Book Launch for Sex Work in Popular Culture by Lauren Kirshner
- Date
- November 02, 2024
- Time
- 1:29 PM EDT - 1:29 PM EDT
- Website
- https://utppublishing.com/doi/book/10.3138/9781487548636#generate-pdf (external link)
Book Launch for Sex Work in Popular Culture by Lauren Kirshner
On Saturday, November 2, 2024, a joint book launch was held at the Society Clubhouse to celebrate Dr. Lauren Kirshner’s new book, Sex Work in Popular Culture (external link) (UTP). The event, supported by the Department of English and a Special Projects Grant from the Faculty of Arts, brought together friends, colleagues, students, and guests in a candlelit space filled with music, readings, and lively conversation. Kirshner’s book, published recently, has already garnered significant attention, with features on CBC (external link) and in a long-form Jacobin (external link) essay. Described as “beautifully written” and a “must-read,” the book explores how 21st-century media—from indie films to hit series—have reframed sex work as legitimate labour and a human rights issue, offering a fresh perspective on one of the world’s oldest professions through a labour-focused lens.
Drawing on interviews with sex workers, feminist and labour theory, film history, activism, and analyses of media from the past fifteen years, Dr. Kirshner highlights the rise of a new cultural narrative that challenges stereotypes and spotlights the diversity and complexity of sex work. She explores the lives of erotic dancers, webcam models, porn performers, and other sex workers within the broader contexts of neoliberal capitalism and transactional intimate labour, revealing how popular culture is transforming perceptions of sex work as both legitimate labour and a pressing human