I just want to make porn star money when I graduate

The most interesting changes in the pornography industry relate to the way society has accepted the industry and acknowledged its presence through mainstream technologies like computers, DVD’s, pay per view and on demand television. These innovations allowed pornography a means to integrate itself within normal culture and allowed the industry to be as acceptable and tolerated as it is today. However, the most intriguing changes to date relate to the culture of the industry. The change in the way we perceive those who perform in movies and those in charge of the industry, has allowed pornography to exist comfortably in American culture.

           

            Women are objectified and forced into the industry. They are treated like garbage and reused over and over for the pleasure of certain men. The industry is dirty and filled with the opportunity to contract STD’s. These were all stigmas that existed from the inception of the porn industry until only several years ago. In making these issues public, the porn industry offered and implemented solutions publicly. By showing proper condom use in some films and making it public that all performers would take scheduled tests for STD’s; people began to trust the industry more. Also, sex was becoming more widely seen on television and in magazines during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Younger people and especially teenagers were becoming more comfortable with discussing and being comfortable with sex. No longer did the government take the approach that sex is something only adults can have and abstinence is the only way to be safe. Instead, the government is promoting safe sex and making people aware of the dangers associated with unprotected sex. Through allowing it to be a more comfortable subject to talk about, young people are able to learn more about how to be safe and what to do. With people being comfortable discussing sex, it allows the porn industry to have value and purpose for such a large section of people who are watching and buying it.

            The other stigma the industry has tackled is that men control everything within the industry and women are abused or treated in a demeaning fashion. For a long time people thought porn stars were just dumb, beautiful girls who needed money for school or to start a real acting career. While this isn’t necessarily untrue, it is a simple generalization. Considering the financial benefits associated with the business and the other fascists of the sex industry, it is a wonder to see why more beautiful and sexually extroverted women don’t try to get into the business.

“For fuck’s sake man, that’s the reason I’m in the business”, stated actress Taylor Wane when referring to the money she makes as an actress in adult films. “I get at least $500 a scene and with dancing around the country-which pays best- I can earn $15,000 a week.” (Page 95, L. O’Toole).

However, more than ever women are becoming a powerful entity in porn. No longer are women confined to being dime a dozen actresses. There are many women who produce and direct movies and have power in the upper levels of the organizations. With more women being in charge and being behind the scenes, the perception of how women are treated changes drastically. By seeing that the actresses are safe from disease and violence and the lucrative financial benefits, we feel more comfortable about watching the films. The fact that men are lower paid and far less the focus of any heterosexual film, gives women who watch the films a sense of empowerment while still being sexual. The more comfortable people are with discussing sex and watching pornography, the more mainstream and socially acceptable it becomes, for both men and women.