The pimps/traffickers are powerful because coercion if not outright slavery is involved. It is abuse of mostly women, for male buyers, lot of unconsensual criminal stuff happening to the women. Dominatrix stuff, still male buyer, still in power, calling the shots with the money, at least there the woman is more likely to be doing it consensually, usually. Neither is a good thing, but prostitution is far more evil and gruesome, and common. The dominatrix stuff may or may not involve actual sexual touching, even though it's for sexual purposes. I think it's a gross misrepresentation to say prostitution is illegal because men are in power, it's because men are in power abusing women non-consensually and en masse. Plenty of people think this dominatrix stuff is disgusting, most do. Plenty of the women would have worked other sex industry jobs too, not just this. They aren't empowered, nor feel so, despite what some Feminist articles might say. It's putting on a mask, most know hat they are doing is gross and degenerate, they just want the money.