Porn Work: Sex, Labor, and Late Capitalism

by Heather Berg

Every porn scene is a record of people at work. But on-camera labor is only the beginning of the story. Porn Work takes readers behind the scenes to explore what porn performers think of their work and how they intervene to hack it. Blending extensive fieldwork with feminist and antiwork theorizing, Porn Work details entrepreneurial labor on the boundaries between pleasure and tedium. Rejecting any notion that sex work is an aberration from straight work, it reveals porn workers' creative strategies as prophetic of a working landscape in crisis. In the end, it looks to what porn has to tell us about what's wrong with work, and what it might look like to build something better.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Sex Work, Politics, Labor, Sexuality, Economics

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Petra X]

"How does a sex work lens shift how we read Marxist political economy on the wage, feminist theorizing on gendered performance, or queer of color theorizing on pleasure politics?" Quote from the author, who is also questioning if "work" (of any kind) is the way forward as bosses "suck". (I don't, and I'm a boss).

Not too long ago I read Strip Club: Gender, Power, and Sex Work from a similar point of view. I don't know if Porn Work will have such a contemptuous attitude towards men though. I was never able to do more than reading notes with that book. I can't really sum up anything about it, except it made me very sad for the women.

Recently I saw a documentary on the empowering of women in porn. No longer do they have agents, directors, sex with whomsoever it is decreed for the film, nor do any acts or dress in any way they don't like. These days, there are webcams and for those really have their act together, OnlyFans. The women call their own shots. They can employ their own cameramen (or camera-on-a-stand), choose their own plot lines if they feel one is necessary, and employ the male porn actors of their choice. And apart from any of these employees or possibly a director and PR people, they keep the money. And they do the work because they like it (mind, so do most porn stars). I can't see that these women would really appreciate a book about downtrodden sex workers, victims of capitalism.

But that is the only aspect that seems to interest authors of scholarly books on sex work, in particular the porn industry. And for that reason, despite being offered a free copy by a friend who wants me to review it, I'm probably not going to read it. But you never know, if I have a dry patch with books, I might.

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

5th five star non fiction read of November. Going great so far.

[Sarah Jaffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I kind of want to assign this to everyone, particularly on the left (a lucid explanation of dialectical thinking!) and who organizes workers (a complex understanding of the tensions of "work-life boundaries," "loving the job," "flexibility," publicness, etc etc). So good!

[e · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. girlboss book. i find it funny how everyone is talking about the "marxist" lens used in this book. hah! the author is antiwork, but not a principled marxist. seems to presume that we (sex/porn workers) all derive some sort of pleasure from this. is the pleasure supposed to refer to for-camera orgasms? author uses the "sex work is just as exploitative as other work because capitalism." shit take. the violence we put ourselves at risk of when doing any irl sex work is much worse than in any vanilla job. the risks of even solo porn work are entirely different from the risks of any waged job. there are ofc pros to the job, but let's not pretend the trauma most of us have from working is the same thing as what may happen to ur average wage worker.

she makes *some* good points, of course. but i cannot get past the girlboss mainstream feminism of it all.

perhaps i am missing something since i didn't finish the book, i'll come back to it one day when i can handle the mental exhaustion.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary contribution to scholarly literature on affective and reproductive labor, precarity, and antiwork politics.

[Nellie farrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really dense and academic. Would be good if I was writing a paper but not great for casual reading. I learned a few things but it was pretty repetitive as a lot of academic writing is.

[Raughley Nuzzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I've been reading Porn Work I've struggled with thinking about how to rate and review it. It's a fabulously dense Marxist Feminist treatment of the labor that goes into creating porn that addresses so many fascinating aspects of this type of sex work and how performers, managers, directors, and publishers are all involved in class and economic struggles in unique and overlapping ways.

The book regularly compares work in porn to "straight work," meaning typical 9-to-5 sort of jobs that many of the performers interviewed for the book fled. Heather Berg does a great job of dispelling a lot of myths about working in porn through her inclusive interviewing process that allows dozens of straight and queer, cis and trans, old and young, male and female and other participants in pornography. She highlights how people adopt numerous roles from performer to director and beyond, complicating an economic class-based understanding of roles within porn production.

The main thing that I felt was lacking in this book was a comparison to relevant-seeming industries such as other performative lines of work such as sport or film. The contrasts to "straight work" make perfect sense, with regard to performers as employees versus independent contractors, the benefits and downsides of working for oneself or with unusual schedules, and so on. But considering how much the work described in the book has in common with non-pornographic acting or athletic performance, it seems to me like an odd omission.

But, I recognize that this book is not aiming to compare porn performing with sports or screen acting, and I greatly appreciate it for what it is. I did not expect such vocal antiwork Marxism, but enjoyed its application to pornography. Really insightful and an interesting read, for sure!

