Prostitution in Eorzea

[Cilia]

Sengoku era would be the in-universe Age of Blood that's been mentioned once or twice, particularly during the SAM questline. Doma is based on Nara era Japan, Kugane is representative of the clash between Western and Japanese culture during the Meiji Restoration, and the rest of Hingashi is based upon the Edo era based on the available information.

I stand corrected. You'll have to forgive me; Japanese history is... not my forté, to say the least.

[Wyssahtyn]

SE hasn't confirmed it as far as I know, so it's little more than inference, but the shoe fits and such.

[Masekase_Hurricane]

Only have to visit Limsa or Balmung to see that prostitution is alive and kicking in Eorzea :P

[Hinoto-no-Ryuji]

Sengoku era would be the in-universe Age of Blood that's been mentioned once or twice, particularly during the SAM questline. Doma is based on Nara era Japan, Kugane is representative of the clash between Western and Japanese culture during the Meiji Restoration, and the rest of Hingashi is based upon the Edo era based on the available information.

This is pedantic and off-topic, but I'm intrigued - what makes you place Kugane as Meiji, and not Edo like the rest of Hingashi? The country being closed save for a single southern port for trade with the rest of the world is pretty much in line with Edo-era Japan, and the setting lacks the more overt signifiers of the Meiji era (adoption of Western clothing, military reform and subsequent imperialist expansion, sword bans and elimination of the samurai, opening of the entire country to foreigners, etc).

[Wyssahtyn]

Argument that Kugane's in line with the Edo period like the rest of Hingashi as their Dejima/Nagasaki would probably hold more merit to be frank, but Meiji was what came to mind when I made the comment. Might just be that I came to the wrong conclusion and/or be misremembering details, but it felt rather Westernised. Also the anti-foreigner sentiment, sparse as it was.

Actually, now that I think about it, I probably said Meiji because I recalled playing through the MSQ/SAM story and thinking to myself that I wouldn't be surprised to see a Boshin War type thing go on during 4.x.

[Shirolumi]

All interesting answers, thank you. I had forgotten about the fate in Costal del Sol, and especially the whole thing with Rowena as well. I kinda suspected that'd be the case (it beeing accepted), but nice to get some confirmation.

I like that SE is willing to touch upon dark subjects like these, but I wish there was more to it than "prostitution exists and it's legal deal with it regardless of how you feel".

But also considering the time period, it is realistic so even if we don't I'm pretty okay with it as it is.

[nekohime1138]

It might be legal in some areas but not others. Off the top of my head I can't think of any examples in Gridania or Ishgard so it may not be legal there. Even where prostitution and slavery are legal there seem to be laws regulating the practice. It's seems illegal to kidnap people and sell them, but proving that someone was kidnapped and not forcibly sold to pay their or their parent's debts may be difficult.

[SicariusSeven]

In Ala Ghiri you do a quest and two Miqo'te NPC are glad that the Garleans are gone. They remark how they didn't like servicing them, I don't remember all the details. In one of the MSQ, near the end of ARR story arc, you find out that one of the Immortal Flames had to resort to prostitution just to keep herself off the street. She didn't do it for fun, she had no other choice but to do that or basically die in the street starving. This might be one of those things where SE doesn't flat out saying it in order to keep the game rating at T. They make allusions, show dancers, but never show the act. It's all implied with the dirtiest thing being NPCs dancing and wearing suggestive clothing.

[YianKutku]

In Ala Ghiri you do a quest and two Miqo'te NPC are glad that the Garleans are gone. They remark how they didn't like servicing them, I don't remember all the details.

They called the Garleans "brutes", presumably referring to their treatment of prostitutes after obtaining their services. They then proceeded to advertise themselves for the Resistance (and the player character, regardless of gender), so they clearly intended to continue their line of work.

[TaiyoShikasu]

While the game does sort of touch on topics like imperialism, government corruption, and wealth inequality, it doesn't exactly go too heavily into it.

Be it prostitution or banditry, smaller scale topics aren't exactly discussed with bandits just being another encounter with no regard as why someone would turn to robbery to get by or in the case of prostitution, the women are little more than pieces of the scenery for the most part.

If I had to guess why attention isn't really brought to these topics, it's because they're quite complex and require more nuance than can be provided.