Porn Stars R Stupid
It just doesn't make sense, then, that Belle Knox, an upper-middle-class college student and porn star, exists. And that's what this is all about, isn't it? That's why she's become a tabloid sensation. Everyone wants to gawk at the anomaly.
Except she's not the only one.
I am also an adult performer, and also college educated. I graduated magna cum laude from the University of Florida with a degree in Film Production. That makes two of us, but there are many more.
On April 9th, I conducted a very informal Twitter survey asking for names of girls who are either still in college or have graduated from a university. I came up with 39 women who are actively performing: 27 with diplomas and 12 still in school. I also got the names of three female directors, all with degrees.
And yet, Belle Knox has become the de facto voice for my industry. The media have been captivated in their communal cognitive dissonance -- that a smart young woman would choose to do porn. And in their efforts to make sense of the situation, they've given her a voice. And yet, there are women on my list who have been in the business for years, not months. Women who have dedicated their careers to feminism and empowerment. Women who chose to be here.
In her blog post titled, "I Don't Want Your Pity: Sex Work and Labor Politics," which was published in The Huffington Post on April 14, Belle states that she was asked in a classroom environment if she would still do porn if she didn't need the money. She replied that she wouldn't, following it up with, "I wouldn't do labor for free. No one would."
I was asked that exact question when I lectured at the University of Toronto, in Canada. The question is not, "Will you do your job for free?" Twisting it that way seems like a deliberate ploy to not answer the real question. The real question is, "If money were no object, do you love your job enough to continue doing it?" Belle's answer, plainly, is no.
Because Belle is seen as the voice of our profession, her answer implies that all of us are here solely for financial reasons. But that is not the case at all.
Porn stars, like every other subset of people, are individuals. A few are victims of sexual abuse. A few are drug addicts, or supporting a family. And frankly, some are just plain stupid and are working in porn because it pays the most for the least amount of thought. But many of us do porn because we want to.
After I graduated from college, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I considered medical school, or getting my Ph.D., but nothing called to me like sex work did, like sex work always had. I entered porn for the freedom -- the freedom of choice, the freedom of expression, the freedom of being an open, sexual person. I can't speak for my peers' experiences, but I know I made the right decision. I am happier now, here, than I have ever been.
Many of us do porn because we love it.
UF alumna porn star takes stage name from UF journalism professor
UF students Googling office hours for one professor might not like what they find — or they might.
UF professor Clay Calvert’s last name is now synonymous with mass media law and a porn star’s budding career. A UF alumna who took his course decided to honor the professor by taking his name to the porn industry.
Casey Calvert, a rising star in adult films, graduated academically and sexually during her time at UF. The Gainesville native thought pornography was illegal until she took Calvert’s class on mass media law as a sophomore, where she learned that the industry was legitimate and thriving.
“It felt right because really if I hadn’t taken his class, I wouldn’t be where I am right now,” Casey said. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”
The 23-year-old asked to be identified only by her stage name for confidentiality.
UF College of Journalism and Communications professor Calvert had no clue Casey was out there using his name in hardcore, softcore and every porn scene in between until he received an email from a student who had spotted Casey during his online activities. Casey also received a copy of the email, and she sent an apology to Calvert shortly afterward.
“I was startled to learn and discover an adult video star had taken my last name for her porn name,” Calvert said.
Although Casey’s interest in porn reached back to her teenage years when she saw her first adult movies, she didn’t kiss a boy until her freshman year of college. She said she lost her virginity senior year.
“I was essentially celibate because I wasn’t confident enough to go out and get a boyfriend,” she said.
Her sexual curiosity extended to the hardcore-bondage scene, where her first foray into adult modeling took place. The then-college senior answered an ad on a fetish social media site from an Orlando man looking to do a bondage shoot.
Placing her trust in a stranger, Casey posed for pictures completely tied up. Nothing sexual happened past her being nude, but she discovered a passion that would carry her through the early days of her career.
Once she graduated from UF in 2012, Casey explored fetish photography further, modeling for more than 300 shoots that spanned the spectrum of human sexuality.
She even takes special requests — as long as they aren’t illegal. Her most memorable request to don scuba gear in the bedroom was trumped this year by a fan who wanted her to sexualize the movie “Gremlins 2: The New Batch.”
“Porn is a safe way to explore fantasies,” she said.
She stayed as a fetish model for about a year, until Mike Spiegler took notice of her.
Spiegler is an agent for adult actresses, and Casey said he’s choosy when it comes to picking new talent. So when he asked Casey to sign a contract, she jumped at the opportunity.
She had a gentle transition into hardcore pornography, shooting a romantic and sensual scene for her first gig. The second shoot was over-the-top rough.
“I was so nervous that day. I thought I was gonna cry,” she said. “But once I got past that, I realized how much I like performing for the camera.”
And for the first few months, Casey’s career was like that — nervous before shoots but a perfectionist once she got on set. She found a new confidence while she did everything under the sun in pornography.
One year and more than 100 men later, Casey grew from a wide-eyed adult actress to a contender for Best New Starlet for 2014’s Adult Video News Awards. Though she didn’t take home any awards, her fans’ reactions have been consistent: Casey is hot stuff.
Now, she’s living in Los Angeles, earning a comfortable six figures and dating a director in the industry.
Casey isn’t the only UF student to dabble in porn. She said she knows of a couple alumni who are in the industry and a few current students modeling for fetish shoots.
Although her alter ego was never outed publicly during her time at the university, she knew the threat of criticism and shaming was real. That same threat exists for students now entering the adult industry who walk the thin line between their public and private lives.
“We use stage names for a reason,” she said. “If a girl wanted to come out as a fetish model, it’s her responsibility.”
She said the negative stereotypes associated with porn are mostly untrue. Most girls are there because they want to be, and the confidence she’s gained from her time in the industry was unrivaled by anything she’s experienced in life.
“I love all the different opportunities that porn gives me,” she said. “Some days I go to work and I just make smut, but other days I go to work and I make art.”
Casey Calvert is a prominent adult performer, writer, and sexual educator. Her blog website can be found at www.caseycalvert.com.
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