Live Sex Acts Women Performing Erotic Labor - Wendy Chapkis
One could be forgiven for wondering at first if Live Sex Acts: Women Performing Erotic Labor is a book about women who have sex while they are giving birth. Okay, so it’s a cheap shot, but when dealing with something as personal and emotionally charged as the question of working as a sex laborer, whether in the porn industry or as a prostitute, one needs to have a bit of a sense of humor. That’s because the world these women work in is not the glamorous and wonderful world men sometimes imagine it to be. It’s a hard life and real work just like that of any other job. And Wendy Chakis pulls no punches in showing us what a day in the life of erotic laborers is like.
One of the nice things about Live Sex Acts is that unlike many other books about those in the sex industry, it doesn’t focus itself exclusively or almost exclusively on those who engage in prostitution with random strangers. Instead, this book talks about strippers, workers in the pornographic industry, phone sex operators and pretty much anyone who makes their living getting others sexually excited while not actually having sex with them.
While reviews on this book are sometimes mixed, I found it to be an accurate portrait of the world of the stripper and the pornography worker. No, it’s not all fun and games and it’s not all glamour and glory, but the work is pretty steady and the money is there for anyone who has a nice body and who wants to take advantage of it for her own benefit. For that reason alone, this book is worth a read, because it shows us that these women do have self esteem and do understand what it is they are doing. They’re not the stereotypical dumpster girl types who couldn’t find any other way to support themselves. In short, Live Sex Acts is definitely worth a second and even a third look.
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