Rocket Queen #1 & #2

Rocket Queen is a two-part series of zines written by the eponymous stripper Janet.
Unlike the more famous Diablo Cody, Janet started stripping for monetary reasons.

"On the whole, I feel less degraded stripping than I have doing any other kind of work," she explains early into zine one.

"At least now I'm my own boss. I don't have to talk to any customer that's pissing me off, I can be lazy and lie around if I don't feel like working."

Anyone who's worked in hospitality or retail can relate to that.

During the first zine, Janet is working in a strip club in a small tourist town. She talks about the women she works with and the benefits of working in a strip club (money, power over horny men, money, being self-employed, money), as well as the sticky underside of the industry and the different types of customers she deals with.

The second zine sees her moving to New Orleans to take part in the the Mari Gras and the generally robust sex industry the city is famous for.

Along with all that, Janet talks about the archetype of the sacred whore, embarrassing stripping moments, and the important place sex work has in society.

If you ever wanted an inside account of stripping without self-conscious self-deprecation or vapid pleasantries, you should read this.

This is an AMERICAN zine.

You can buy both issues of Rocket Queen for $6 each at Smells Like Zines distro.