After reading books filled with sex worker stories I feel like I’ve just satiated a hunger I didn’t realize I had. We need books like this. I’ve been exploring Sex Solidarity lately on this blog and one theme that keeps coming up is communication. Sex workers are stronger when we share our stories and our knowledge together. Can you guess that I loved Working Sex, Sex Workers Write About a Changing Industry? I did. It was awesome! Again, thank you Seal Press for sending me a copy.
One of the things that struck me most was how I related to so many of the stories. A line would resonate with me and often the author was in a different sex work niche than me. The book really spoke some of the universal truths that are in the industry. There are so many great parts in this book. Instead of reviewing each story I want to share with you some specific lines that I found especially poignant.
From Annie Oakley’s Introduction:
“Sometimes you see the best of people and yourself, and everything seems so easy and attainable, and the money feels like it’s rolling in for free. Other times it’s the worst job you’ve ever had and you can’t believe the ugliness of humanity and you want to get out and never come back.”
This is one of the best descriptions of sex work that I’ve read.
Janelle Galazia commented on the futility of focusing on the sex aspect of sex work. “By keeping the
debate about sex work focused on sex, and not work, the true nature of the issue is obscured.
(snip)
“In this framework women are sluts instead of workers, or victims instead of cognizant participants in an economy.”
Jessica Melusine recalled in her piece Campus Sluts Forever! a game her phone sex coworkers played. They had to say non sexual phrases and make them sound sexy. This was by far one of the funniest stories in the book.
I was happy to see Siobhan Brooks’ An Interview With Gloria Lockett touched on feminism. “I’ve always felt that I was a feminist, but what a feminist is to me is not what a feminist is to some people. I love being a woman and I think it’s my right to do whatever I want with my body and mind.”
Recently I read an article by Gloria Steinem that reminded me that I’m by no means a typical feminist. For feminism and sex work to coexist we need to define it on our terms. Can I be a feminist and like porn? Yes! Can I be a feminist and a sex worker? Yes!
In Shelby Aesthetic’s Whoreanomics she comments on her fellow street prostitutes. “But the truth was they had a strong bond with each other, they really looked out for one another. It made me feel safer.” This could be applied to so many different areas of the industry. As a phone sex operator it certainly matches up with my experiences with coworkers.
Mirha-Soleil Ross’s Dear John was my favorite piece. She starts off making the excellent point that sex workers often focus on telling bad John stories because they are the most entertaining. In her story she is referring specifically to prostitutes but it applies to lots of sex workers. For her piece she wanted to recall some of her great clients. Their stories were so touching and really showed how there is a need for sex workers. As much as governments try to control, regulate and illegalize sex work they will never be able to stamp out the desire for us. There will always be clients out there who need our services.
I keep going back to her story. She captured the love, the caring, the bonding and the companionship that so often accompanies sex work. As much as I use my blog to blow off steam about my pso gig I hope I too capture the positive side of this work.
There were a couple downsides. Some contributers submitted songs. Unless I’ve heard the song first I’m not generally moved by reading song lyrics. It always feels like I’m missing something. Reading the lyrics I can sense a hint of the song’s power but it’s like trying to catch smoke with your fingers.
Anna Joy Springer’s My Pride and Broken Buzzers was a disappointment. Though I could ascertain that the buzzers were meant to represent breasts I just felt like I was missing something. Her writing was written in a sort of code. “At the game show for the dispossessed, I met a buzzer repair specialist who was a blood-and-grease wrestler.” The entire story is written like this. It left me feeling confused about what the meaning was and not sure of her point.
The only thing that could make this better is if Annie Oakley decided to make it a series. How wonderful to have a Volume 2, 3 and 4? I don’t tire of sex worker stories. Maybe it’s because I don’t work in an office and have the proverbial water cooler to hang around and swap tales. Even if we have the most accepting and understanding ears, no one truly understands us like fellow sex workers do. Reading books like Working Sex makes me feel so connected to my fellow sex workers. Sex work can often be isolating so having a sense of community is a treasure.
But what if you’re not a sex worker? Is it still worth the read? Definitely. This books covers so many types of sex work and so many perspectives that it will give multiple insights into the industry. As Annie Oakley says in her introduction- “Experienced or experimental, poetic or pornographic, angry or academic, the pieces complement each other, and through their differences begin to articulate a fuller picture of the amazing humans who populate the mysterious landscape of this business.”
Posted by Vixen as Reviews, Sex Workers at 10:56 PM CST