Very happy to share that the full text of my second book, about sex work in the media in Aotearoa during a time of crisis, is now free to download: mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179...

Call for Papers for the Smell Studies Journal

New post - shorter summary of my article in Senses and Society looking at trans identity and smell: drgesmith.substack.com/p/it-almost-...

"It almost feels like armour in a way"

Trans identity and smell

drgesmith.substack.com

Had a really wonderful time at Lighting the Academy in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland last week: so many great speakers, such an enthusiastic audience, and really proud to watch one of my doctoral students give his first conference presentation (on the use of humour by gay men on Chinese social media)

"If women can succeed at it, the logic goes, it must be easy."

Why you think OnlyFans is easy money (when it definitely isn't)

"If women can succeed at it, the logic goes, it must be easy."

bit.ly

Great article from Mark, who spoke with me and several others about the myth that OnlyFans is 'easy money' mashable.com/article/why-...

Why you think OnlyFans is easy money (when it definitely isn't)

"If women can succeed at it, the logic goes, it must be easy."

mashable.com

New from me in Porn Studies, discussing the emergence of AI generated porn and explaining why I don't think it's a serious threat to (most) of the sector: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Pornographic aura, AI and the value of authenticity

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools which can produce images and video from text inputs has prompted questions about the impacts of the technology on the pornography indu...

tandfonline.com

New article in Porn Studies! Using Benjamin's theory of aura to explain why I don't think the live-action porn industry will be meaningfully replaced by AI porn www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Pornographic aura, AI and the value of authenticity

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools which can produce images and video from text inputs has prompted questions about the impacts of the technology on the pornography indu...

tandfonline.com

Appreciation to the sex workers for talking to me because they knew this was in the public interest. And I think we need to have a conversation about some of the wider issues here.

PM’s press secretary ‘recorded sex workers without consent’

Christopher Luxon’s deputy chief press secretary quits after Stuff investigation into allegations he secretly recorded sessions with sex workers.

stuff.co.nz

Friday afternoon reading, on the mainstreaming of drag (especially interested in the observations here about performers feeling pressured to deliver performances and styles which new audiences will recognise from mainstream media/Drag Race) doi.org/10.1080/0038...

Drag and the New Political Economy of Queer Nightlife

In recent decades, rising rents, lower patronage, and the sexual integration of nightlife have forced hundreds of gay, lesbian, and queer (GLQ+) bars across and beyond the United States to close. I...

doi.org

I found this really interesting, especially the detail about reliance on 'whale' clients (and how this might be more pronounced for trans performers) journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Visibility in the shadows: Tips in mainstream versus alternative streaming on Chaturbate - Emilija Jokubauskaitė, Stijn Peeters, 2025

Webcam sex platforms represent an important sector of the creator economy. Yet, there is a great scarcity of research on revenue flows and performer income. To ...

journals.sagepub.com

i gained 100 new followers since the last time i posted about a new publication and today is finally time to do it again! this time @best.wel.moe and i dig into the $$$ flows on Chaturbate and investigate the links between visibility and income 🐋👛📉 (pls read) journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

Sweden just expanded the Nordic Model, or "End Demand," to the internet. But we already know criminalization, including criminalizing buyers, is harmful policy www.404media.co/sweden-sex-w...

Sweden Expands Anti-Sex Work Law to Criminalize Paying for Custom OnlyFans Clips and Camming

The Nordic Model criminalizes buyers of sex in multiple European countries (and Maine). Sweden just voted to expand its reach to the internet.

404media.co

Crossposting here as well, if you aren't using Substack: gwynesmith.beehiiv.com/p/why-do-bro...

Why do brothels look like that?

This post brought to you by 23 textured throw pillows.

gwynesmith.beehiiv.com

Wrote a shorter summary of one of my latest articles, looking at how many different things brothel interiors are asked to do: drgesmith.substack.com/p/why-do-bro...

Wrote a shorter summary of one of my latest articles, looking at how many different things brothel interiors are asked to do: drgesmith.substack.com/p/why-do-bro...

