The Dark Side of Porn: What’s really going on behind the scenes.

Internet porn has become fully normalised in our hyper-sexualised society. Many of us think the actors just love having sex and getting paid for it, meaning there’s nothing wrong with the porn industry. But in reality, this isn’t the case.

On social media, porn stars tend to play along, giving the illusion that they're living their best lives while having loads of sex and making tons of cash. In reality, the world of online porn has a dark underbelly, full of sexual violence, exploitation and addiction.

Once you get to know what’s really going on, you might question whether this is really an industry you want to be supporting with your clicks.

'Of course I lied to my fans. I led them to believe I lived a fantasy life that was far from the truth. I fed into their fantasies. I said I wanted sex 24/7 and made it seem like I absolutely loved what I did and was living this happy life.' Jan Villarubia, ex porn actor

There are endless lived stories of violence and trauma from women who've closed the door on porn. Those who are still working don't speak up out of fear of being blacklisted - which is why we only hear these stories when actors leave the adult film industry behind them.

Why Women Get Into The Porn Industry

People usually justify the porn industry by saying that the women who star in the films are consenting, so it's all fine. But it’s not as simple as that.

“They usually “consent” only in a degraded and demented sense of the word… In which a person who despairs at stopping what is happening, sees no escape, has no real alternative, was often sexually abused before as a child, may be addicted to drugs, is homeless, hopeless, is often trying to avoid being beaten or killed, is almost always economically desperate, acquiesces in being sexually abused for payment.” Catherine Mackinnon - legal scholar

When you boil it down, there are three main reasons women get into porn:

• Fame: Someone who’s hungry for fame may believe (or be led to believe) that starting out in porn will land them real acting jobs in the future. A chase for fame that takes such a desperate route is often caused by a personal history of neglect and/or abuse, and reflects a deep need for love and approval from others.
  

• Money: When a young woman is totally desperate for money, maybe with dependents like kids or family, homeless and/or dealing with addiction, then porn can be an avenue she turns to out of sheer despair – not because she wants to.

• Sex: If a woman gets into porn because she's obsessed with sex, often there's an unhealthy addiction or hypersexual disorder there which the industry is profitting off. Sexual disorders usually come as symptoms of broader mental health issues, and so working in porn is making that a lot worse.

“It was torture for seven years. I was miserable, I was lonely, I eventually turned to drugs and alcohol and attempted suicide. I knew I wanted out, but I didn’t know how to get out.” Jenna, ex porn actor

Not all porn actors’ backstories will be the same, of course, but there are common threads. One explorative study speaking with women in the industry found ‘young age, financial insecurity, earlier exposure to sexualized violence, and poor mental health’ at the root for many of the actors.

Behind the Scenes of a Porn Film

Here are four things you'll usually find behind the scenes on a porn set: