Meet Stoya, a rising icon in the adult entertainment industry.
Contrary to stereotype, she MySpaced since the beginning, maintains an 18-month-old XCritic-hosted blog, and tweets as @Stoya. She understands technology and prowls with a BlackBerry, G1, and laptop.
In January 2009, AVN named her Starlet of the Year.
A follow-up to my January blog post on Twitter porn, I recently emailed Stoya a series of questions. Aside from formatting edits to maintain the flow of this best practices in social media series, these are her words…
How shall I introduce you?
Hi, I’m Stoya. I do dirty dirty things on video for Digital Playground. It’s pretty sweet in a base desires of humanity kind of way. I like to go to new places and see new things. I really appreciate people who can read, and my official bio uses phrases like ”original and outrageous” and “chipping away at the common misconceptions regarding the adult industry and sexual perceptions as a whole.”
How do you define social media?
I would define it as any platform for content (be it blogging, news websites, video, photographs) where the consumer watching or reading can comment back, creating a dialogue with the author or discussion with other consumers.
Some describe you as a geek. How are you using the web to explore sexuality?
Really, this whole geek label is starting to bug me as much as the goth label people were trying to pin on me last year did. I just try to keep up with technology when it’s applicable in a practical manner. I think it’s kind of nifty, and way more interesting than say, watching tv or playing sports is.
It’s not like I’m a computer science major or anything; I just grew up with computers around. I do enjoy exploring my sexuality in a professional environment (mostly referring to the fact that I’m a lot safer being tied up by a trusted bondage photographer than some drunk guy I picked up at a bar and other things along those lines) and my career in hardcore adult entertainment did grow out of that.
Exploring sexuality on MySpace is about as safe as walking through the worst neighborhood in town at 2 a.m. holding a map. I’ve had it since a few months after the site launched, same with Twitter, and since ‘fans’ find me on these social networking sites and talk to me, I talk back. It would be rude not to.
Do social networking sites and blogs help you get ahead?
Apparently, social networking sites and blogs have helped me get ahead in the adult industry, since they’ve been brought up by numerous powers that be as a large factor in my popularity.
I think blogging and such allows people to see much more of my personality than they would be able to in a scripted adult video set up, sex scene, and two minutes of bits; and I can see how that possibly boosted sales and media opportunities but its extremely difficult to judge those kinds of things when you’re in the middle of it.
I’ve tried to keep up with marketing-lite type books like [Malcolm] Gladwell’s work and The Long Tail in an effort to understand why it works the way it does, but it’s honestly more of an analysis in retrospect of something that happened naturally.
How do you measure the ROI for the time and effort spent being online: replying to twitterers, blogging, etc? Is it worth it?
I don’t measure the return on investment. I don’t have access to my sales figures, and even if I could track whether sales went up depending on an amount of interviews and time spent corresponding with people on social networking sites, it isn’t something I’m directly compensated for.
As far as whether its worth it or not, of course it’s worth it. It’s worth it in the same way that if you put yourself out there in public by going to the local coffee shop, it’s worth responding when the person at the next table says hello.
Would you continue to do it X-rated or explore toning your scenes down to be more creative for more exposure, e.g. James Gunn’s PG Porn?
I am absolutely going to continue to do X-rated scenes and have no interest in doing ”toned down” scenes for the adult DVDs I star in. However, I am more than willing to do additional work outside of hardcore and am quite capable of keeping my clothes on or keeping it PG-13 if necessary and the project is interesting enough.
With porn DVD sales down due to free streaming websites, e.g. YouPorn, is the industry in trouble? Is the internet more attractive as a result to get the word out?
Parts of the industry are definitely changing. However, adult novelty sales are reportedly up, and Digital Playground is hiring new staff and expanding.
Responding to stories on the Today Show about teenage girls “sexting” nude pictures of themselves to their boyfriends, would you be interested in a PG-13 reality show called “Talk with Stoya” to educate girls on sex ed, etc?
Minors and adult hardcore entertainment don’t really go well together, although a college aged target demographic could work. And no, I haven’t seen stories on the Today Show, because I don’t watch television.
You were making clothing and seeking an internship?
I was. Internships require a significant time commitment and a certain schedule, which I couldn’t commit to during the filming and promotion during and after the release of Pirates: Stagnetti’s Revenge.
Since I had already signed up for the whole contract girl bit without realizing DP was serious about “making me a star” (I mean seriously, people say they’re going to do that every day in LA) and agreed to fulfill certain expectations, work comes first.
Besides which, since adult entertainment turned into a bit bigger of a deal than I initially expected, it makes sense to continue working on the career I can only do at a certain age and save the stuff that doesn’t depend on physical appearance for later.
My thanks to Craig Kessler, Dossy Shiobara, and Jillian York who helped crowdsource some of these questions.
Photo credit: Mutter Erde at Wikipedia.
If you’d like to see a trailer from last fall for the Pirates movie mentioned above, have a look. Toddlers and grandparents may want to shield their eyes, but this is otherwise clean fun for anyone else to watch:
Related posts:
- Guest Interview with Mr. and Ms. Teagan: Analyzing Pornography, Parenthood, and Public Relations
- Guest Post by Craig Kessler: Building Blocks of Me
- Guest Post by Kenneth Weiss: When Social Media Becomes Slightware, Your Brand Does Not Stand a Chance
Comments:
Ari Herzog is an online media strategist and Newburyport City Councilor-Elect.
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Wow,
Beauty, uber-hawtness and brains!
You rock @Stoya!
and of course @ariherzog
Twitter Comment
She DOES social media [link to post] @Stoya you rock! and @ariherzog that’s a cool post!
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Great interview. It’s nice to see the human side behind her as well as other stars from a result of social media and the tools. Really humanizes and industry most people don’t fully understand or agree with. Just a business like anything else.
Indeed. Thanks for your feedback on some of the above questions!
Twitter Comment
Want to learn more about @stoya? Great @ariherzog interview with her [link to post]
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I’m not exactly sure where to start on this… Pornography is something I’ve yet to really make up my mind about, but I’ve been trying to read more into the true story behind it lately, like reading blogs of male stars, different ethics essays, etc. I’ve got to say: overall, it’s not a very pretty picture.
There are not many industries where you ever even have to remotely consider whether or not you’re supporting a potentially unethical industry. Believe me, I’m not trying to bring down anyone here, I really am just talking from my gut. But Ari, I really do think it’s important for you to take a step back and think a moment here. Plumbing does not involve human sex trafficking on a significant level. And if you really do your research to see how widely pornography is viewed on the Internet, and what kinds are viewed, you will not be pleasantly surprised. The Adult Entertainment Expo, the AVN Awards, these are not a full representation of the pornography industry. It is unbelievably larger than that, and I would encourage anyone who thinks otherwise just to go to the AVN Awards anyway and see how incredibly lame & depraving it is (even many of the “stars” say this).
All I can really say right now is just look at Craig’s post above for example (sorry Craig, I’m not trying to put words in your mouth here). He keeps saying how this “humanizes” the industry and the people in it, but that implies that, up until social media came about and we could “really” see who these people are, it was a completely dehumanizing industry. And I would suspect that our gut intuition here is right, it is indeed a dehumanizing industry.
Just because some female porn stars go around saying how they aren’t being dehumanized doesn’t mean they actually aren’t. How would they know? What I’m saying right now is highly insulting to people like Stoya probably, since she seems to play with a full deck of cards, but from watching programs like the AEE on G4, I know I personally have never seen more than a handful of porn stars who I wouldn’t immediately classify as having a plethora of deep psychological issues that they need to work out. That’s a sweeping statement, and as such it’s probably not true as I think it is, but that means there is still some truth in it, right? Having read some blogs by male stars in the industry (not saying they’re more self-aware, they just aren’t the ones constantly being attacked as being degraded like the female stars are by most pornography critics), I’d definitely be wiling to back up this opinion.
Anyway, like I said I haven’t made up my mind on a lot of this stuff, and I’m just trying to put some information & opinion out there for others to consider. I don’t expect to make up my mind anytime soon either.
One last note: I don’t think that pornography, at its core, is wrong. Like any industry, it has the potential to help human beings (which is what all businesses should aim to do). However, the rate at which porn videos are released every day goes to show that it is NOT an industry out to help people, but to make as much money as fast possible in whatever way possible.
Every business must answer one ultimate question: “What is the point?”
Facebook: connect people who otherwise would not have been able to find each other.
Plumbing: help people get their house fixed because they don’t know how to do it.
Car repair: help people fix their cars because they don’t have the time/knowledge.
Pornography: ???
If there’s NOTHING else that we can agree upon, then let us at least agree upon one thing: What is the point of pornography? (I don’t know what it is, so I’d be glad to have some others answer this question).
EDIT: Kept making a plumbing reference because that was the example Ari used in his last post about this (http://ariwriter.com/2009/01/twitter-porn-and-why-id-like-to-help/)
Tyler Hayes´s last blog post..Happy Easter!
Twitter Comment
if you’re interested in @stoya and her thoughts on tweeting & tech, check out this interview: [link to post]
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Twitter Comment
@ariherzog did a great post/interview with Adult Star @Stoya kept it tasteful too. [link to post]
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Just because some female porn stars go around saying how they aren’t being dehumanized doesn’t mean they actually aren’t. How would they know?
That’s a pretty ridiculous question, actually. Who else would know – who else would even be in a position to know – if they were being dehumanized? You don’t get to make that decision for anyone other than yourself. What makes you think you or anyone else gets to make that decision for any other individual? To assume that they don’t know is to deprive them of their agency, which, of course, is typical for people outside the sex industry – they assume that, because what we do involves sex, we simply must not be aware of what the hell we’re doing. How infantilizing that is.
What is the basis for such a question? Why do you assume that someone working in the sex industry can’t be aware of whether or not they’re being dehumanized? Do you think you’re qualified to ascertain whether you’re being dehumanized or not? If so, why not us?
Do you think athletes are dehumanized through their work? If not, why not? And if not, why would you think so of anyone who’s working using their bodies and their sexuality to earn their living through porn?
Pornography: ???
The same exact purpose as any other form of art or personal expression.
Alexa´s last blog post..Sex Ed: Fetishes, Paraphilias, and Other Terms
@Tyler I am glad to hear your response, because I know my opinion’s may be in the minority on this, and it’s nice to see that you are willing to stand out in something you believe.
But I also disagree with certain statements.
Pornography is a form of entertainment for its users. I don’t think it’s more or less than that, so when you are asking what’s the point? I think that is the most simplest answer I could think of. No different than movies, or music is a form of entertainment, so is porn. It just happens to have a larger audience and by a lot may be looked down upon.
The type of porn and stars involved like Stoya and others who you may see more in the mainstream media or on G4 is what I consider adult entertainment. I understand there may be a larger black market of underground porn and as a result involves people or has actions that are illegal or wrong, but that is a separate issue.
Like you said you perceive the majority of stars to be well informed and mentally stable, no different than any other industry. If you look at the top businesses in the country, I’m sure a lot of those recent CEO’s can be looked at as mentally unstable, so I don’t think that’s a fair statement to make.
I know you say you have not made up your mind, but it seems you have. And that’s fine, it’s your opinion. Also, people’s opinions on the matter may stem from different religious, political, cultural backgrounds as well as life experience in general.
For example, you could see how prostitution may be wrong and you are against it. But if you watch Bunny Ranch on HBO and how it’s legal and well run, I don’t think there is anything wrong with it as a business. Same on the Red Light District.
I really think what Ari is trying to do by interviewing Stoya, is that she is using social media to promote her own personal brand in her industry. No different than other actors or musicians may by using social media tools. In her industry, you may not have the chance to get a more personal exposure to the stars like you do with movie actors and musicians by always being on TV and getting interviews. This is a way to help adult entertainer stars get that exposure to their fans and others.
Twitter Comment
Check out @ariherzog’s post on porn star @stoya at: [link to post]
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Porn Tube sites like ours show small clips usually anywhere from 3 minutes to 20 minutes in length. For the full video people would have to go to these stores and buy the complete video. It could actually help the industry by showing these lengthy previews. All parties will change and adapt to the times. It’s porn…and not going anywhere.
