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On Sex, Work, and Other Burlesques
by Fancy Feast
In the tradition of Anthony Bourdain and Emily Witt, celebrated burlesque performer, sex educator, and social worker Fancy Feast gives readers a backstage pass to the nightlife and sex industries, examining our cultures hang-ups and obsessions with bodies, desire, and even love
When Fancy Feast was in her high school production of "Cabaret," she convinced the director to cast her as a sexy Kit Kat Club Girl, not the old landlady part that always, always goes to the fat girl. In a black slip and fingerless gloves, Fancy made her debut appearance in a fluorescent-lit high school auditorium—and has never looked back. In college, she spent school holidays in New York City, watching striptease after striptease, transformed by the beautiful yet gritty art form. "God help me, I was going to have a life on stage," she decided. "Nuns are called to serve Christ and I was called to serve burlesque."
And serve she does. Fancy Feast has now been working for over a decade as an entertainer and sex educator and has won top awards for her work. In Naked, Fancy draws back the curtain to reveal a world that most denizens of the daytime never see. Part exclusive backstage pass, part long-form literary striptease, these essays confront our culture's tightly held beliefs—like so many clutched pearls—about sex, communication, power, and the messiness of life on the margins of respectability. In "Dildo Lady," Fancy recounts her time compensating for the failures of the American sex education system while working customer service at a sex toy store. In "Doing Yourself," Fancy tackles fatphobia and dating, self-love, and fantasies. In "Yes/No/Maybe," Fancy brings the reader from sex parties to polyamorous relationships as she contrasts the undeniable sexiness of enthusiastic consent with the devastating effects of miscommunication and entitlement.
Fancy Feast does this all as a fat woman who makes a living taking her clothes off—a triumphant punch back at a culture that wants fat people to be self-hating or sexless. Narrated with a fierce determination to find meaning in a world that is darkening around us, these essays are by turns splashy, vulnerable, and hilarious, but always powerful.
"A meaningful, vulnerable look at the world of burlesque from a storyteller who isn't afraid to show a little skin." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Electrifying… the author and her stories are captivating and infused with vulnerability and humor… a powerful, entertaining testament to embracing all of the facets of oneself." ―Library Journal (starred review)
"Honest, explicit, and sometimes vulnerable, this revealing debut offers much for readers to enjoy." —Booklist
"Naked is a triumphant collection of essays about navigating sex industries as an unapologetic, empathetic, big-hearted millennial. I was laughing, clapping, and wincing as Fancy Feast lays bare the sexual hang-ups and misconceptions that shape our culture. I'd read her voice on anything, but I'm so glad she pointed her razor-sharp wit dead center on the things that matter: namely, the things we hide our sexuality behind, and what can be gained (and lost) from nakedness." ―Gabrielle Korn, author of Everybody (Else) Is Perfect and Yours for the Taking
"A funny and poignant exploration of sex, desire, and performance. Naked is sexy, sharp, and full of heart." ―Tracy Clark-Flory, author of Want Me
"These essays on sex, work, sex work, and sexy work reads like a dream – it's harder to put down than a beach novel. Fancy Feast proves that the worlds so often described as 'hidden' are only obscured by viewers' preconceptions and fears. She humanizes as she titillates, and shows compassion for those who want to see but are afraid of what they'll find out about themselves. Above all, she gives permission to look." ―Jo Weldon, founder of the New York School of Burlesque and author of The Burlesque Handbook
This information about Naked was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Fancy Feast is a Brooklyn-based burlesque performer, writer, and sex educator. She holds the title of Miss Coney Island 2016 and is the recipient of the Revolutionary Award at the 2017 New York Burlesque Festival. She has performed at venues including The Whitney, the Brooklyn Museum, St. Ann's Warehouse, the Metropolitan Opera, and Meow Wolf in Santa Fe. She is the subject of Leon Chase's documentary, Character NYC. She regularly contributes essays to Buzzfeed, and her burlesque work has been profiled by NPR, Refinery29, and the Huffington Post.
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