The Adult Industry Makes The Best PSAs
A ridonkulously obvious thing that apparently bears repeating is that sex work is work. And nothing proves that the boning industry (boning is optional) is just like any other workaday job than having its own advice in the workplace videos. Except that, as opposed to regular old banal PSAs, you'll want to browse this one with only one hand as you'll be using the other one to vigorously take notes.
Porn 101 is an advisory video published by the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee, a kind of ACLU against the mistreatment of people with no gag reflex. The comprehensive 14-minute video serves as a tutorial to the non-sexy parts of what it entails to be an adult entertainer. This advice is delivered by some of the most popular performers currently in the industry, from up-and-often-coming stars to legends like Nina Hartley, the Dame Judi Dench of porn.
The guide covers a wide variety of topics like dealing with late paychecks or compiling a no-list, and includes handy chapters ranging from Payment to Consent to How To Get In -- which, somewhat disappointingly, isn't three minutes of lube recommendations. But it wouldn't be a great job PSA without the obligatory workplace safety portion. And in the case of the adult industry, that's all about sexually transferable illnesses. Porn 101 offers an expansive explainer on STIs ranging from yeast infection to AIDS, with performers stating bluntly that you "can't get AIDS from sitting next to someone on a couch" and to see a doctor when your genitals start "dripping."
It is a bit shocking that the details of this sex talk to porn performers are so very basic. If anything, this serves as a scathing condemnation of the abstinence-focused American high schools, where the most comprehensive sex education teens get is finding out about the loophole while vaping behind the bleachers. So it's a good thing that Stoya is here to remind her newbie colleagues that "your butthole counts as genitals too."
Aside from the sex ed, much of Porn 101 is just a great career resource, not just for adult entertainers but for freelance workers in general. Undercutting the Pornhub glamor, these veteran performers speak candidly about the realities of being a modern-day freelancer. This includes "don't get lowballed, negotiate" and "produce your own content," or involving a lawyer before signing anything and have an education or on-site new skill you can fall back on when things don't pan out.
Furthermore, much of their advice is just useful life tips for any adult, like: "What you say on social media could affect your work" and "always bring your own towel and lube of choice." But if you learn anything from Porn 101 (and there are so many great things to learn), it's two great pieces of advice to everyone considering becoming a freelancer or, especially, freelance porn performer imparted by none other than the award-winning stars of The Gangbang of Bonnie Rotten and Dynamic Booty 5 respectively:
"You need to set a goal, make a plan, and keep your future in mind," and: "There is a support system in porn. We are a community, and we care about the people in our community."
For more unsexy talking-to's, do follow Cedric on Twitter.
Top Image: Adult Performer Advocacy Committee, YouTube
