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Myth #4 – The girls in the porn industry are compensated very well, so it must be very lucrative for them. It's fast, easy money, and they get paid well, so what's the harm?
Ask any girl who has spent time in the porn industry what drew her into porn, and more often than not, she will tell you that it was the money – plain and simple. Without a doubt, the biggest draw of working in porn is the chance to make fast, easy money – and lots of it. In the course of a day, a girl can make hundreds -- even thousands -- of dollars. For someone who knows nothing about the industry, and for whatever reason is desperate for cash, this sounds like an offer that is too good to pass up.
While it’s true that the actors get paid a lot, the twisted irony is that so many of these porn stars, by the time they leave the industry, are broke and completely in debt. All of those hours spent in front of the camera, the thousands of dollars that they earned, in the end adds up to absolutely nothing. It's a sad reality. In my own case, all of the money that I earned doing porn I gave to my husband, whom I entrusted to handle it. By the time I got out, it was all gone. We hadn't saved a dime of it, and financially, I was in the same position as I was when I went in. I had made a lot of money in porn, but upon my exit, I was flat broke.
This is the reality for most ex-pornstars. Exxxit, Life After Porn is a recent documentary chronicling the lives of several ex-pornstars. Director Bryce Waggoner shares that for most ex-pornstars, rebuilding their lives is difficult due to financial poverty. "For one reason or another," says Waggoner, "they didn't save any money, or if they did save some money, they'd lost it through some guy." Indeed, very few pornstars leave the industry with any money at all. Some, like Barbara Dare, continue stripping into their late 40's out of sheer poverty, while others, like Linda Lovelace, die penniless.
In an interview with Christianity Today, ex-pornstar Crissy Moran states that she was making $15,000 a month from her website, but that when she quit abruptly in 2006, she quickly went broke. “I totally went broke because I hadn't saved up any money. In my financial struggles, I have learned to lean on God and trust that He will provide my needs. And He has.” How on earth could a person who is making thousands of dollars a month in the porn industry leave broke and penniless.
There are several reasons for this. One is the drugs. Drugs are everywhere in the porn industry, and are readily accessible. It is impossible to be in porn and not be exposed to drugs. The majority of people use. The money that you make in porn you spend trying to numb yourself from the lifestyle. The deeper you get into the lifestyle, the more you want to use, and the more you use, the more money you spend. For some, their drug habit is what keeps them working, and whatever money they make they use on drugs and alcohol – just to keep up with the lifestyle.
For women especially, a lot of the money they make goes right back into porn. Things like clothing, beauty supplies, and make-up, are considered basic expenses, and take up a considerable amount of their income. When I was in porn, a lot of the money that I made went for things like getting my hair and nails done, jewelry, and clothing – all with the purpose of trying to keep up the image that I was expected to project. The porn industry demands that a performer keep her looks up, and with the toll that porn takes on your body and appearance, this can be very expensive.
“The money you make goes right back into porn. You don't realize it but it does for tanning, nails, basically trying to look pretty when you are anything but inside. That's why women who leave porn leave with nothing. I was in over 200 movies and left with nothing.” - Ex-pornstar Sierra Sinn
Typically pornstars already suffer from low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness, so anything that will help them get more work, and boost their self-esteem, is a worthy commodity for them. They will spend thousands of dollars on breast implants, because girls with bigger breasts typically make more money. A girl will spend a huge chunk of her income just to keep herself looking good, so that she can continue working.
Another reason why so many ex-pornstars end up broke is because they have boyfriends who live off of them and take all of their money. In the industry, they are known as “suitcase pimps.” A suitcase pimp will act as the girls “manager,” getting her work, and negotiating her “career.” Sometimes, he is unemployed, so she will continue making porn just to support him. She ends up giving all of her money to this guy, and before long, when it is time to quit, there is nothing left for her.
Suitcase pimps “date industry girls, become their managers, take all their money, and often leave them broke, jobless, prematurely aged wrecks.” - Jenna Jameson
In most cases, she hands over the money to him, and he spends it as fast as he gets it. He puts nothing aside for her, and she certainly doesn't save any for herself, so by the time her porn career has ended, all of the money is gone....and when the money is gone, typically, he is gone too. In my own case, my husband was my manager – and yes, people in the industry called him my “suitcase pimp.” A year after I quit porn, our marriage was over. All of the money that I earned in porn I handed over to him, and by the time I was done with porn, I had nothing left.
When a woman is in the industry, she does not really look ahead to the future. All that matters is the here and now, and the last thing she thinks about is financial responsibility. Pornography provides a lot of distractions, and a lot of ways by which to waste your hard-earned money. You spend your money on things like getting high and partying, in order to escape the reality you have created for yourself. You buy the prettiest clothes, make-up, and beauty treatments, in order to feel beautiful and mask the ugliness you feel on the inside – to receive the assurance that you crave – that you are pretty and desirable and worth something. In other cases, you work in order to please the man in your life – to win his affection and favor, by providing for him and allowing him to use you.
So, while a woman can certainly make a lot of money in the porn industry, no amount of money can compensate for the emptiness she feels on the inside. As fast as she gets it, it's gone...and by the time her porn career is over, she is left with nothing – broken both emotionally and financially.
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