diff --git a/benzina/src/lib.rs b/benzina/src/lib.rs
index 4135e65..08cdf3c 100644
--- a/benzina/src/lib.rs
+++ b/benzina/src/lib.rs
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ pub use self::json::{
     binary::Jsonb,
     nullable::{NullableJson, NullableJsonb},
 };
+pub use self::string::Str;
 
 #[doc(hidden)]
 pub mod __private;
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ mod schemars;
 mod serde;
 #[cfg(feature = "postgres")]
 pub mod sql_types;
+mod string;
 #[cfg(feature = "typed-uuid")]
 mod typed_uuid;
 #[cfg(all(feature = "utoipa", feature = "postgres"))]
diff --git a/benzina/src/string.rs b/benzina/src/string.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..da952e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benzina/src/string.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,168 @@
+use std::fmt::Debug;
+
+use diesel::{
+    deserialize::{FromSql, FromSqlRow},
+    expression::AsExpression,
+    sql_types,
+};
+
+/// Allows using [`deserialize_as`] for benzina [`Str`] structs.
+///
+/// [`deserialize_as`]: diesel::prelude::Queryable#deserialize_as-attribute
+#[macro_export]
+macro_rules! str_deserialize_as {
+    (
+        $($type:ty),*
+    ) => {
+        $(
+            impl $crate::__private::std::convert::From<$crate::Str<$type>> for $type {
+                fn from(value: $crate::Str<$type>) -> Self {
+                    $crate::Str::into_inner(value)
+                }
+            }
+        )*
+    };
+}
+
+/// A diesel wrapper for types that implement [`FromStr`] and [`Display`]
+/// for use with `Text` columns.
+///
+/// Diesel only implements [`FromSql`] and [`ToSql`] for [`String`],
+/// making it hard to use custom types with `Text` columns. This type
+/// implements [`FromSql`] for any type that implements [`FromStr`]
+/// and [`ToSql`] for any type that implements [`Display`].
+///
+/// This type is not intended to be used directly in the model but rather to be
+/// used with diesel [`serialize_as`] and [`deserialize_as`].
+///
+/// To use [`deserialize_as`] you _MUST_ use [`str_deserialize_as`].
+///
+/// ```
+/// # use std::{fmt::{self, Display}, str::FromStr};
+/// #
+/// use benzina::{Str, U31, str_deserialize_as};
+/// use diesel::{Insertable, Queryable};
+///
+/// #[derive(Debug, Queryable)]
+/// #[diesel(table_name = pets, check_for_backend(diesel::pg::Pg))]
+/// struct Pet {
+///     id: U31,
+///     name: String,
+///     #[diesel(deserialize_as = Str<Animal>)]
+///     animal: Animal,
+/// }
+///
+/// #[derive(Debug, Insertable)]
+/// #[diesel(table_name = pets)]
+/// struct NewPet {
+///     name: String,
+///     #[diesel(serialize_as = Str<Animal>)]
+///     animal: Animal,
+/// }
+///
+/// #[derive(Debug)]
+/// enum Animal {
+///     Chicken,
+///     Duck,
+///     Goose,
+///     Rabbit,
+/// }
+/// str_deserialize_as!(Animal);
+///
+/// impl Display for Animal {
+///     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
+///         f.write_str(match self {
+///             Self::Chicken => "chicken",
+///             Self::Duck => "duck",
+///             Self::Goose => "goose",
+///             Self::Rabbit => "rabbit",
+///         })
+///     }
+/// }
+///
+/// impl FromStr for Animal {
+///     type Err = String;
+///
+///     fn from_str(s: &str) -> Result<Self, Self::Err> {
+///         match s {
+///             "chicken" => Ok(Self::Chicken),
+///             "duck" => Ok(Self::Duck),
+///             "goose" => Ok(Self::Goose),
+///             "rabbit" => Ok(Self::Rabbit),
+///             other => Err(format!("unknown animal: {other}")),
+///         }
+///     }
+/// }
+///
+/// diesel::table! {
+///     pets (id) {
+///         id -> Int4,
+///         name -> Text,
+///         animal -> Text,
+///     }
+/// }
+/// ```
+///
+/// [`FromSql`]: diesel::deserialize::FromSql
+/// [`ToSql`]: diesel::serialize::ToSql
+/// [`serialize_as`]: diesel::prelude::Insertable#optional-field-attributes
+/// [`deserialize_as`]: diesel::prelude::Queryable#deserialize_as-attribute
+/// [`str_deserialize_as`]: crate::str_deserialize_as
+#[derive(
+    Debug, Default, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, PartialOrd, Ord, Hash, FromSqlRow, AsExpression,
+)]
+#[diesel(sql_type = sql_types::Text)]
+pub struct Str<T: Sized>(T);
+
+impl<T> Str<T> {
+    pub const fn new(value: T) -> Self {
+        Self(value)
+    }
+
+    pub fn get(&self) -> &T {
+        &self.0
+    }
+
+    pub fn into_inner(self) -> T {
+        self.0
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> From<T> for Str<T> {
+    fn from(value: T) -> Self {
+        Self(value)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> AsRef<T> for Str<T> {
+    fn as_ref(&self) -> &T {
+        &self.0
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(feature = "postgres")]
+impl<T> FromSql<sql_types::Text, diesel::pg::Pg> for Str<T>
+where
+    T: std::str::FromStr,
+    T::Err: std::fmt::Display,
+{
+    fn from_sql(value: diesel::pg::PgValue<'_>) -> diesel::deserialize::Result<Self> {
+        let s = std::str::from_utf8(value.as_bytes())?;
+        s.parse::<T>().map(Self).map_err(|e| e.to_string().into())
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(feature = "postgres")]
+impl<T> diesel::serialize::ToSql<sql_types::Text, diesel::pg::Pg> for Str<T>
+where
+    T: std::fmt::Display + Debug,
+{
+    fn to_sql(
+        &self,
+        out: &mut diesel::serialize::Output<diesel::pg::Pg>,
+    ) -> diesel::serialize::Result {
+        use std::io::Write;
+        write!(out, "{}", self.0)?;
+        Ok(diesel::serialize::IsNull::No)
+    }
+}