Hall of Fame porn star Cchoked and stomped on set.
There are countless stories of former porn stars speaking out against the porn industry years after leaving it. Many of these former porn stars, male and female, talk about how they were abused, exploited, and coerced while working in porn. What they felt scared or unable to talk about while in the industry for fear of discrimination or no longer getting work, these ex-porn stars are now sharing with the world.
However, stories of current porn stars rarely come out. Furthermore, stories from hall of fame porn stars are almost non-existent.
Until now.
2016 Adult Video News Hall of Fame inductee Nikki Benz spoke out on her Twitter yesterday, saying that she was recently assaulted by a director on set while shooting for one of the world’s most popular porn production companies. The Canadian porn star is considered to be the most popular performer who partners exclusively with the massive online porn production company, which made the news all the more shocking to those in the industry. She said that the director stomped on her head and choked her, even after she yelled “cut” during the filming of the scene. She said the attack left her shocked and crying for the first time in her 13-year career.
“The director himself put his hands on me and was choking me,” she tweeted. “Never in a million years did I think [porn company] would allow it.”
In one text message she posted, she writes, “Did you see the part where I said cut, where I said I’m not OK with this? … I said no.”
She also tweeted, “I guess rape scenes are in now, huh?”
This is not the first time a major working adult performer has spoken about abuse on set. Lisa Ann, who many consider to be one of the most popular porn stars of all time and one of the few who has successfully transitioned into mainstream media by hosting her own SiriusXM radio show, spoke up earlier this year about how the growing appetite for abuse porn is damaging new female performers who are being required to take part in increasingly extreme scenes in order to get work.
Also, popular male porn star James Deen came under fire last year after several women, including a former girlfriend, accused him of rape and assault during filming.
It’s clear that many viewers think pornography is a fantasy world of pleasure and thrills, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. To those who actually create and participate in producing porn, their experiences are often flooded with drugs, disease, trafficking, rape and abuse.
Porn sites sell the idea that “no” will turn into “yes.” In reality, “no” always means “no.”
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Most kids today are exposed to porn by the age of 12. By the time they’re teenagers, 75% of boys and 70% of girls have already viewed itRobb, M.B., & Mann, S. (2023). Teens and pornography. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.Copy —often before they’ve had a single healthy conversation about it.
Even more concerning: over half of boys and nearly 40% of girls believe porn is a realistic depiction of sexMartellozzo, E., Monaghan, A., Adler, J. R., Davidson, J., Leyva, R., & Horvath, M. A. H. (2016). “I wasn’t sure it was normal to watch it”: A quantitative and qualitative examination of the impact of online pornography on the values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of children and young people. Middlesex University, NSPCC, & Office of the Children’s Commissioner.Copy . And among teens who have seen porn, more than 79% of teens use it to learn how to have sexRobb, M.B., & Mann, S. (2023). Teens and pornography. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.Copy . That means millions of young people are getting sex ed from violent, degrading content, which becomes their baseline understanding of intimacy. Out of the most popular porn, 33%-88% of videos contain physical aggression and nonconsensual violence-related themesFritz, N., Malic, V., Paul, B., & Zhou, Y. (2020). A descriptive analysis of the types, targets, and relative frequency of aggression in mainstream pornography. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(8), 3041-3053. doi:10.1007/s10508-020-01773-0Copy Bridges et al., 2010, “Aggression and Sexual Behavior in Best-Selling Pornography Videos: A Content Analysis,” Violence Against Women.Copy .
From increasing rates of loneliness, depression, and self-doubt, to distorted views of sex, reduced relationship satisfaction, and riskier sexual behavior among teens, porn is impacting individuals, relationships, and society worldwideFight the New Drug. (2024, May). Get the Facts (Series of web articles). Fight the New Drug.Copy .
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