Thanks for weighing in. May I ask if video sharing/rating/tagging site owners communicate with each other? Or do each of you exist in your own silos, offering different videos and hoping to make money as a result of download sales?
Twitter Comment
Hey @stoya ~ Great interview with @ariherzog: [link to post]
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Thanks for everyone’s responses!
Just to answer direct questions/accusations really quickly
1) Alexa – Please don’t maroon me, I’m trying to be as honest as possible here, which I think is pretty brave (not quite as brave as Ari publishing the first place, though). If you felt like I was attacking you in my original comment, please let me know and I’d be willing to apologize.
2) Craig (and also Alexa) – I really am a very open-minded person, so please understand that when I say I haven’t made up my mind, I haven’t. I have an opinion right now, and I’m willing to change that if I’m convinced well enough, really I am! With that in mind, please don’t assume I’m a horrible person. I’m just a 23-year old kid trying to make up his mind on this stuff. And I’d say I’m doing a pretty dang good job by participating in an online discussion with smart people like yourselves!
3) Alexa – as far as dehumanization goes, I was just trying to relate how people who are being dehumanized may not realize it as that can happen psychologically. They truly believe that they deserve what is happening to them, whether it be from Survivor’s guilt or something else. I’m not saying that all men & women in porn are bein dehumanized. To get something clear right now, I do not believe that your having sex for a living has anything to do with your awareness. But let me ask you a direct question, are girls who do DVDA and get bukkaked afterwards dehumanized? That’s not underground sex trafficking porn, that’s on mainstream sites like Youporn. I’m still curious as to what you think!
4) Alexa – No, I don’t think I’m qualified to say who is being dehumanized. But there are professionals who could do that. No, I don’t think athletes are being dehumanized, on the whole. But my buddies in high school who short cortisone so they could keep playing were dehumanized. My buddies in college who used steroids were dehumanized. Athletes who are forced to return to the game even on broken bones, because they have no other skills in their life, are being dehumanized. I know it’s all a choice, but there are right and wrong choices. Athletes who choose to use drugs, use steroids, etc. are making the wrong choices. Porn stars who choose to use drugs, use steroids, etc. are making the wrong choices.
On that note, let me bring up some more points!
One of the main points I’m trying to bring up is how men & women in porn may be choosing to do porn for bad reasons. I know a lot of times people just assume that the female stars have “daddy issues” and the male stars “of course like sex, so why not?” but are these statements incorrect? I only know a bit of pop psychology from my bachelor’s degree (by no means enough to make any diagnosis or real qualified statement), but it does seem that a lot of the stars in pornography have many psychological issues, what with many being constantly in/out of jail, abusing drugs, etc. Would no one agree with me here?
Alexa, I would agree with you that some pornography can be art. One thing I forgot to write in my first comment is how I don’t think pornography should be abolished.
Some pornography is art. From what I’ve seen (and again, please tell me if you have an idea/evidence otherwise) most is not art. The higher-class stuff Stoya participates in like multi-million dollar budget films like Pirates 2: Stagnetti’s Revenge can maybe be considered art, though I’m still not sure how it’s art. Can you please explain that to me? It’d be nice, as unfortunately I haven’t read enough yet to know how it is art (I’m a graphic designer, so that’s really the only art I know!).
Let me take a step back to talking to everyone, and not just Alexa, now. I remember when Pirates came out it was a huge deal even in the MSM because it had a million dollar budget, and that no pornography (or few films?) had ever done this. And porn critics agreed, it was a cool/fun/amazing rarity that this film had such a high budget. And they were often discussing how higher-budget films like this would give pornography more credit, but I’m not exactly sure how that correlation works, could someone please explain this to me?
As one final point for this comment, I’d like to address the “pornography has been around forever” argument that arose in Ari’s last post and Whateverporn.com’s comment also just brought up (sort of). Prositution and pornography have indeed been around a long, long time. But what’s the point of that statement? So has love, so has murder. So have babies, so have trees. Just because something exists doesn’t mean we shouldn’t re-think how we treat it. To me, it seems ridiculous to just make a blanket statement such as “Well, pornography is here to stay. So we might as well live with it.” To borrow a term from Guy Kawasaki, that is bullshiitake. As humans, we should constantly be looking at our world and re-evaluating it.
Again, I’m not saying pornography should be done away with. That is equally ridiculous.
There are a lot of “fine lines” to walk along in this discussion, and I’m just one guy trying to ask & answer a lot of questions in this post because this is something thing genuinely interests me.
Oh! And I have one more question (Alexa and craig, help me out here!): what about all the men who suffer from pornography addiction?
NOTE: Sorry if I didn’t answer all your questions, please just ask them again and I’ll try to answer them in my next comment. There’s so much happening in here!
FYI, Tyler, I appreciate your conversation here but I wanted to jump in that I deleted one of your sentences in accordance with my disclaimer link at the top of the page. You’re welcome to write what you want, but please keep the language clean in a PG-13 way.
To see the quote that Ari removed from my post, you can visit a copy of my original uncensored blog post at my blog (only a couple extra sentences): http://tshayes.com/2009/04/13/pornography-social-media-wait-what/
Tyler Hayes´s last blog post..Happy Easter!
I’m having a hard time crafting a response to this post. I may have to respond with a blog post of my own. But I will say a couple short things.
1. Pretending the adult film industry is something that it’s not is just lame. It is what is.
2. For every woman like Stoya whose happy in this industry (though I’d like to hear about how close she is to her family and how proud they are that they’re girl is a porn star), there are probably 30 that eventually are not. Very much NOT. And as Stoya gets older, she just might be one of them.
3. Adult films have a built in demo. People are in to it or they’re not. Social Media won’t change that. Social Media is about being driven, changing things, and breaking new ground, among other things. Porn has no point other than to make money by getting people off. How social media fits into that goal is beyond me. Other than giving someone a good blog topic to generate a lot of comments & buzz… LOL
*rolling my eyes and moving on*
Meghan´s last blog post..Catching Butterflies and Lessons in Love
Call me curious, Meghan. How do you respond to those who would say many of your internet and telecommunication freedoms you take for granted exist as a (in)direct result of the adult entertainment industry?
Let me clarify, I don’t think porn should be banned because people have the rights. And I think many of the rights you speak of well, would’ve come about anyway. I’m a liberal who cherishes my freedoms. People have the right to do porn, and I have my right to do what I can to help the next generation of women have less women who feel the need to enter such an industry. My biggest problem is that it objectifies women in the worst way. But so do glossy magazines that tells girls they need to be skinny to be cool, or movies that make young girls feel that getting a man is the only way to be happy. They’re all sending a horrific and shameful message that play a large part in why eating disorders are at an all time high in young girls. As well as teenage domestic violence.
Porn is people having sex for money. Selling their body for money in an industry dominated by MEN. Though there are exceptions, porn is generally a seedy industry full of some real dirtbags. It always has been and always will be. And when people try and pretend otherwise, it just comes across as silly.
So yes, I stand by those freedoms even in defense of porn, because that is the nature of this country, but I don’t pretend its something that it’s not.
Meghan´s last blog post..Catching Butterflies and Lessons in Love
Twitter Comment
P0rn is what it is, no matter how hard people pretend that’s it’s not. Care to comment on @ariherzog ’s post? [link to post]
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If you felt like I was attacking you in my original comment, please let me know and I’d be willing to apologize.
I didn’t feel like you were attacking me personally, just those who do sex work in general (especially porn).
But let me ask you a direct question, are girls who do DVDA and get bukkaked afterwards dehumanized?
If they’re doing it consensually, why would I? Well, let me qualify that. To the extent that any actor/actress isn’t dehumanized by virtue of performing for money/notoriety, I don’t believe that porn actors or actresses are any more or less dehumanized.
Do you consider women who do that in their personal sex lives to be dehumanized? There are women who do that, you know?
No, I don’t think I’m qualified to say who is being dehumanized. But there are professionals who could do that.
Then why do you bring it up as if you have some kind of unique insight into it? I am fascinated that some people just absolutely must assume that porn actors are these poor pathetic victims. Spend some time watching interviews with Sasha Grey, Nina Hartley, Stoya, Stormy Daniels, Jessica Drake, or any of the other women who act in this genre. They are anything but victims.
Are there women performing who probably ought not to be? Absolutely. Are there people who’re doing just about any other job on the planet who ought not to be? Of course. I bet you don’t make these kinds of victimization generalizations about those jobs, though, do you? Why not?
Porn stars who choose to use drugs, use steroids, etc. are making the wrong choices.
And now you come up with something completely out of left field to further your victimization angle? Where did this come from? Before it was just porn actresses in general, not it is just those that use drugs? Lol
but it does seem that a lot of the stars in pornography have many psychological issues, what with many being constantly in/out of jail, abusing drugs, etc.
And you base your assessment on what? Have you interviewed a statistically significant sample of porn stars with your “pop psychology” class to be able to make such a diagnosis (even though you state you’re not qualified to make such diagnoses)?
Sure, a few have drug problems, and sure a few have been in jail. Guess what? That is true for EVERY SINGLE OTHER OCCUPATION on the planet. Why are you not making such broad generalizations about everyone else’s line of work? (That’s rhetorical question – I know the answer).
I would agree with you that some pornography can be art.
Do you have a “pop art” degree as well? What qualifications do you have that allows you to decide for everyone else what constitutes “art” and what doesn’t?
My gosh, you’re incredibly presumptuous.
From what I’ve seen (and again, please tell me if you have an idea/evidence otherwise) most is not art.
Like you, I’m not qualified to decide for someone else what is or isn’t art. The difference is that I have enough sense to realize that. Art is in the eye of the beholder. I’m sure many people wouldn’t consider your graphics work “art,” either.
You tell me why any of it would not be art.
…what about all the men who suffer from pornography addiction?
You mean, if such a thing really existed, right? The DSM-IV (the diagnostic manual used by psychologists to diagnose addictions and other problems) lists no such “addiction.”
Let’s assume for the sake of argument that such an addiction did exist, however. So what? What about them? Some people are predisposed to addictive behavior and that affects a great many things. Let’s assume some people do get addicted to porn, like people get addicted to alcohol, or gambling, or food. What of it? Why would it be necessary to treat it any more or less special than any other addiction? What was the purpose of this question?
I find it interesting the way you pretend you don’t have any bias in this, but as you can see, by virtue of the fact that you’re treating porn and those who work in it differently than you do other art forms or other occupations, you clearly do. Admit it and let’s move on.
I am fascinated that some people just absolutely must assume that porn actors are these poor pathetic victims.
This is key. Live an assumption-free life, and it’s more amazing.
Meghan,
2. For every woman like Stoya whose happy in this industry (though I’d like to hear about how close she is to her family and how proud they are that they’re girl is a porn star), there are probably 30 that eventually are not. Very much NOT.
And you base this on what, exactly? Where do you get the figure of “30″ in this assertion? I know it’s a SWAG, but I’d like to hear how you arrived at it.
And what does whether or not her family knows about it or is happy with it have to do with any of this discussion? I know a guy who’s family was devastated that he became a lawyer. Are you suggesting he quit or that what he does is inherently negative because his family isn’t happy with his line of work? If not, why the suggestion for those who work in porn?
Alexa´s last blog post..Sex Ed: Fetishes, Paraphilias, and Other Terms
I added the word “probably” to clarify it was a figure off the top of my head. I simply based on how many times I have talked to people, read or saw interviews with people in the industry whose experiences were bad versus stories I’ve heard of people who were happy. Even than many people who were “happy” still got out when they could.
A family who is disappointed with their son being a lawyer obviously has more to the story than just that, while a family disappointed with their child being a porn star is just plain obvious. Is her family happy about her decision? Do they buy all her films and include updates in the Christmas newsletter about her success? Now I’m not saying that family should have any real bearing or not, I’m simply using it as an example that porn is porn. Little girls don’t grow up wanting to be porn stars.
