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graceesford's review
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
slenoch's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
I thought it was good, but not as good as it was made out to be! Love multiple first hand stories, there are some really interesting perspectives including autistic and amputee strippers.
emmeme's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
katetay69's review
3.0
A VERY FUN ANTHOLOGY!! All about stripping, and dives into a wide array of perspectives. The good, the liberating, the ugly and difficult! I really enjoyed the interviews with the authors at the end of each chapter. So insightful. As a supporter of sex workers I enjoyed this very much.
Lots to discuss here. Some stand-out chapters for me were:
PUSH AND PULL - ESSENCE REVEALED (I loved the push and pull concept of how this was written, juxtaposing the good and the bad)
DANCING STEPS TO TINY FEET - SASSY PENNY (Great visuals)
SECRET LIFE OF AN AUTISTIC STRIPPER - REESE PIPER
TAKEAWAYS:
- Antonia Crane "Stripping is a hard taxing job. It entails waiting, hustling, and negotiating physical boundaries in a place where strangers assume access to your body. As an art form, stripping is joyful, magical, and adrenaline-inducing. But it was also emotionally and politically confusing"
"Stripping was a public-facing revolt against demure feminity and heterosexual norms. Monetizing straight desire and performing as patriarchs play thing was fun and lucrative"
"Strippers are usually depicted as mere background, invalids awaiting rescue or sociopaths".
- There's unfair termination, racist hiring and firing policies and harassment, whorephobia and class shame. Business models of theft are common eg; paying dj, paying the house mum, tip stealing, extortion and coercion. There's a lot of talk in here about the power of unions for stripping which is so great to see.
- NOTES FROM THE CATWALK - ELISSA WALD
-The conditions Elissa talks about emphasize the need for unions. Such as 50 bucks for lateness, 25 bucks if your stocking have a run, 100 bucks for missing night of work- doesn't matter the reason. So a lot of strippers turn up to work sick
- DANCING STEPS TO TINY FEET - SASSY PENNY
"I can do this, I used to do this all the time, week in, week out. I can totally stay up all night and deal with a difficult customer"
"I was the purest embodiment of a woman who had free choice"
on strip clubs: " you don't always get to control your outfits or what customers you see. You just have to take in what you've got. In a club you've got to abide by the rules. You can blossom and have a sense of individuality, but only as far as the rules or boss let you"
" I love the feeling of celebrating what gorgeous creatures you are and what gorgeous friends I've got. The travel has been amazing. You put on a new personality and meet new people, you've got music and a good time, that's a really nice way to switch off"
FLASHING MY GASH FOR CASH - JACQ FRANCES
When they are about to flash their hole for a customer "I've never been particularly asshole confident, is anyone?" I laughed at this!
"strippers are ubiquitous in pop culture but only ever in 2 dimensional way". "Sex work wasn't an option outlined on my guidance counsellors office wall of career pamphlets" - I liked thinking about what if this was the case, interesting I like it, cool visual.
"In spite of showing a fantasy, you're actually just interacting with people on a very real level. When you're honest you're funny, when there's truth theirs humour"
SECRET LIFE OF AN AUTISTIC STRIPPER - REESE PIPER
" When I started dancing, I learned how to pick up non verbal cues. Through all the hours of talking to customers, I learned how to communicate in the moment. Dancing gave me independence".
DIARY OF A BLACK HEAUX - AKYNOS
This made me laugh, on dating. When people say or you say to yourself you have shitty taste in men, why do you keep choosing these men say instead "men who exist in astronomical numbers and are incredibly hard to avoid meeting"
OVERALL a great read that I would recommend to anyone seeking a full spectrum view of stripping. I have a lot of respect for strippers.