[Pastels Passions · Rating 3 out of 5]

gonna be honest, really dense writing wise. Worth the read, but super dry.

[Bella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically to recap, capitalism sucks no matter what you do

[Christina Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book I read for thesis! This book is fantastic. It's incredibly well-researched, but I also appreciated how accessible it was. You can tell that Berg really strives to include a wide array of perspectives and identities from the porn industry. The book addresses many common misconceptions surrounding the porn industry, and explores how it can be a site of both reinforcing & resisting capitalism. Highly recommend to anyone interested in capitalism, Marxism, feminism, queer theory, etc.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was assigned this book to read in one of my courses and I was immediately intrigued. I took my time reading each chapter, made thorough notes and wrote questions to ask Heather when she guest lectures. I think anyone interested in porn, whether as work or spectators, should read this.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading imo regardless of one's views on porn culturally/morally. Offers an insightful lesson that I hope is echoed by others in the years to come. Work has always been a problem, but the problem is more specific now than ever before.

[Karla Aguilar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you are interested or not in the porn industry, this is a vital book to understand labor and workers politics. A feminist approach to marxism and a great articulation of dialectical methodology

[Solly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely interesting and detailed but I did struggle to stay focused throughout some of the audiobook because it's pretty dense! It's a great look at porn work, how it sometimes escapes sometimes reproduces the vices of straight work, and the conclusion is fuck jobs, which, yes

[Jonette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dense but it’s an academic writing so that’s to be expected. This was absolutely a Marxist review of porn as work (and antiwork) and, I’ll admit, I found this in the “Gender Studies” section so I was hoping for more of a queer feminist review, but this was still really interesting and incredibly well-researched and informative. The author doesn’t concern herself or the reader with any ethical or philosophical questions regarding porn as an industry or profession, which makes complete sense given the Marxist lens - the question is not is porn ethical, but is rather, we know capitalism exploits workers - is porn work (and can it be anything besides work under late capitalism)?

At times, the content itself was difficult to read; chapter 2 had me seething. I had no idea how horrifying racist porn is - I’m not talking about racist tropes, but the actual pay structure. It really struck me when Berg spoke with performers who said they would make a point to not take “offensive” roles (i.e., scenes featuring racist storylines) but she then explained the porn scene pay structure; that is, that cis white women will hold off filming with a Black partner in order to ramp up interest for their first “interracial” scene so that they may charge a premium (when they are already paid more for shooting a scene with a Black man than they would be to shoot a scene with a non-Black man). Yes, capitalism makes hypocrites of us all, but that is particularly egregious.

Overall, this is was a really interesting way to look at late stage capitalism and sparked some really amazing conversations.

[Jamie Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indeed, "fuck jobs"

Amazing dissection of the porn industry and it's complicated relationship to work exploring the simultaneous perceptions of both as freedom and exploitation.

[Rob1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too esoteric/academic, and the author overpowers the voices of the sex workers with her critical lens.

[Ruz El · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stoya's Book Club Dec 2021:

First off, this one is way out of my league as far as my education background goes. I know porn form the consumer stand point. This is an academic look at the industry as it collides against market forces, capitalism, etc. I found it fascinating. After a heavy introduction, Berg does a great job of exploring the ideas about "What is work, and how it impacts the personal spaces of sex workers" and I got quite a lot out of this. It might help that lean hard left, but I think regardless that this is an incredible study about not just sex work, but the changing of all work in late stage capitalism where the norms are shifting to work at home, the gig economy, etc. It's packed with first hand observations from the author and interview subjects from all areas of sex work.

I went into this with some trepidation, but I found it really rewarding.

[Kari Barclay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully researched and thematically rich, this is the kind of engaged and thoughtful scholarship we need!

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting look at the porn industry and its relationship with workers. Spoiler alert: capitalism sucks no matter what industry you’re in.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

solid and expansive Marxist-feminist analysis of porn work. would’ve liked more discussions of performers navigating and marketing trans + queer identities, but overall, i really enjoyed this book.

[Tim Schillinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros
- Provides a detailed and grounded account of the life of a porn performer: what it takes to enter the industry, what the lifestyle involves, and how performers understand their work and identities.
- Highly accessible in tone while maintaining respect for the people covered. The author avoids moralizing, neither condemning nor glorifying the industry or those within it.
- Thoughtfully connects porn labor to broader labor rights debates, showing how the industry both reflects and intensifies tensions present in conventional work, exposing contradictions that shape working-class conditions more broadly.

Cons
- While the neutral stance is intellectually honest, the book stops short of offering guidance on what should be done about labor conditions in the porn industry and other industries. It leaves the reader better informed, but less certain about what conclusions to draw or what reforms, if any, are warranted.

