Reading Materials

Hello loves,

I apologize for my absence. Yours truly has been off exploring England. So far it's consisted of lots of chocolate, walking, and sex. It's a terrible existence. I leave for Paris tomorrow. I'm expecting even more chocolate, walking, and sex in addition to gorgeous lingerie and crêpes.

I wanted to pop in an let you all know what I've been reading of late. I started devouring Whores And Other Feminists a few months ago but was unfortunately unable to finish it. A quick trip to the local library remedied it for me. Although a tad dated, Whores is still an excellent collection of articles and interviewers from sex workers and female pioneers in the sex industry on what it is to be a sex worker and feminist. Published back in 1997, women have come a long way but the relevance of so many of the articles proves that we still have so far to go. This book is incredibly empowering and I recommend it to anyone, female or male, sex worker or not.

Take care darlings. And drink your tea. It's good for you. x

Career Opportunities

A short while ago I asked people this question:

If you had to pick an alternative career, what would you pick?

I only defined "alternative" if someone asked as "something not the norm". Now, I had all sort of things in my head: tv show host, almost anything on Dirty Jobs, etc. When I got my answers almost everyone chose something in the sex industry. The other popular answer was assassin.

What is it with our obsession of sex and death? Is it that forbidden allure? Money? Hollywood glamorization? In the movies the hookers always have gorgeous clients and the assassins kick ass in sexy body suits. Seriously, who didn't watch Kill Bill and want to pick up a samurai sword?

The most common answers I got were stripper and dominatrix. America is schizophrenic when it comes to sex. We hold puritanical views and freak out when nipples are exposed on tv yet its influence is everywhere in our media. Sex tapes get as much media attention as the next movie where Michael Bay blows shit up. Still, when most people are quick to call strippers "sluts" and Pro Dommes "whores" with utter contempt in their voices.

Is our secret desire to pursue these careers a reflection of our desire to express our sexuality in a society that tries to stifle that behavior?