However, the absolutely decent photos sparked heated discussions about whether a sex worker can help the military. They say that Yulia Seniuk, the woman's real name, is simply popularizing her profession.
Despite the fact that porn stars are generally considered stupid and unhappy, Yulia was born into a decent family from Zolochiv, Ukraine's western Lviv region. She was an excellent student at school, is fluent in English, and has a master's degree in international economic relations.
The future star of erotic films did not hide the fact that she got into porn because of money and an imperfect understanding of the profession. However, having watched a number of interviews and shows with Josephine Jackson, I did not notice anywhere the popularization of this lifestyle or the campaign to take tickets to Budapest in search of your first porn contract. This is important because many people accuse the girl of almost lobbying for the legalization of prostitution in Ukraine by using veterans as PR.
“One can argue about "popularization" here. YouTube and TikTok have no shortage of "make up like an escort" and "dress like a date with a sheikh in Dubai" tours, so whoever wants to get into the swamp will find it.”
Last year, former Ukrainian escort Ksiusha Maneken received the medal "For Assistance to Military Intelligence, 2nd Class". She even attended a public event of Mykhailo Podoliak, a political strategist at presidential office, with the participation of millionaire Instagrammers, where he promised to end the war on New Year's Eve.
It was this order, as well as Ksenia's numerous interviews about parties in Middle Eastern countries, when you can refuse a client intimacy under the pretext of a "migraine" and still get paid, that created a romanticized idea of the escort profession. That you just fly to a "party" in the Maldives and get your Chanel bag.
Recently, the story of the artist Sonia Moroziuk with her bought media fame and super-high price tags resonated. It turned out that Sonia was successful in squirting, and this allowed her to receive apartments, cars, and diamonds from her fiancé Roman Hrynkevych for defense contracts. Many people liked this career development. And there was no shortage of women who openly said that they would have done the same in Sofia's place.
So what's wrong with Josephine Jackson and her photo with the military?
After the outbreak of full-scale war, the actress decided to use her popularity in Ukraine and abroad to help veterans of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
It is known for certain that she practices English with them every week and conducts classes in the swimming pool at the Center for Complex Endoprosthetics, Osteo-Integration and Bionics. The center rehabilitates soldiers who, due to the nature of their injuries, need much more complex prostheses that are integrated into their bodies.
Yulia-Josephine took 12 wounded guys, dressed them in fancy suits and went with them to the opera house.
One of the project participants, Maksym Hladchenko, is a 26-year-old career officer with the 110th Detached Mechanized Brigade. He was among those who held positions near Avdiivka and kept the enemy from advancing. During a mortar attack on July 8, 2023, he sustained multiple injuries to the right side of his body. Unfortunately, his right arm could not be saved, and it was amputated in hospital.
Maksym is married, and everything is fine in his private life. That is, no one forced him to take part in the photo shoot or used coercion. The military man saw the opportunity of this calendar as his own, and this is worthy of respect.
"This project is not only for Ukraine, but also for foreign countries. And it's cool that we didn't take pictures in uniform: when you're in uniform, everyone looks alike. And people're getting bored of it. Often people don't think about the fact that military personnel are people who can be in other images. That's why it's a great idea to show that we are individuals, that we are all different," Maksym Hladchenko said.
Out of curiosity, I personally asked a few military men I know whether they consider such photo shoots to be disrespectful to their profession or PR.
"Josephine shows the main thing - that a young man in his sexual prime, even though he is missing an arm or a leg, is not disabled. That he is not 'inclusive'. It shows that women can like him and that he is a powerful alpha male who makes you want to have children," an Armed Forces major who has been at the front since 2014 told me.
I would like to add that critics should recall the experience of the OnlyFans platform and female activists. In March 2022, in the midst of the fighting for Kyiv, they managed to raise 5 million hryvnias by posting nude photos.
Let me remind you that at that time we had not yet received generous tranches from our Western partners for the war, and these funds definitely saved more than one life and bought the necessary ammunition.
“And if this option of helping the Armed Forces and veterans contradicts your cultural, religious, and moral principles, you should come up with something of your own.”
First of all, Josephine Jackson is not a porn actress who flashes her charms in 18+ videos, but a citizen of Ukraine who uses her media power and hype to popularize a complex topic.
It's no secret that Ukrainians don't like to read about the problems of our defenders - it makes them sad, depressed, and guilty. However, it is worth remembering that today's veterans are young people who have a long life ahead of them, with marriages, births of children, and searching for themselves in the world. And we cannot write off the aforementioned Maksym Hladchenko, a career soldier, just because he lost his arm in the damned Avdiivka.
If Josephine Jackson's ad draws attention to prosthetics and rehabilitation, so be it. The only thing is that it should not remain at the level of conversations. Professionals and constantly dissatisfied people who are used to defending other people's rights on the Internet but have hardly ever visited a hospital with a gift should get involved.
Specially for Espreso
About the author: Maryna Danyliuk-Yarmolaieva, journalist.
The editors don't always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.