Lots to discuss here. Some stand-out chapters for me were:
PUSH AND PULL - ESSENCE REVEALED (I loved the push and pull concept of how this was written, juxtaposing the good and the bad)
DANCING STEPS TO TINY FEET - SASSY PENNY (Great visuals)
SECRET LIFE OF AN AUTISTIC STRIPPER - REESE PIPER
TAKEAWAYS:
- Antonia Crane "Stripping is a hard taxing job. It entails waiting, hustling, and negotiating physical boundaries in a place where strangers assume access to your body. As an art form, stripping is joyful, magical, and adrenaline-inducing. But it was also emotionally and politically confusing"
"Stripping was a public-facing revolt against demure feminity and heterosexual norms. Monetizing straight desire and performing as patriarchs play thing was fun and lucrative"
"Strippers are usually depicted as mere background, invalids awaiting rescue or sociopaths".
- There's unfair termination, racist hiring and firing policies and harassment, whorephobia and class shame. Business models of theft are common eg; paying dj, paying the house mum, tip stealing, extortion and coercion. There's a lot of talk in here about the power of unions for stripping which is so great to see.
- NOTES FROM THE CATWALK - ELISSA WALD
-The conditions Elissa talks about emphasize the need for unions. Such as 50 bucks for lateness, 25 bucks if your stocking have a run, 100 bucks for missing night of work- doesn't matter the reason. So a lot of strippers turn up to work sick
- DANCING STEPS TO TINY FEET - SASSY PENNY
"I can do this, I used to do this all the time, week in, week out. I can totally stay up all night and deal with a difficult customer"
"I was the purest embodiment of a woman who had free choice"
on strip clubs: " you don't always get to control your outfits or what customers you see. You just have to take in what you've got. In a club you've got to abide by the rules. You can blossom and have a sense of individuality, but only as far as the rules or boss let you"
" I love the feeling of celebrating what gorgeous creatures you are and what gorgeous friends I've got. The travel has been amazing. You put on a new personality and meet new people, you've got music and a good time, that's a really nice way to switch off"
FLASHING MY GASH FOR CASH - JACQ FRANCES
When they are about to flash their hole for a customer "I've never been particularly asshole confident, is anyone?" I laughed at this!
"strippers are ubiquitous in pop culture but only ever in 2 dimensional way". "Sex work wasn't an option outlined on my guidance counsellors office wall of career pamphlets" - I liked thinking about what if this was the case, interesting I like it, cool visual.
"In spite of showing a fantasy, you're actually just interacting with people on a very real level. When you're honest you're funny, when there's truth theirs humour"
SECRET LIFE OF AN AUTISTIC STRIPPER - REESE PIPER
" When I started dancing, I learned how to pick up non verbal cues. Through all the hours of talking to customers, I learned how to communicate in the moment. Dancing gave me independence".
DIARY OF A BLACK HEAUX - AKYNOS
This made me laugh, on dating. When people say or you say to yourself you have shitty taste in men, why do you keep choosing these men say instead "men who exist in astronomical numbers and are incredibly hard to avoid meeting"
OVERALL a great read that I would recommend to anyone seeking a full spectrum view of stripping. I have a lot of respect for strippers.
katielizroy's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
I first started this anthology a year ago and these stories + perspectives continue to stick with me. I think about these women a lot.
livinginnprose's review against another edition
4.0
4.5*
The amount of book references, legends, and perceptions you get in this book is incredible. I’ve never known much about sex work other than the overall stigmas attached to it. However, Lizzie Borden’s Whorephobia does so much more than just give some insight, it provides so many different types of experiences in the industry.
Whorephobia explores an array of key themes related to sex work and I’m going to go through them in a sort of list form to try to get to all the ones I wrote down.
As stated in the beginning, there is a certain stigma attached to sex work and that’s usually all people know. The book delves into that stigma and negative attitudes. It examines how sex workers, more times than not, face discrimination and judgment and how these stigmas can perpetuate harmful stereotypes that further isolate sex workers. The effects of this is further seen when discussing the legal isolation they face.
Borden also explores intersectionality of sex work, bringing an understanding that individuals engaging in sex work come from all different kinds of backgrounds and bring various types of challenges with them. We see how race, gender, class, and sexuality intersect with sex workers and their individual experiences in the industry.