These are just my feelings. I’ve known strippers, I’ve known people in porn. I’m certainly not meaning to make personal judgements. That would be stupid. My opinions are really meant to be towards the industry in general.
Meghan´s last blog post..Catching Butterflies and Lessons in Love
I’m not going to respond to anything right now because I need some serious time to think about this stuff. Maybe later.
One note: Alexa, all you’ve succeeded in doing is make me feel like an incredible jackass and the worst man alive. Honestly, all I was trying to do was have a reasonable conversation. OF COURSE I AM BIASED. But that’s why I commented, because I’m trying to MAKE UP MY DAMN MIND about how I feel about this stuff. When did asking questions and stating opinions to see what others think of them become so horrible?
Sorry I’m such a horrible human being and make assumptions. AT LEAST I’M TRYING TO CHANGE. Even this comment will probably be ripped apart.
Why can’t you just be nicer? Why can’t PEOPLE be nicer?
Tyler Hayes´s last blog post..Happy Easter!
My biggest problem is that it objectifies women in the worst way.
Interesting assertion, since all you ever see of the guy is his penis for the most part. If anything’s being objectified, perhaps it is him. He’s been reduced to a single part.
Alexa´s last blog post..Sex Ed: Fetishes, Paraphilias, and Other Terms
I meant the industry in general. And the truer question would be for you, how does it NOT objectify women?
You can rationalize all you want, but you can’t make porn something it’s not.
And I actually don’t have a big problem with “porn” itself as much as I do with the industry itself.
Meghan´s last blog post..Catching Butterflies and Lessons in Love
And the truer question would be for you, how does it NOT objectify women?
I didn’t make the assertion that it didn’t. I was asking why you insist on making it solely about the objectification of women when it is clear the men in porn are “objectified” as well.
In fact, I’d make the argument that ANY sex act, even those involving two (or more) loving, emotionally bonded, consensual partners is, to one degree or another, objectifying by its very nature. Any non-procreative sex act is, in fact.
Why is that a problem? Why is objectifying someone on video problematic?
You can make that assertion because all you know is what you see in the final product. You don’t see what goes on behind the scenes, with the negotiation of how things will play out, each individual’s statement of limits (both of them, not just the female), and so forth.
In all honesty, I don’t think you really even know what you mean why say it is objectifying to women – I think you’re just parroting material you’ve heard from someone else. If you have the time, I’d sure like to hear you explain what is meant by that statement in your own words and why it is inherently a bad thing.
Alexa´s last blog post..Sex Ed: Fetishes, Paraphilias, and Other Terms
@Tyler People have addictions, that’s their own thing. I’m not sure what you are trying to bring up to say that some men may have addiction to porn. Not really sure the relevance to be honest. People are addicted to a lot of things, cigs, drugs, alcohol, (pretzels in my case, trying to bring a bit of humor).
@Meghan I am not involved in the porn industry nor no anybody who is whether from the business end or acting wise. Either way, what does being close to their family have to do with anything? You could argue in any industry at any age there could be people who have bad family history’s and poor relationships with parents and friends that drove them to lead the poor lifestyle choices they have. Also there are people in those situations who that would garner no affect and they manage to live what you would consider a normal lifestyle.
Works the other way around. Plenty of people from good childhoods with good relationships with parents and friends who make their own poor decisions that could affect their future lives. Works both ways around. For example, the whole Elliot Spitzer prostitution case.
When did asking questions and stating opinions to see what others think of them become so horrible?
Dude, you spent the majority of your posts making broad generalizations, psychological diagnoses, and attributing victim status to porn performers exclusively. It seems to me as though you already have your mind made up. I’m not sure how else to interpret it.
If you formulate legitimate questions without adding the negative inflections on them, I’ll answer them. I’ve spent the past five years studying the sex industry extensively.
Alexa´s last blog post..Sex Ed: Fetishes, Paraphilias, and Other Terms
A family who is disappointed with their son being a lawyer obviously has more to the story than just that, while a family disappointed with their child being a porn star is just plain obvious.
Oh, yeah, of course. I should’ve known that is was “just plain obvious.” Since it involves sex, there doesn’t have to be anything else to it, does there? Unlike that lawyer guy!
Why is it different? If it is so “obvious” you ought to be able to explain it rather than just state that it is “obvious.” I honestly don’t know, so I’m hoping you can shed some light on it for me.
Little girls don’t grow up wanting to be porn stars.
Really? I’m sure that’d come as a big shock to Sasha Grey.
Even than many people who were “happy” still got out when they could.
And? People change jobs all the time these days. Do you still do what you were doing when you got out of high school?
Sex work of any kind is very demanding, emotionally and physically. Some do get out in rather short order. But what about women like Nina Hartley? She just turned 50 and has been doing porn all her adult life. So has Ron Jeremy, Randy Spears, Stormy Daniels, etc. Other women, like Jessica Drake left other jobs to go into the porn industry in their late 20s, and she loves her work.
You base your opinion on a small sample of people you claim to have known. How many porn stars have you known? Really? Honestly? One? Two?
Alexa´s last blog post..Sex Ed: Fetishes, Paraphilias, and Other Terms
Twitter Comment
@DukeSkywalker That specific point was made (using lawyers, actually). See “Meghan’s” reply here: [link to post] to see what I mean.
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Twitter Comment
Stoya talks Social Networking! by: @ariherzog [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Great Article! I just LOVE hearing one of my favorite Porn Stars talk about social networking!! =)
You can follow Stoya http://stoya.pornstartweet.com and almost 250 other Porn Stars on twitter at http://pornstartweet.com
Alyss Heart´s last blog post..The First EVER Porn Star TweetUp is TOMORROW NIGHT!!
Wow, there are some heated responses to this post. I think it is interesting to see how all industries use Twitter. I also think it’s interesting that she likes giving her fans a different perspective by interacting with them through blogging and social media on the internet. Nice followup to the first post!
~ Kristi
Kikolani´s last blog post..Twitter Lingo & Tips For New Twitter & Facebook Users
Twitter Comment
Follow up post from his January look at Twitter Porn. @ariherzog talks with Stoya [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Great insight into a vastly misunderstood profession/industry.
Reading all the comments, there’s been some pretty heated exchanges going on (and something I can relate to on my last post!). I guess that’s why opinions are the great separators.
Whatever your take on porn, the porn industry and the principals in it (both in front and behind the camera), great interview Ari, and kudos to Stoya and Alexa for (hopefully) breaking people’s preconceptions about porn stars.
Danny Brown´s last blog post..Does Twitter Monitor Its Brand? Fake-Twitter.com Suggests No
I finally made it over here to this post. Apologies, Ari, I’m behind on all my blog reading lately.
I’m not going to weigh in on the ethics (or lack thereof, depending on who you are) of pornography here, nor share my opinion about the subject in general. Not that I don’t have opinions, I most certainly do, but I just don’t want to get into any kind of virtual pissing contest, no matter how kinky that may sound in this context.
What I will say, though, is that what is being overlooked here is Ari’s approach of tapping into an industry that is very taboo for some. I commended him in his last post for finding a niche that is (or appears) under served and/or misunderstood in the “mainstream” social media world, and I stand by that.
I give Ari mad props for pushing the envelope in the social media world and going where few dare to go. The quality of his questions are well-crafted and show true journalistic integrity, seeking understanding from a true journalist and social media pro’s perspective. I can’t speak for him, but it looks to me like he’s trying to show us the diversity and breadth of social media’s application, not spark a debate on the legitimacy and/or ethics of porn.
Good job, Ari. This is evidence of why you’re one of my favorites. Keep it up.
Stacy Lukas´s last blog post..The Tweetoprahcalypse is here.
Thanks, Stacy. By keeping it up, do you want more best practices with adult entertainers; or more content for you to comment you’re holding back from virtual urination.
That comment made me crack up out loud in the middle of a coffee shop and almost LITERALLY urinate. Thanks a lot!
Re-reading my own comment, I now realize that could be taken different ways. I’m going to plead the fifth on this.
Stacy Lukas´s last blog post..The Tweetoprahcalypse is here.
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