Female prostitution is a complex and divisive issue for feminists and policymakers in Western industrialized countries, creating a debate between liberal/sex radical feminists who view it as a legitimate form of work, and radical feminists who view it as a form of exploitation and victimization. This study presents three case studies, including the Netherlands, Sweden and Canada, where prostitution policy approaches are influenced by the discourse employed by feminists and others to conceptualize female prostitution. In reviewing the successes and failures of the policy approaches taken in each country, this study attempts to show that the essentialist definitions of "the prostitute" used in understanding prostitution are insufficient to represent the Rill spectrum of women's experiences in prostitution. As a result, these policies have not reduced the harms of prostitution because they fail to challenge the patriarchal foundations of the "whore" stigma that constrains women's sexual and social freedom.