Call us a little dirty (we don’t mind), but at times there is nothing better than a bit of voyeurism. That cheeky peak behind closed doors, the risk of catching a glimpse of something you shouldn’t see. It’s that element of voyeuristic excitement that is so beautifully captured here by fashion photographer Phillip Toledano in his excellent coffee table book, Phonesex, that explores the people behind one of the seedier and more elusive elements of the sex industry. Touching, funny and occasionally disturbing, the interviews and ‘warts n’all’ photographic portraits of these unique individuals make for original and compelling reading.
They want me to talk to them, and to take them to another world.
I’m good at it. I’m a pro. A ladies man.
This work is customer service.
It’s just your customers leave with more than a smile.
There is a contract that exists between phonesex operators and the people who call. It is a contract of self-delusion. The caller agrees to pretend that he (or she) is calling a young, beautiful girl, and the phonesex operator willingly plays the part. Phonesex reveals the truth. It pulls back the veil to reveal the expected, and the unexpected, all at once.
Phillip Toledano
Published by art and photography book specialists Twin Palms, Phonesex features 27 phonesex workers in their own homes, often in the rooms they work, offering a unique glimpse into what, for many, is another world we may never otherwise encounter.
Words By;
James Davidson; Editor in Chief