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Sex Work Today: Erotic Labor in the Twenty-First Century
440 pages, Hardcover
Published November 19, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 5, 2025
Sex Work Today, edited by Barton, Brents, and Jones, is a fascinating collection of essays on modern sex work and a wide range of related issues. I was initially drawn in by a news article discussing the final essay on “AI sex workers”—a sex doll brothel in Berlin where human operators provide real-time voice interactions through the dolls—and was intrigued by how technology is reshaping sex work.
The book includes 31 academic but fairly accessible essays, organized into six sections: The Internet Changes the Game, Intersections, The Work of Sex Work, The State and Criminalization, Sex Worker Activism, and New Directions and Perspectives. Common themes across the essays include the impact of FOSTA and SESTA (U.S. laws passed in 2018 aimed at combating sex trafficking), the importance of intersectionality in understanding sex work, the need to distinguish between sex trafficking and consensual sex work, and the ways technology has transformed the industry.
I found the book full of interesting essays and thoughtful perspectives. It served as a great extension of ideas I encountered in a university class on Feminist Philosophies. Recommended for readers interested in feminism, intersectionality, and the evolving landscape of sex work.
The book includes 31 academic but fairly accessible essays, organized into six sections: The Internet Changes the Game, Intersections, The Work of Sex Work, The State and Criminalization, Sex Worker Activism, and New Directions and Perspectives. Common themes across the essays include the impact of FOSTA and SESTA (U.S. laws passed in 2018 aimed at combating sex trafficking), the importance of intersectionality in understanding sex work, the need to distinguish between sex trafficking and consensual sex work, and the ways technology has transformed the industry.
I found the book full of interesting essays and thoughtful perspectives. It served as a great extension of ideas I encountered in a university class on Feminist Philosophies. Recommended for readers interested in feminism, intersectionality, and the evolving landscape of sex work.
January 14, 2026
Rating: 3.6
I had mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed quite a few sections but some of the articles didn’t add as much perspective as I would’ve hoped. There were some really eye opening chapters focused on the experience of feminist pornographers, trans men in porn, and the erasure of nonbinary sex workers. The only issue was that since each chapter is written by a different person there was inconsistency in quality with some of the chapters. Some of the writers were really repetitive with the information presented or they weren’t adding as much to the topic.
I had mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed quite a few sections but some of the articles didn’t add as much perspective as I would’ve hoped. There were some really eye opening chapters focused on the experience of feminist pornographers, trans men in porn, and the erasure of nonbinary sex workers. The only issue was that since each chapter is written by a different person there was inconsistency in quality with some of the chapters. Some of the writers were really repetitive with the information presented or they weren’t adding as much to the topic.
February 27, 2025
While a good collection of well researched essays, it does feel a little disjointed.
March 30, 2025
An important book, but only of interest to a select few.
November 23, 2025
some essays elucidated well this unduly unspoken subject
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews