Sex Industry Apologist
By… Sex Industry Apologist?
nine@jinxremoving.org (I have no idea if this email still works)
I was very excited when I saw this zine (and part two). The sex industry is something that I find fascinating (well, sex in general, really), but I don’t think I know enough about any of it to form an opinion just yet. So to see a zine taking the subject on was very exciting.
The first thing I feel I need to say is that this is a zine where I had to remember that I couldn’t judge it entirely on my expectations of it. While it’s certainly fine to mention when expectations aren’t met, I think it’s still important to review a zine (and anything else) for what it is. If we all judged things and people entirely on what we think they should be, then we’d be even more miserable.
I got right into this zine expecting – I’ll be frank – a bit of humour and memoir-style ramblings about the sex industry. What is actually in this zine are pieces about what it is like to work as support for sex industry workers and the kinds of prejudices that can be found there. After brief introduction, there is an article about the sex industry. But after that, there are pieces – some shorter, some longer – about events, people, and the industry itself. While it does get a little annoyed at times with the blatant ‘believe any figure quoted without checking’ culture that seems to be around with people who are dead set against the industry, it more tries to look at what’s really going on – both for the sex workers and for the people who think they know it all.
It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing zine, but the zine maker even admits that. The large texts blocks could overwhelm the casual browser, but it’s nothing an interested reader wouldn’t move past easily enough. The content is thought-provoking in ways I could have never expected. And yet, the zine-maker’s voice doesn’t shove anything down your throat. No preaching is a definite plus to something with this subject matter.
The use of references in this zine does make it feel like it leans more towards essays, but I think that’s a good thing. I feel like there is a whole ‘sub-point’ of the zine that quietly and calmly reminds you to check your facts before
Even better, there is a reference section in the back for further reading! Love.
All up, I think you really do need to be interested in the sex industry at more of a ‘passing interest’ level to enjoy this zine. This zine isn’t out to entertain, it’s there to inform. This is quite different to a lot of other media out there, so it can take a bit of adjustment. It’s still definitely worth looking into.