Allie Rowbottom's 'Lovers XXX' Traces Porn's Shift from Film to OnlyFans
Allie Rowbottom's second novel, 'Lovers XXX,' published by Penguin Random House, follows aspiring artists Jude and Winnie from a 1970s San Fernando Valley strip club into the burgeoning pornography industry just before the pivot to VHS. The book arrives amid OnlyFans' pop-culture moment, drawing parallels between past and present technological shifts in selling sex. Rowbottom, author of 'Aesthetica' (about an Instagram influencer), explores performativity, self-objectification, and female friendship, refusing moralizing narratives. She conducted research on forums for fans of disappeared porn actresses and engaged with second-wave feminist writings by Andrea Dworkin and Catharine MacKinnon. The novel includes a meta-twist: older Winnie has written a book but not had a baby, challenging myths sold to women. Rowbottom met with the interviewer in Central Park to discuss addiction, beauty standards, and publishing industry pressures. Photography by Christina Bryson.
Key facts
- Allie Rowbottom's second novel 'Lovers XXX' was published by Penguin Random House.
- The novel is set in the 1970s San Fernando Valley and the 2010s OnlyFans era.
- It follows characters Jude and Winnie from a strip club into the porn industry.
- Rowbottom's first novel, 'Aesthetica,' focused on an Instagram influencer.
- The book engages with second-wave feminist writers Andrea Dworkin and Catharine MacKinnon.
- Rowbottom researched forums for fans of disappeared pornographic actresses.
- The novel includes a meta-commentary on publishing expectations for women writers.
- Rowbottom and the interviewer met in Central Park after the novel's release.
Entities
Artists
- Allie Rowbottom
- Andrea Dworkin
- Catharine MacKinnon
- Linda Lovelace
- Christina Bryson
Institutions
- Penguin Random House
- CULTURED
Locations
- San Fernando Valley
- California
- Central Park
- United States