Being inspired by Tuesday episodes of The Tyra Banks Show seems to be becoming a habit. First it was "Let Calvin Save Calvin", now this post because of her topic today on male prostitution. This is something I've been meaning to tackle for awhile now. All I needed was something to light a fire under me to make it happen. And forget the entire episode, just word of its subject matter was enough for me.The reason this subject has particular meaning for me is because a great deal of studio-produced porn is comprised of scenes where the directors picks a scene partner, and not the actors themselves. This is NOT the way it should be. A porn actor should not have to work his/her way up to the point of being able to choose their own scene partner either. It should be the actor's choice from the start, because whenever that right is taken away from a porn actor at whatever point of his/her career, the porn director becomes a pimp, and he makes the porn actor a prostitute.
It really pisses me the fuck off to hear people who view porn say, "They should deal with it, because it's acting."
And my response to them is this, and that may very well mean YOU:
YOU DUMB INSIGNIFICANT BITCH, HOW DARE YOU MAKE SUCH AN ASININE ASSUMPTION OF WHAT A PORN ACTOR DOES! Walk a mile in these shoes and see how you like having sex with someone you have no chemistry with. If you have in your personal life out of sheer horniness, then you know in hindsight that it is by no means fun! And so what if I was getting paid for it. The fact is the word "actor" in the title of "porn actor" is just a word. There's not suppose to be any acting involved as far as the chemistry between you and your scene partner(s) is concerned. Therefore the word should really be "porn performer" as I'm suppose to be getting paid for allowing the FUN of performing the natural next step in attraction called "sex" to be seen by many. I'm not supposed to be getting paid for fucking with no regard to chemistry. That's what a prostitute does.
No disrespect to prostitutes. If that's what you do, then that's what you do. But there is a line between being in porn and being a prostitute. Hence the reason I am so adamant about how it should NOT be the director's call of who gets paired with whom, but the actors. For porn is a visual medium meant to please the voyeur in us all. And any voyeur is looking to see sex born from genuine attractions, not pretend attractions. Pretend attractions is what prostitutes get paid for, and the reason why the act is practically always behind closed doors. And it is that line between genuine and pretend that separates a porn actor from a prostitute. However, many porn producers/directors refuse to acknowledge that, hence the well-deserved erosion of the American gay porn industry that helped in making me decide to leave.
Looking back, maybe it's been this way in the porn industry all along, which would explain the stigma of rampant drug use within it. Who wouldn't need a hit of something to alter your brain after being put it that situation numerous times a day, week, month, and/or year? That could do a great deal of damage to one's psyche. I can tell just from the couple of times I've been put in that situation for a movie.
After such a statement it is safe to assume that I have some reservations about prostitution. It's mainly in regards to how I wonder one, especially with good finances can get romantically involved with a prostitute. Remember my saying how a porn actor's attraction is suppose to be genuine while a prostitute's is pretend. While both include having sex, my reservation about prostitution is how "pretending" for an adult is a nice way of saying "lying". So if your lover's job entails "pretending" to like someone, because he/she is getting paid for it, if your are as broke as a joke, then you can assume the feelings are real. BUT if you are financially well off, and he says that he loves you, can you trust that he is not "pretending" with you in hopes and getting a payday in the future?
I seem to often attract financially well-off men, and not by seeking them out. Fate just happens that way. The reason I brought up that reservation is because I never wanted my being in porn to make my suitor have the concern that I was after his money. I wanted him to know that I'm a highly sexual person, which contributed to why I could do porn, but never question my heart. By porn actors not demanding a scene partner of their liking, they put themselves in line to not only have to deal with a lover's possible jealousy, but also call into question their motivation as to why they are in the relationship. That is meant to be an additional dilemma for a prostitute, not a porn actor, which is why I don't think someone can be a prostitute, and be in a romantic relationship with someone with good finances. Because whether they admit it or not, that question will always be there for the partner with the good finances, which I'm sure is why most of those relationships eventually fall apart. And as far as the prostitutes that claim to be "gay-for-pay", after all I've said about that in past blog entries, don't get me started on the problem with them. For my words will be, as they always have been on that subject matter...a lot worse.
In all I have said here, I mean no disrespect to either profession. I am simply expressing my concern as to how situations are handled, and the effect it has on those doing the actual work - the porn actors and the prostitutes. NOT the pimps, which nowadays along with the usual street version often includes porn producers and directors as well.
Its one of our strictest rules that models get to see photos of who they will shoot with. Any last minute changes have to get approved by the other model first. Its strange that most studios dont do this. The shoot is better cuz the models like each other which means the scene is better which means your money will be better. It also gives the models trust in you and makes them wanna work with you in the future. Sorry we didn't get a chance to work with you Tre while you were still in the business.
ReplyDeleteTré,
ReplyDeleteI find this a really interesting and stimulating post... for a couple of reasons.
I was involved heavily in New Zealand's legalization of prostitution. Not because I actually have retained the services of a prostitute (I haven't... basically because I haven't seen the need) but because I see their position in the world as an important one. They are an important service provider.
You have, of course, hit an important distinction. Porn actors/stars/models are NOT prostitutes. That being said, it's also worth noting that many in the porn industry are, in addition, prostitutes, that doesn't mean that they always are.
So what is the distinction? Since many/most porn actors don't get to chose their partners, that can't be the only distinction.
In my humble experience, dealing with the New Zealand 'sex industry' (which encompasses all the above, and sex toys, and media, and pimps and brothels) is that when you get them in the open, you find that they're a very different bunch to what you expected. Pimps, in my experience, are on the whole nice people. There's some nasty ones, for sure, but the ones I dealt with were all glorified security people, who were street wise, but excellent communicators, who had no intention of hurting their girls (and guys... although I only met one set in that situation).
I think much of the negativity we perceive about prostitution - which spills into popular negativity with porn - is a result of it all being shoved underground by laws which don't actually protect anyone.
Now again, I'm sure you will disagree with some of what I have written, probably because you have a very different perspective, having worked IN the industry in a country different to one I have lived in. But that's my experience as someone who worked HARD for a change in laws in a liberal nation.
Doc,
ReplyDeleteTo elaborate on your point about how some porn actors are also escorts. I am aware of this, and that's probably why these producers/directors feel no need to ask about who the actor is truly attracted to. The fact is producers/directors need to realize that just because you have 2 jobs in the same industry, doesn't mean you get treated the same way doing both jobs, because as I pointed out, the demands may be different. So what this shows is that the producers/directors are too lazy to take that tiny extra humane step and ask the actor what does HE/SHE want.
Also not everyone is doing those 2 jobs, and even if they are, when a porn actor/escort is doing the job of "porn actor", to not ask their preference is taking advantage of how the profession of "escort" may require less questions.