Up in Smoke: Pornstar Pride

No matter what your stance is on pornography, we’re sure you’ve heard someone talk disparagingly about the women who have chosen that profession. Fortunately, a group of researchers has set out to thwart these stereotypes for good by releasing a study in the Journal of Sex Research that proves pornstars have way higher self-esteem and a better quality of life than the average woman.

“Some descriptions of actresses in pornography have included attributes such as drug addiction, homelessness, poverty, desperation and being victims of sexual abuse,” noted the researchers, “and some have made extreme assertions, such as claiming that all women in pornography were sexually abused as children.” Despite these claims, the study showed that there was no greater history of childhood sexual abuse among women who worked in porn compared to those who didn’t.

Researchers compared 177 porn starlets aged 18-50 with women of the same age, ethnicity and marital status who worked outside of the adult industry. More than one third of the pornstars were either married or in a long-term relationship while the rest (44%) were single. All women had worked in the industry for at least three and a half years and were paid to work in at least one x-rated film.

“In terms of psychological characteristics, porn actresses had higher levels of self-esteem, positive feelings, social support, sexual satisfaction and spirituality compared to the matched group,” summarized the report. Researchers also noted that pornstars were more likely to have higher levels of spirituality, a more fulfilling sex life and felt they had a better quality of life due to a proper sleep cycle and more energy.

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