"As a virgin, it was hard for me to talk about sex to horny men."
"I share myself with individuals who're not getting what they need at home."
"My callers are people with a different sexual appetite."
These are just a few thoughts British photographer Phillip Toledano heard while interviewing phone sex operators for his book Phonesex. Although the book came out in 2008, the voices and the people behind them are just as powerful today.
“There is a contract that exists between phone sex operators and the people who call. It is a contract of self-delusion," Toledano wrote on his artist page. "The caller agrees to pretend that he (or she) is calling a young, beautiful girl, and the phone sex operator willingly plays the part."
The book includes images of 26 women and men working as phone sex operators, each accompanied by how they feel about their profession.
I never thought I would work in the phone sex industry. All those years doing customer service, my customers would comment on my sexy voice. I thought I was being professional, not sexy. This work is customer service. It’s just your customers leave with more than a smile.
Toledano found most of his participants after posting an ad on Craigslist in his area for operators who were willing to be photographed as part of his project.
He told HuffPost that his entrance into this type of photography was indirect. The idea for the project evolved during a time after his mother died suddenly and he was left to care for his father who suffers from Alzheimer's. During the first few months of taking care of his father, Toledano had to repeatedly break the news to his dad that his mother had died. Finally, Toledano made up a story that his mother was on vacation in Paris.
"My father and I kind of lived in this illusion that I had created and we participated in that lie together," Toledano said. One day he was looking through a magazine and found ads for phone sex and realized: "It was exactly the same thing as what I was doing with my father," he told HuffPost. "Two people agree to participate in an illusion together."
“This work is customer service. It’s just your customers leave with more than a smile.”
Definitely the most amusing part about the job was when my partner would be in the room with me, usually reading while I worked.
She’d only hear my half of the conversation, so she’d either think it was absolutely hysterical or, sometimes, kind of sexy.
I’d usually try to avoid eye contact with her during a call, because I’d see her stifle a smirk or make a gagging gesture or look at me wide-eyed, pantomiming utter shock, and I’d start laughing uncontrollably.
Sometimes I could work that into the call; other times I really couldn’t.
Tuning into men’s voices, instead of getting caught up on their looks, was the same as a person suddenly going blind, only to find their other senses enhanced.
I learned to listen to men in a deeper way. My job behooved me to reach beyond the little mind games, straight into their pants and grasp them by the balls.
I think if all women did phone sex before they lost their virginity, they would make much better choices.
I have a naturally high voice. I’m also immature and submissive.
The voice I use on the phone is somewhat a representation of those qualities.
To simulate a bed rocking, you can use certain things to cause a sound.
Knocking the bed board against the wall, or knocking a chair against the table. Some clients like to hear the sound of your dick slapping against the phone, or tapping your two fingers against the mouthpiece (preferred)... I have fun doing what I do.
I share myself with individuals who're not getting what they need at home.
I feel like I teach them how to please themselves, by telling them where to put their hands, and how to stroke themselves.
I was young when I started in the phone sex world. I had no choice.
My grandmother had gotten sick and I needed to be able to help her and still work and make good money, I wanted to do what ever she wanted -- go shopping for her, take her to get her hair done, take her to the museum.
I was reading the paper looking for a night job, and I saw a job as a train conductor. I thought to myself, "RATS!" Then I saw the ad saying "Make good money as a phone sex operator," and well, I'm scared of rats, so ding!
As a virgin, it was hard for me to talk about sex to horny men. I had to read books and watch porno films with my friends -- they'd point at something on the screen and say, "Use that in your phone calls!"
I hope it won't make anyone look at me in a different way.
I am a girl with a big heart that loves life, and loves people.
Thank you for reading this.
It's a hard thing for me to do.
I am a straight male who speaks to women.
They want me.
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.
I speak to younger women. I speak to older women. I speak both Spanish and English. I have been thrown offers left and right.
They want me to meet up and have my way with them, but I keep it only to phone conversations.
When I first started I was nervous.
But after a while, I guess you could say the kinkier the sex talk, the more I was like wow!!!!
The phone is like my new toy. Let’s just say I have found myself and my sexuality through this.
I find myself attracted to females just like I’m attracted to males, so yeah, you can say I play for both teams.
I really do enjoy being a phone sex operator!
My callers are people with a different sexual appetite. Some want total denial of release. Some want to be forced to be in chastity. Others get off hearing a bossy ( and sometimes bitchy) woman tell them they are pond scum.
Some call it odd. They call it kink.
I find that most of my regular callers form some sort of bond with me— almost an addiction. I am the one they come to for punishment if they feel the urge. The one they come to for discipline, instruction, and permission.
I am their drug.
I have rules, one of which is to never ever masturbate or ask permission to do so. They follow these rules and stay under complete control and perform my every whim. If a new caller crosses that line with me, I simply hang up. He has no respect and can call a “sex” line.
My service does not provide such things, nor do I “talk dirty.”
Only domination and total control.
Head over to Amazon to order Phonesex or visit Toledano's website to see more of his work.
H/T The Daily Beast
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