‘Pimps'' Self-presentations in the Interview Setting: ‘Good Me,’ ‘Bad Me,’ and ‘Badass Me’

Author: Horning, Amber; Bermingham, Roisin; Sriken, Julie & Thomas, Christopher

Abstract: Using a mixed-method approach, we explored how 85 sex market facilitators used neutralization and subcultural discourse to present themselves in the interview setting. We used non-metric, Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) to test discursive themes that resulted in a three-fold model with the themes ‘good,’’bad,’ and ‘badass me’ with externalizing and internalizing approaches. The ‘good me’ subtype focused on fundamentally being a ”nice guy” but blaming acts on oppression. ‘Bad me” focused on being ”innately bad” but blaming outside factors and neutralizing ‘bad me.’ ‘Badass me’ centered on high-status feelings of pimping but also expressing guilt about it. This model may be helpful for researchers or practitioners interviewing or working with sex market facilitators, such as pimps or sex traffickers.

Keywords: pimping, sex trafficking, narrative criminology, neutralization theory, subcultural theory