We’ve made it no secret that we absolutely loathe writing, talking or thinking about Ashley Alexandra Dupré because the media is painting her as a celebrity and a novelty object, and not as an opportunity to discuss issues that we feel are much, much more important than one girl’s new single on MySpace.

That’s why we’re glad to see “20/20” use the Spitzer scandal as a platform to discuss prostitution in America, broaching such topics as the glamorization of pimps in mainstream media and the role of sexual abuse might have a gateway to life as a sex worker. The show includes interviews with current and former prostitutes, both legal and not, that show them not so much as victims, junkies, “hookers with hearts of gold” or any other easily consumed stereotype, but as individual women, from all walks of life and raised in all sorts of different families, who, for whatever reason, were caught in something much bigger than each of them:

The world of high-end, high-priced prostitution has been in the news lately because of former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s scandal involving an alleged high-priced escort service, but this kind of service underrepresents what prostitution in America really is. Behind the “Pretty Woman” image is a world of vulnerability, danger and fear.

For more than two years, “20/20” cameras documented the daily risks of streetwalkers and expensive call girls. The report captures the realities of who these women are and how the law deals with them compared to their male clientele.

Among the women “20/20” correspondent Diane Sawyer talks to is one who says she feels in no way victimized or devalued by her job in the sex industry. It’s an interesting look at an industry that is both villified and glamorized by American media and pop culture. We’re still forming our own opinions on how we look at the sex industry and the men and women who keep it going, but we’re glad we can add these women’s experiences to the discourse.

Watch the video on ABC’s page and let us know what you think. But, please, ixnay on the ShleyAy Upréday.

Prostitution in America [ABC News]
Earlier: Playing The Fame Game: Ashley Alexandra Dupré Is A “Girl Gone Wild.” But Do You Really Care?