I Was a Teenage Dominatrix: A Memoir
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
"You can only blame your parents for so much," says Shawna Kenney in her breezy memoir, I Was a Teenage Dominatrix, quickly disassociating herself from the common stereotype of the sex worker as a desperate victim of a male-dominated culture. Indeed, while Kenney's career choice may be shocking to some, her affable, conversational style reveals how an intelligent college student, short on cash, finds dominatrix work a viable way of making ends meet--there's no sex, it's great money, and there's plenty of time for homework.
After guiding readers through a largely uneventful childhood and rebellious adolescence, Kenney ranges through a wide collection of professional anecdotes that are by turns hilarious, downright disgusting, and even poignant. Cranky from having to wear uncomfortable stiletto heels, for instance, Kenney finds a creative way to gain relief: "'Remove my shoes, you stupid slut,' I ordered.... From then on I was the barefoot dominatrix. I'm sure high heels were designed by some man, anyway." Many of the most unusual clients, however, are those who aren't interested in heels or bullwhips--they pay just to talk. "My wife died twelve years ago," sobs one client. "I haven't been this close to a woman since." Another, a cross-dresser from Argentina, only wants acceptance: "I come from a country where it is very important to be macho. To be like me is a disgrace." Along the way, Kenney reveals keen insight into what goes on behind the closed doors of so-called "normal" people and gains greater understanding of her own attitudes toward friends and romance. With the conspiratorial tone of a best girlfriend conversing over coffee, she shares moments of laughter and tears (as well as a few other bodily fluids), but never once resorts to pure shock or self-pity. Those seeking a morality tale of how the "bad" girl gets her comeuppance should look elsewhere. This is a refreshing, honest portrait of a young woman determined to make something of herself on her own terms. --Ginger Dzerk
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
--Pleasant Gehman, author of The Underground Guide to Los Angeles
Shawna Kenney's memoir I Was A Teenage Dominatrix breaks down the proverbial closet door, proving that "good girls" can go "bad", and not only emerge unscathed but richer both monetarily and through experience gained. Focusing on the S&M subculture and her role as a paid mistress, she not only provides prurient thrills, succulent professional tidbits, and painfully funny anecdotes the accent, of course, being on PAIN (be warned that this book is probably not for the faint of heart!).
This book is a page turner, a riveting romp with intellectual as well as sexual content, as well as being extremely personal in a universal way. This is no vanilla attempt at erotica or sterile study on sexual perversion -- the blood, sweat and tears of real-life experience rings through loud and clear. There's something here for everyone, from fetishists to punk rockers, sex-positive feminists to curious culture-vultures. Through this exciting work, Kenney proves that the pen is mightier than the sword ... or in this case, equal to, if not surpassing, the whip!
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
I Was a Teenage Dominatrix: A Memoir
I Was a Teenage Dominatrix: A Memoir,Shawna Kenney,Last Gasp,0867195304,General,Love / Sex / Marriage,Popular Culture - General,Sexual Instruction,Social Science,Sociology
I Was a Teenage Dominatrix: A Memoir
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