Please donate to bail out sex workers caught in Super Bowl sweeps.

SWOP Behind Bars@swopbehindbars.bsky.social · 2y ago

Every year, around this time, the airwaves in whatever city is hosting the Super Bowl are flooded with public services announcements about #sextrafficking at the “biggest sex trafficking event of the year.” But… Is it??? swopbehindbars.org/so/ffPHQis75...

Resharing my new article for the weekend crowd! I'm really enjoying this project and here I'm getting into a bit of the big picture of how trans, nb and gender diverse people experience and use smell and fragrance: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

“I’ve adopted it as my smell”: transgender identity and the olfactory

Smell is an often-overlooked sense within transgender studies, despite the extensive theorization of the ways that scent and perfume is categorized along gendered lines, and its links to identity m...

tandfonline.com

In 2022/23 I spoke with some trans, nb, and gender diverse people about how they used and felt about smell, and my new article from that project is out, looking especially at identity and smell. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Something interesting I found out was that for many people, smell was important to them realizing they were trans - several people told me about borrowing someone's deodorant and having a kind of "huh..." moment

Dr Gwyn Easterbrook-Smith@drgesmith.bsky.social · 2y ago

In 2022/23 I spoke with some trans, nb, and gender diverse people about how they used and felt about smell, and my new article from that project is out, looking especially at identity and smell. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Something interesting I found out was that for many people, smell was important to them realizing they were trans - several people told me about borrowing someone's deodorant and having a kind of "huh..." moment

Dr Gwyn Easterbrook-Smith@drgesmith.bsky.social · 2y ago

In 2022/23 I spoke with some trans, nb, and gender diverse people about how they used and felt about smell, and my new article from that project is out, looking especially at identity and smell. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

In 2022/23 I spoke with some trans, nb, and gender diverse people about how they used and felt about smell, and my new article from that project is out, looking especially at identity and smell. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

First piece of writing for 2025 is out, a review of the poppers-inspired olfactory component of Joie noire, one of the exhibitions at Artspace Aotearoa last year: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Joie noire

Published in The Senses and Society (Ahead of Print, 2025)

tandfonline.com

Meri Kirihimete to those who celebrate and have a lovely Wednesday to those who don't! I know it's an expensive time of year, but for anyone who is in a position to help, Pandora is a treasured community member who's currently unhoused and needs help: givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-p...

Help Pandora Black find housing

Crowdfund to help community activist, Pandora Black, find housing

givealittle.co.nz

Today is International Day to End Violence Against SW - part of why my work focuses so intensively on media coverage is that we know it can contribute to stigma. I was part of the group who wrote these guidelines, aimed at journalists writing about our community #IDEVASW nzpc.org.nz/Best-practic...

This looks great 👀

whoreganizer@whoreganizer.bsky.social · 2y ago

Pre-order your copy of I Hate My Job today and support sex worker-run presses like @workinggirlspress.bsky.social! www.kickstarter.com/projects/wor...

Worksafe have just released new occupational safety guidelines for the NZ sex industry - these were developed in consultation with local community (including me!) They take a holistic view, including things like burnout and privacy, as well as sexual health www.worksafe.govt.nz/topic-and-in...

Keeping healthy and safe in the New Zealand sex industry

This guide provides practical advice on ways to identify and manage health and safety risks associated with working in the New Zealand sex industry.

worksafe.govt.nz

FYI I tried this (going to cancel my subscription) and didn't get the option to downgrade, even when I fully called their bluff and canceled the whole thing but if you persist with their chat help for long enough you can make them do it manually

Simon O'Neill @sjponeill.bsky.social · 2y ago

Fkn Microsoft rip-off scumbags...have just changed my subscription...share widely... www.consumer.org.nz/articles/you...

Given that most Māori and Pacific scholars are based in the humanities and social sciences fields, this will disproportionately impact those groups. Fun times.

Downstream effect of the Marsden cuts: a lot of the fixed term teaching contracts I've been able to pick up have been buy-outs funded via humanities or socsci Marsdens - as well as being devastating for ECR and mid-career academics, this also means a path for the most junior evaporates too