What Does The Porn Industry Do For Its Performers?

Mental health problems do not just disappear. Even worse, they can make someone disappear. Mental health problems are the top culprits of suicide – none will kill themselves if they are not mentally and emotionally exhausted. Thus, mental health problems are some of the things that always need to be addressed.

However, based on the statements of people starring in adult films, it rarely happens in their industry. “We are in a [mental health] crisis in the adult industry. It’s almost becoming like an epidemic,” says porn star Amber Lynn.

Porn Stars and Suicide

The Adult Video News Awards that take place in Las Vegas is arguably the biggest night in the adult entertainment industry. It has the power to popularize young porn stars, which will be beneficial for their careers. The event that happened in 2018 is very special – but not in a positive way. It was noteworthy because two of its nominees were not able to attend it. No, they are neither filming a new video nor are they sick. They have unfortunately passed away.

Famous 23-year-old Canadian-American porn actress August Ames hanged herself in a park 20 minutes drive from her home. She talked about her suffering from depression months ago in previous interviews. Also, she talked about not being able to get the mental health care that she needs because of her work. The last straw was the cyberbullying she experienced after posting a controversial tweet. Ames tweeted about refusing to shoot a scene with a man who shot gay porn. According to the blog posted by Ames’ widow on her website, most of the harassment came from members of the adult industry. He found out through the screenshots of tweets Ames – or Mercedes Grabowski, her real name – kept on her phone.

The other absentee was Olivia Nova, whose 12-hour dead body was found half-naked. While it was an infection that caused her death, her being “scared to go to the hospital” contributed to it. Most likely, she felt like that because of the stigma surrounding porn stars.

Now, these two were not the only deaths mourned by the porn community at that time. Two other female performers died before Ames and Nova did. First, there was the AVN Hall of Famer, Shyla Styles, who was reported to die suddenly in her sleep. Next, there’s industry veteran Yurizan Beltran. She died of an overdose. But apparently, the list was not done yet. 

Olivia Lua, also known as Olivia Voltaire, became the fifth porn star to join them in the afterlife. Before she died, she posted a photo on Twitter with a caption saying, “Nothing scares me anymore.” Mixing of prescription drugs and alcohol caused her death. She died while in a rehab facility.

The five models’ deaths weren’t an anomaly in the adult industry. But, how close the dates of their deaths were was alarming. It was reflective of the worsening situation in the industry. 

So here comes the big question. Is the porn industry doing enough to protect its performers? 

Ruby Says Nope

AVN Hall Of Famer Ruby says that no, the porn industry does not do enough. Even more, she says that porn producers do not really care if their models die or not. Moreover, she says that probably, the producers will like it better if they are dead. “They can make money off of us forever,” she says.

Ruby has moved on from doing porn and became a webcam model. The life of adult performers whose main content is live streaming playing with sex toys and erotic dances is something she much preferred. It reminds her of the good old days of porn when women have the luxury to choose what they wanted to do and who they wanted to work with. She says the porn industry does not let them do that anymore. Ruby says that producers make models do “extraordinarily rough scenes.” That is, without a doubt, mentally taxing.

On top of that, porn stars today face the pressure of social media interactions. Furthermore, there’s increased competition but a lack of increased pay. All of these can exacerbate pre-existing mental health or substance abuse issues. 

Jewels Jade’s Experience

Ex-porn star Jewels Jade also claims that the industry is not doing anything to protect its performers. She recalls a scene she did in the past. “Light bondage scene,” its description said. How disappointed was she when she learned that it is not as light as he thought? Jade was tied in the back of a dump truck with suction cups, clothespins, and rope.

Jewels Jade says she cannot forget the experience. Not because it was one of her most successful scenes, but because the experience traumatized her. She says it made her suicidal. 

According to Jewels Jade, she was not the only one who experienced that kind of treatment. Porn producers purposely misinform them about a scene being softcore. That puts the look of fear on the model’s face, which the fans of BDSM want to see. “They don’t care about the girls,” she says. “They care about the fans.”

Porn Stars Take Matters To Their Own Hands

Since no help comes from the producers in the industry, some porn stars have taken the initiative to be their providers. 

Amber Lynn, who hosts a weekly radio show about the porn industry, also serves as an Adult Performers’ Actors Guild officer. The organization is a chapter of the International Entertainment Adult Union, which prides itself as the only adult actors’ union recognized by the United States Department of Labor. The organization is dedicated to building a solid network of mental health resources for adult performers. 

Adult performer Tasha Reign has also stepped up. She chairs the non-union group Adult Performer Advocacy Committee (APAC). Her group offers a list of sex worker-friendly psychologists and therapists, mental health support organizations, and anti-suicide hotlines.

Nikki Hearts and her wife Leigh Raven also offered their household as a safe haven for fellow porn stars.

It’s sad to hear that porn stars have to rely on each other because help comes from nowhere else. No matter their profession, they are still humans. Unlike sex dolls, they have feelings. Moreover, they are breathing and alive. Porn stars hope that their cries would be heard by the runners of the industry. More importantly, models hope they’ll provide the mental health care the models deserve to get.