Final Frame: The Payphone; Officially Obsolete [Unpluggd]

When, as a child, the existence of phone sex lines was revealed to me, I was immediately fascinated. Even though I barely possessed even a minor understanding of sex and its social intricacies I knew it was an act around which controversy swarmed. The idea that there were people out there making their living simply by whispering lurid nothings into the ears of pay-by-the-minute lovers was thrilling. It was as if there was a global conspiracy whose secret I had been entrusted with.

Now, years later, I still harbor a fascination with the industry; a fascination compounded by the understanding that, in all likelihood, the majority of phone sex operators are not what most would call sexy. A photography project by Phillip Toledano consisting of images of phone sex operators simultaneously refutes and confirms that assumption. These people may not be pretty, but they are (for the most part) fascinating, and probably know more about the psychology of sex than we could ever hope to learn.

Phone Sex: The Book [Thanks, Nissa!]