Dear Andre,
I’ve just turned 18 and I have wanted to get into porn forever. I think that being young is very good for marketing and that it won’t be hard for me to find studios to work with. What are some tips you would give someone like me before I start on this?
Congratulations on your milestone birthday! I’m going to combine some of my best “new to the industry” advice with nuggets of knowledge from the Free Speech Coalition (FSC)’s INSPIRE guide, as well as some words of wisdom from my friends at Reality Studios. I highly recommend reading both resources in their entireties when you get a chance!
1. Be intentional with your decision to enter the porn industry.
While it sounds like this is something you’ve thought long and hard about, many young women make an impulsive decision to jump headfirst into the sex industry and later regret it. Make sure you’re interrogating your motivations behind performing (e.g. Do you feel as though anyone in your life is pushing you in that direction or coercing you, or are you authentically making this decision for yourself? Do you believe that porn is “easy money” and are expecting to get rich, or are you being realistic about the unpredictable and unreliable nature of the work? etc.).
Also, at the risk of sounding like everyone’s mother, porn is indeed forever. Even if your time in the industry is brief – and no matter the care you take to disassociate your porn identity from your legal identity – you will always be at significant risk for things like employment and housing discrimination, negative blowback from friends and family, doxxing, custody you may have over future children being called into question, and so much more.
Being intentional about doing porn also means doing a comprehensive risk analysis on yourself and determining if working in the industry is worth it, even with all of the potential safety and security hazards that accompany it. I recommend picking up a copy of Violet Blue’s The Smart Girl’s Guide to Privacy for an accessible how-to on mitigating digital risks.
2. If you are performing in porn, you are running a business.
The FSC recommends legitimizing yourself as a business and familiarizing yourself with the legalities of the work you intend on doing before throwing all your energy into creating a social media presence. Creating a unique brand and learning how to market and promote yourself are integral to your industry success, but they’re also the fun, flashy, immediate-gratification parts of breaking into the industry. Get an accountant you trust, find secure banking, figure out your health insurance and short-term disability insurance, and have an attorney advise you. The Adult Performer Advocacy Committee (APAC) is a critical organization that can help connect you with the aforementioned resources and professionals, provide necessary information on performer rights and responsibilities, and much more.
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3. Decide whether you want to work with an agency, or as an independent.
As someone who has worked in porn for almost seven years without an agent, I have mixed feelings about agencies. Agencies can be great places to start your career as they can provide you with valuable structure, guidance, and exposure. Models who work with agencies also often book a higher quantity of shoots, which can result in more income. However, if you don’t do your due diligence ahead of time in researching and vetting potential agencies, you could end up with a less than reputable one. Resist the urge to accept the first offer – or the first few! – that you receive, and rely on other performer testimonials to solidify a decision. Going independent may mean fewer shoots and more labor on your part, but you also tend to have more control over your image, the kind of content you shoot, what companies you work with, etc. I’ve also seen a LOT of agency girls burn out in the first year or two of shooting because they’re being encouraged to work at an unrealistically rigorous pace. Either way, I empower you to make the decision that’s best for you!
4. Connect with other members of the porn industry and begin building your community.
In my opinion, building and sustaining a sex worker community is the most important indicator of long term success. Porn is a unique industry in that although it is legal, it constantly has to defend its legitimacy in the courts, at the dinner table, and in every online forum. Because of our society’s general opinion of porn – which boils down to “we’re just fine consuming porn in private, but we’d rather the people who perform porn didn't exist” – it can be easy to internalize this “whorephobia” and fall victim to feelings of depression, anxiety, isolation, and more.
Having other performers by your side who inspire you, who share industry tips and tricks with you, who provide you with a nonjudgmental ear at which to vent, and a supportive shoulder to cry on, are absolutely invaluable. Whether it’s through social media (Twitter is the friendliest for porn folks), the FSC, APAC, a local Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP) chapter, or through IRL connections made on set, find your people and hold them close.
Best of luck to you!
If you have your own questions about sex, love, relationships, or any of the moving parts involved therein, drop Andre a line at blog@slixa.com. Be sure to use the subject line "Ask Andre," so we know where to direct your thoughtful questions.