A theme I really enjoyed in this book was empowerment in this industry. It challenged the notion of victimhood typically associated with sex work and explores the empowerment that some sex workers feel in their profession. This again shows how complex and diverse their experiences are and how the industry should be understood within a broader context.
Something that I’m sure not a lot of people think about but was brought up in this book is the legal/social issues in the industry. The book discusses the impact of criminalization on sex workers’ safety, integrity, and access to healthcare. Borden advocates for the recognition of sex workers’ human rights and the importance to recognize the violence faced by sex workers. You really get a view on how the negative attitude towards the industry directly puts them in danger and forces them to stay there. This really opened my eyes considering I had never thought about it too much. I always came at this with the mindset, I think this, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, after reading this, I realize how dangerous it is for sex workers for people to hold on so closely to their negative opinions on the industry. This is because people often forget they continue to exist after you finish thinking about them, therefore, they deserve the same rights to safety as everyone else whether you approve of them or not.
Now a topic I really enjoyed exploring in this collection was how sex work intersects with feminism and debates surrounding sexuality. It offers up differing perspectives on sex work through the feminist lenses. It also argues how it can be an intricate aspect of women’s autonomy and empowerment.
This book contained so many examples I can include here but unfortunately, I decided to wait a month to write this review. But I promise reading this book for yourself to find these examples is worth it.
The amount of book references, legends, and perceptions you get in this book is incredible. I’ve never known much about sex work other than the overall stigmas attached to it. However, Lizzie Borden’s Whorephobia does so much more than just give some insight, it provides so many different types of experiences in the industry.
Whorephobia explores an array of key themes related to sex work and I’m going to go through them in a sort of list form to try to get to all the ones I wrote down.
As stated in the beginning, there is a certain stigma attached to sex work and that’s usually all people know. The book delves into that stigma and negative attitudes. It examines how sex workers, more times than not, face discrimination and judgment and how these stigmas can perpetuate harmful stereotypes that further isolate sex workers. The effects of this is further seen when discussing the legal isolation they face.
Borden also explores intersectionality of sex work, bringing an understanding that individuals engaging in sex work come from all different kinds of backgrounds and bring various types of challenges with them. We see how race, gender, class, and sexuality intersect with sex workers and their individual experiences in the industry.
A theme I really enjoyed in this book was empowerment in this industry. It challenged the notion of victimhood typically associated with sex work and explores the empowerment that some sex workers feel in their profession. This again shows how complex and diverse their experiences are and how the industry should be understood within a broader context.
Something that I’m sure not a lot of people think about but was brought up in this book is the legal/social issues in the industry. The book discusses the impact of criminalization on sex workers’ safety, integrity, and access to healthcare. Borden advocates for the recognition of sex workers’ human rights and the importance to recognize the violence faced by sex workers. You really get a view on how the negative attitude towards the industry directly puts them in danger and forces them to stay there. This really opened my eyes considering I had never thought about it too much. I always came at this with the mindset, I think this, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, after reading this, I realize how dangerous it is for sex workers for people to hold on so closely to their negative opinions on the industry. This is because people often forget they continue to exist after you finish thinking about them, therefore, they deserve the same rights to safety as everyone else whether you approve of them or not.
Now a topic I really enjoyed exploring in this collection was how sex work intersects with feminism and debates surrounding sexuality. It offers up differing perspectives on sex work through the feminist lenses. It also argues how it can be an intricate aspect of women’s autonomy and empowerment.
This book contained so many examples I can include here but unfortunately, I decided to wait a month to write this review. But I promise reading this book for yourself to find these examples is worth it.
yara_aly's review
4.0
I really like this anthology. I haven’t read anything like it before. I love the stories and interviews; each story is pretty special.
avagallo24's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
My first nonfiction book of the year, which should tell you everything you need to know about my relationship with nonfiction. Loved the narrative storytelling and getting to hear about so many different accounts of sex workers. This is a great place to start if you aren’t the biggest fan of nonfiction but looking to learn more about sex work.
alfboyreads's review
4.5
it's crazy how when we let women tell their own stories they become complex, multi-faceted human beings that don't exist for the sole purpose of men's pleasure 🤯