Can People Truly Leave the Porn Industry?

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When sex workers’ work is put on such a large platform, they become celebrities within the realm of erotica and pornography. Although porn actors and actresses are the subjects of fantasy for viewers, viewers often forget that these people are human beings. Even adult film actors who choose to leave the industry have a hard time shaking off the stigma they faced while working in pornography.

Dallas-based porn actress Rachel Starr has been making adult films for almost 13 years. She credits her ability to operate her work as a proprietorship as the reason she’s been able to stay afloat for so long. She notes that while everyone has their reasons for leaving the porn industry, treating your work like any other job is key to survival.

“[Why people leave] is really subjective to them,” Starr says. “But if I had to guess, it’s either because one, they just wanted out, and the adult film industry didn’t work for them and they found something else. Or, the industry chewed them up and spit them out, and they couldn’t make it a sustainable business. I’ve personally survived because I treat it like a business. I wouldn’t be doing it unless I was getting paid to do it. I’m definitely not doing any free stuff.”

Today, people consume porn via several different platforms. Starr has been able to keep up with them all. She estimates that she works for about 10 to 12 hours per day, and although she’s not always making video clips on a daily basis, she takes time to interact with her six million social media followers, streaming live on cam sites, responding to texts via texting platforms and maintaining her OnlyFans page.

“The porn industry has evolved since I started,” Starr says. “I started in February of 2007. DVDs were still a big thing, and it was just kind of getting into that internet niche market, with streaming and downloading and all of that. I’m definitely more of an internet girl, but when I got in, DVDs were still very relevant.”

The reasons people choose to enter the porn industry are different. In the case of 25-year-old John Doe*, he decided to make a video while in college, as a means of making extra money.

“I was taking 19 hours at school and driving two hours a day and had zero time for an actual job and had no money,” Doe*…