Three porn stars explain why they chose the porn industry....
Why she started doing porn: “It sounded like fun.” Stoya’s first erotic photoshoot was an experiment: Her then-roommate took topless photographs for a living. After that, erotic modelling became a hobby: “I was a personal assistant for a guerilla marketer in Philadelphia at the time. And in my free time I would go and people would pay me to take pictures of me.” A pornographic production company that purchased some of her photos eventually recruited her for a softcore DVD.
What she likes about her job: “I get to show different sorts of sexuality and sexual tastes and acts in what I feel is a pretty freaking ethical and enjoyable way.”
Problems she sees in the porn industry: Successful companies can be callous, cutthroat or sketchy, says Stoya. She objects in particular to Manwin (a.k.a. MindGeek), which owns a network of porn distribution sites including XTube, Pornhub and YouPorn. “They bought Digital Playground, and that’s why I don’t work for Digital Playground anymore. I just couldn’t stand them.”
How the “real world” treats sex workers: Stoya, who recounts being insulted and publicly called a “whore” at her sister’s wedding, speaks sharply about how porn stars are treated in mainstream society. “I think the porn industry, ironically, can be much more respectful and consent-focused than the ‘real world’ is.”
Giving back to the sex worker community: Stoya’s on the board of APAC, the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee.
Stage Name: Dylan Ryan
Age: 27
Profession(s): Porn star and social worker
Porn star and social worker Dylan Ryan Source: Huffington Post
Why she started doing porn: Ryan did her first erotic work to help a friend — and to make a statement. “Before I went into porn, I worked with a person named Shine Louise Houston. We were both retailers, but during our lunch breaks she would talk about wanting to start her own pornography company. And one day she said, ‘If I ever get this off the ground and make my first movie, would you want to be in it?’”
Ryan agreed to star in the movie. “I meant it genuinely, but I didn’t really think it would come to fruition.”
A year later, Houston started her own pornographic production company, focusing on the feminist and the queer. Both Houston and Ryan agreed that mainstream porn focused too little on female and queer sexuality in particular; Dylan starred in Houston’s first queer film. “I felt like it was a great experience and very positive, and that’s where it started and I kept going from there.”
Why she started doing porn: “It sounded like fun.” Stoya’s first erotic photoshoot was an experiment: Her then-roommate took topless photographs for a living. After that, erotic modelling became a hobby: “I was a personal assistant for a guerilla marketer in Philadelphia at the time. And in my free time I would go and people would pay me to take pictures of me.” A pornographic production company that purchased some of her photos eventually recruited her for a softcore DVD.
What she likes about her job: “I get to show different sorts of sexuality and sexual tastes and acts in what I feel is a pretty freaking ethical and enjoyable way.”
Problems she sees in the porn industry: Successful companies can be callous, cutthroat or sketchy, says Stoya. She objects in particular to Manwin (a.k.a. MindGeek), which owns a network of porn distribution sites including XTube, Pornhub and YouPorn. “They bought Digital Playground, and that’s why I don’t work for Digital Playground anymore. I just couldn’t stand them.”
How the “real world” treats sex workers: Stoya, who recounts being insulted and publicly called a “whore” at her sister’s wedding, speaks sharply about how porn stars are treated in mainstream society. “I think the porn industry, ironically, can be much more respectful and consent-focused than the ‘real world’ is.”
Giving back to the sex worker community: Stoya’s on the board of APAC, the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee.
Stage Name: Dylan Ryan
Age: 27
Profession(s): Porn star and social worker
Porn star and social worker Dylan Ryan Source: Huffington Post
Why she started doing porn: Ryan did her first erotic work to help a friend — and to make a statement. “Before I went into porn, I worked with a person named Shine Louise Houston. We were both retailers, but during our lunch breaks she would talk about wanting to start her own pornography company. And one day she said, ‘If I ever get this off the ground and make my first movie, would you want to be in it?’”
Ryan agreed to star in the movie. “I meant it genuinely, but I didn’t really think it would come to fruition.”
A year later, Houston started her own pornographic production company, focusing on the feminist and the queer. Both Houston and Ryan agreed that mainstream porn focused too little on female and queer sexuality in particular; Dylan starred in Houston’s first queer film. “I felt like it was a great experience and very positive, and that’s where it started and I kept going from there.”