This book investigates the intersection of sexual identity formation and the economic structures of late capitalism. Rosemary Hennessy, a scholar of cultural studies and materialist feminism, argues that contemporary sexual identities are not merely personal or biological, but are actively shaped by commodity logic and global market forces. By synthesizing Marxist critique with queer theory, she challenges the assumption that identity politics can exist independently of the capitalist systems that commodify them.

Scholars and students of critical theory frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the materialist dimensions of queer identity. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which requires a strong background in Marxist and post-structuralist terminology to fully grasp the author's arguments.