My Body My Business

Discover the compelling narratives of sex workers in New Zealand with 'My Body, My Business'. This poignant book showcases the lives of 11 former and current sex workers as they share their stories in their own words, providing a unique insight into the sex industry. Spanning decades from the 1960s to present day, the book covers various perspectives from female, male, and transgender workers, including those involved in street work, massage parlours, high-end brothels, escorting, stripping, and dominatrix work. Each story offers eye-opening, heartening, and sometimes disturbing truths that reflect the realities of a profession often marginalized and misunderstood. The book also explores the significant changes the New Zealand sex industry has undergone since the decriminalization of prostitution in 2003, making it a pivotal case study for discussions about sex work and rights in modern society. Journalist and author Caren Wilton provides an insightful introduction, setting the context and encouraging readers to understand the impact of these changes on sex workers and their lives. Complementing the narratives are stunning photographs by Wairarapa-based photographer Madeleine Slavick, which bring an additional visual layer to the experiences shared. Perfect for advocates, scholars, and anyone interested in the multifaceted perspectives of New Zealand's sex workers, 'My Body, My Business' is essential reading for those seeking to comprehend the complexities of the sex industry today.

Publisher: Otago University Press
Bind: paperback
Dimensions: 165 x 215 mm
Pages: 286
Publication Date: 01-11-2018

In My Body, My Business, 11 former and current New Zealand sex workers speak frankly, in their own voices, about their lives in and out of the sex industry. Their stories are by turns eye-opening, poignant, heartening, disturbing and compelling. Based on a series of oral history interviews by Caren Wilton, My Body, My Business includes the stories of female, male and transgender workers; M?ori and P?keh?; street workers, workers in massage parlours and upmarket brothels, escorts, strippers, private workers and dominatrices, spanning a period from the 1960s to today. Two of the 11 interviewees still work in the industry. Several have been involved with the New Zealand Prostitutes’ Collective, including long-time national co-ordinator Dame Catherine Healy. Four transgender interviewees tell their stories here, helping to demystify the history of New Zealand’s transgender community, about which little has been published. Caren Wilton prefaces the book with an introductory essay about the New Zealand sex industry, which in recent times has seen a lot of changes, the most profound being the decriminalisation of prostitution in 2003. Fifteen years on, New Zealand remains the only country in the world to have decriminalised its sex industry. This engaging and highly readable book looks at what the changes have meant for the nation’s sex workers. Wilton’s interviews are here complemented by the work of Wairarapa-based photographer Madeleine Slavick. My Body, My Business allows the women, men and transgender workers of New Zealand’s sex industry to speak for themselves, telling vivid, compelling stories in fresh, lively voices.