it, and nobody can tell them not to. When prostitution is legal and regulated, it can be quite an empowered profession. 

While walking through the Red Light District during mid-afternoon, we witnessed a tourist trying to take pictures of three women in three booths next to each other. One of the women opened the door and yelled at him. These booths were slightly off the main drag and the women were a bit older. The tourist did not put his camera away. All other tourists nearby started trying to tell him to put his camera away, as well. It’s possible he didn’t speak English or Dutch, but the message was pretty clear through non-verbal signs. Finally, the woman in the middle booth opened the door, took a threw steps towards him, and threw water at his legs. She didn’t want to destroy his camera, but wanted to make a point. And she did. He put the camera away and left.

Everyone nearby was in full support of what she had done, and it was a kind of amazing moment to have witnessed. The women take care of each other and the rules in that area are there to protect them. Even though they’re sitting for-hire in windows, they dictate the terms. They control who enters and when they leave. Anyone who argues that legalizing prostitution wouldn’t be good for the women who choose it as a profession should be forced to go meet these women.

Of course, as with all things, there are seedier, lower rent versions of the sex industry in Amsterdam. Still, I think regulation does a lot to protect everybody. If you’re there, take the time to stop at the Prostitute InformationCentre. Experienced women trying to educate the public and tourists set up an incredible and welcoming small museum in the Red Light District. We really enjoyed this, and they were more than happy to talk and answer questions.