Girl on the Net

This week’s guest blogger is Charlie Ten – @CharlieTenModel – a porn performer (or ‘mattress actress’ as she puts it on her Twitter profile, which made me giggle) who is here to talk about ethical porn. One of the things that most frustrates me about the porn ‘debate’ (by which I mean broadly the arguments between those who think that All Porn Is Bad And Evil and those who don’t) is that those who are anti-porn are rarely interested in engaging with the specific problems in the industry – their blanket dislike of porn means they can just say ‘all porn is bad’ and have done with it. Performers like Charlie, on the other hand, are well-placed to talk about the ways in which the industry may be letting people down, and how ethical porn producers are working to change that. Take it away Charlie…

Ethical porn

An anti-pornography protest I recently witnessed got me thinking. It was held by the “London Feminist Network” outside the UK Adult porn awards. It struck me as entirely anti-feminist to tell women – as well as everyone else attending the awards – that their way of making money was inherently wrong. We laughed at their signs and inability to explain their views coherently. But whilst I didn’t agree with their sentiment one bit, aspects of the industry are in fact damaging.

Performers can feel like they have to change themselves in order to get more work; I am often told that my tattoos, scars and even my height mean I’m unsuitable for a scene. Some performers are denied work for having too much plastic surgery. Whilst this may be down to the fact that producers are catering to a market and know what sells, as an industry, we need to be creating porn with diverse body types instead of tiny, white, unblemished ones. There is a market for everything and any individual with the right attitude should be able to partake.

The impact of the porn industry on my life began long before I actually became a part of it; I started watching porn when I was young, and I obsessively watched it for years to come. At first I watched hentai – Japanese anime porn – exclusively, I thought it was somehow morally more righteous than watching live action porn. Whether or not my early consumption of porn has had a positive or negative impact on my life is up for debate.

On one hand, it led to me to the exciting adult industry based life I lead today. I’ve travelled to Amsterdam, Barcelona and Berlin, all based on my strength as a performer and businesswoman. But on the other hand, it may well be responsible for my uncontrollable craving for hardcore sex, brutality, hurting people sexually and getting hurt by them. But is that necessarily a bad thing? I’m sexually satisfied, more than if I were to just have vanilla sex; no whips, no chains, no excitement.

Parents need to make an active effort to talk to their children about sex from a young age to ensure that they realise that porn is purely a fantasy, especially as it’s becoming more readily available to newer generations, and to explain that any fantasies they have as a result of consuming it are fine as long as it’s consensual and (retrospectively) safe. The education system also needs to catch up with the fact that any child with a computer will come across pornography sooner or later.

I believe ethical porn is not defined by the content as much as it is defined by two key conditions – treating your performers with kindness and respect, and paying them enough.

Treating your models ethically is easy. Talk to them like humans, not circus animals. They should be aware of what’s expected of them, and never made to feel bad for saying no to anything they did not agree to prior. It is also important to be as communicative as possible leading up to the shoot and answer any and all questions they have. If it is a full day shoot, make sure they are fed, and provide lunch if possible. Compliments are fine, but never flirt with them or make them feel uncomfortable – don’t assume that they are single or interested in you – always remember consent.

Let me describe one unethical thing that happened to me on a porn set. During one scene, I was bound, feet to the floor with my arms tied up above me, as well as being blindfolded and gagged – unable to say a safe word. I felt a sharp object run up my leg. At this point I thought I was going to die, that my lifelong habit of getting into particularly weird situations had led me to my death.

It was a pinwheel, I discovered later – which is not dangerous at all, but the fact that my life was not truly in danger doesn’t matter. In porn, everything should be discussed beforehand and as a performer you should know exactly what you’re about to do.

Ten years ago, it wasn’t unheard of for models to make upwards of £10,000 a scene. Now, in the UK, the standard rate is £300-350 for a boy/girl scene of any length. People just aren’t paying for their porn anymore, so no-one is making as much as they used to – producers cut their losses and cut the rate they pay models.

The other day I was offered £250 to appear in a 6 guy/1 girl gangbang scene. I turned it down, as I can easily make double that doing a softcore lesbian scene in Europe. I simply felt that amount did not reflect my value as a performer. I’d happily do my first gangbang for the right price, with the right producer, but that was not it. The models who accept this price for multiple penises: good for you! It will probably make for a better scene if the model is doing it because she really wants to fuck 6 guys, rather than because she needs to pay her rent. I have worked for free (naively), I have worked for £50 a scene, and £1000 a scene, and I don’t regret any of it. It all led to building my bank account and my reputation. However I insist on being paid a fair amount, in comparison to the profits the company filming me will make.

This is not to say that content share – the act of making porn where both parties receive the content to sell on their own platforms instead of pay – is inherently unethical. Rather, it is an excellent way to make a name for yourself in the industry and build your fan-base, providing you do it with the right people. It is true that some will use content share to get models to perform free, knowing that they will make more money selling the videos than the model will.

I could go on and on about the ins and outs of making ethical porn, but at the end of the day, the best way to ensure the future of ethical porn is to pay for it. Buy videos from your favourite models, subscribe to your favourite sites and search for ethical alternatives. For those within the industry, learn and practise proper consent, act professionally, and pay your performers respectfully.

Image of Charlie Ten by @MrGroveFilms (NSFW links)