Pettinger, Lynne (2011) ‘Knows how to please a man’ : studying customers to understand service work. The Sociological Review, Volume 59 (Number 2). pp. 223-241. doi:10.1111/j.1467-954X.2011.02005.x

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Abstract

This paper argues that sociologists interested in service work in consumer culture should pay attention to customers' understandings and accounts of their experience and participation in service encounters. It takes the market for sex as a case study and counters the neglect of customers within the study of service work by analysing customer service reviews of paid-for sex published on a UK website, Punternet. It argues that male customers, familiar with the norms of consumer culture, assess the erotic, aesthetic and emotional labours performed by female workers to make judgements of service quality which suggests that the feminised ‘good worker’ is defined as professional when they disguise the market transaction.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Sex-oriented businesses, Prostitution, Consumer satisfaction, Consumption (Economics)
Journal or Publication Title:	The Sociological Review
Publisher:	Blackwell
ISSN:	0038-0261
Official Date:	May 2011
Dates:	Date Event May 2011 Published
Volume:	Volume 59
Number:	Number 2
Number of Pages:	19
Page Range:	pp. 223-241
DOI:	10.1111/j.1467-954X.2011.02005.x
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access

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