Summary
This book offers a nuanced, respectful, and accessible examination of pornography as labor, centering the lived experiences of performers while situating the industry within broader debates about work, exploitation, autonomy, and labor rights. By resisting moral judgment and instead focusing on structural and economic realities, it provides clarity without easy answers. However, its reluctance to propose concrete solutions leaves readers with a deeper understanding of the tensions within the porn industry and other industries, but without a clear sense of where reform or advocacy should go next.

[KT · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and enjoyable read that provides a Marxist feminist reading of porn, that is porn work like all work is exploitation, but also struggle and is not a bid for respectability or repudiate pleasure, rather it is to refuse that pleasure be appropriated and bled dry as yet another site of extraction, particularly in late capitalism - a system rife with contradiction (e.g. workers exit traditional jobs in search of autonomy but often find precarity on the other side), contradiction that workers harness in creative and uneven ways

I thought the author did an excellent job in bringing interviewees' expertise to bear on porn, sex and work in well detailed ethnographic research

Highlights include:
Rejecting what Gayle Rubin calls the fallacy of misplaced scale, the author instead states that porn workers insist that the sex in sex work does not, on its own, make porn's workplace harms more serious

How racism and sexism impact porn work, such as how porn's standard pay rates are structured by normative ideas about sexuality such as the idea that non-Black cis women need cajoling to agree to sex and Black cis women and cis men in general are always readily available for it

An excellent exploration of the intimate side of sex and how this must be removed in porn work

[hey-viki · Rating 3 out of 5]

O que esse livro propõe ele faz bem: analisar a ideia de trabalhos dentro da indústria sexual como trabalho, e conjecturar sobre o que isso significa para as definições de trabalho, sexo e trabalho sexual. Não foi o que eu esperava, entretanto, então sai um pouco decepcionada. Ele analisa puramente sobre uma lente econômica, em nenhum momento entrando nas políticas de representação e todas as nuancias éticas presente na pornografia - que é o que eu queria.
A autora constrói todo o seu discurso no livro costurando falas de outros profissionais da indústria. A prática é admirável, mas ainda assim, queria uma presença maior da autora fora dessas falas, principalmente porque muitas vezes essas falas divergem entre si.

Ainda assim, aprendi bastante.

[Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this works really well both as an introduction to leftist theory about work/economics and to the specific ethical and legal issues facing sex workers, and specifically porn workers. I've had issues in the past getting through books of theory and research texts, but finished this within a week, I probably could've done it in a day if I'd had the time. Using the porn industry as the example through which to analyze the effects of late-stage capitalism results in a more engaging read.

I would say that anyone intrigued, rather than scandalized, by the title and subject matter will enjoy it.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most perfect book to take lessons from sex workers as they have long resisted work itself. Great for anyone interested in late capitalism or modern labor now. As always, the marginalized have a long history of imagining strategies for operating within crushing systems, and have powerful ideas of what a better future might look like. This isn't so much about porn as it is about work, but by God, you'll learn so much necessary information about pornagprahy between these pages. I rarely write reviews on here, but this book absolutely warrants a response. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

[Kamila · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book thoughtfully covers interesting aspects of porn work, what seemed especially interesting to me: extreme gender and race pay gaps, how badly are US safety regulations perceived by the workers because of them not being involved in the regulatory process, the rise of self-produced content due to declining wages for traditional movies, how the need for regular social media presence blurs the line between work and personal time, how the quest for agency and free time drives many performers into the field. Many of these aspects reflect the concerns and challenges that all the other gig workers face.

[AngryOtter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read and highly insightful. Learning about the industry through the lens of labor is fascinating and relates well to the larger gig economy and the changing landscape of employment.

I will say that the book is very academic and uses terms that someone just being introduced to the world of labor studies might not know or understand, without defining those terms. The majority of the book is based on interviews and easily understood, but there were moments I was a little out of my depth, unfortunately.

[Viviana Valle · Rating 5 out of 5]

We've heard "sex work is work" but this book goes beyond that and questions work itself to show the particular ways that sex workers need to navigate this precarious and complicated labor from performance to unionizing to work/life balance. I was completely impressed by the interventions Dr. Heather Berg presents and I am especially proud to know she is an alumni of the Feminist Studies PhD program at UCSB where I am currently residing.

Please read this book!

[Lindsey Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great read and a nuanced look at how porn is created from the perspective of the performers. One of my favorite parts was that the majority of the book was far from black and white. Dr. Berg clearly presented how her interviewees felt on a variety of subjects without forcing their words into her narrative. We're left with a narrative that shows the complexity of porn work and how experiences can vary without contradicting each other.