In my opinion, the adult industry and people in general need to decide if they believe 18 year old females are children or adults. It simply cannot be both ways. Let me illustrate why I am pondering this topic as it pertains to the adult entertainment industry.

Girl X, let's call her Shawna. Shawna is 18 years old and she decides she wants to perform in adult movies. She could use the money, enjoys sex and decides she would enjoy the notoriety that comes with being an adult actress. Knowing full well who Max Hardcore is and having seen his movies, Shawna elects to contact Max Hardcore at a convention and see if she can arrange being in one of his movies. Max likes Shawna's look and agrees to shoot her upon his return to Los Angeles.

A week later, Shawna calls Max Hardcore to firm up the date and get directions to Max's house (where the shooting takes place). After getting the directions, date and time of said shoot, Shawna hangs up. Two days later, she makes the drive from the San Fernando Valley to Altadena, approximately 30 miles, and arrives right on time for the shoot (11 am). Shawna goes right into wardrobe and make-up.

By noon or so, Max calls Shawna into his office to fill out a LENGTHY release and make sure she understands every single sex act she will perform and the money she is going to be paid. She checks off, accepts and initials, anal sex, vaginal sex, blow job, ass to mouth, cum swallowing, urine in her mouth (to include swallowing) and various other sex acts. The movie is now ready to be shot.

The movie starts with a simple meet and greet then moves very quickly to very hard-core anal sex. Over the next hour, Shawna endures this scene and does all that is asked of her. She never asks for a break and certainly never says, "NO" or "PLEASE STOP" to anything, at any time. The scene ends.

Shawna goes to take a shower and clean up. Thirty minutes later she is accepting her pay check for X amount of dollars, the price she agreed to do the scene for. She tells Max it was a great scene and she would like to do it again. Shawna leaves, cashes her pay check and its all over.

A week later, Shawna posts all over the Internet that Max Hardcore was brutal towards her and she was underpaid. Keeping in mind that she agreed to the rate before the shoot and further, she agreed to every single sex act she was asked to perform. At no time did she ever ask to stop the shoot or express any dissatisfaction whatsoever. She took the pay check and spent it.

Now, the adult industry reads about how poorly she was treated and they say, "Poor little girl. No girl should be treated like that. That Max guy is such an asshole."

At this point, the sympathy comes pouring out for poor little Shawna. "Poor little thing was brutalized by the big, bad Max Hardcore". This very reaction now says the adult industry thinks Shawna is a child and needs it's sympathy and protection. On one hand, they scream and clatter that 18 is a legal adult, capable of making the decision to be in adult movies (as long as it's their movies). On the other hand, they strip her of all rights and responsibilities of making adult decisions by laying the blame for the entire scenario with Max Hardcore at Max's feet. They conveniently forgot it was Shawna that found Max. It was Shawna who pursued being in this Max Hardcore scene. They seem happy to forget that Shawna signed the release acknowledging that she was aware of EVERY expectation of her and that she agreed to the rate PRIOR to shooting the movie. Shawna never spoke up during the movie and happily accepted her pay check which she spent on pot and some new clothes.

My question is this: If we are saying an 18 year old female is old enough star in adult movies, I am certainly saying she is old enough to reap both the positive and negative outcomes of being in the adult biz. Am I right or wrong here? If she is an adult capable of being in adult movies and entering into legally binding contracts of her own free will, how can she be absolved of any and all negative results? She could have called off ever appearing in the movie or walked away from the scene half way through. Why didn't she? She wanted and needed the money is likely the answer. At this juncture, how is she absolved of responsibility for this scene and Max becomes the bad guy?

Now, this letter is not really a letter attacking or admonishing Shawna nor saying Max Hardcore is a great guy. The players and names are irrelevant. It is the concept I am really trying to focus on. The adult entertainment industry goes nuts and readily defends their position when religious groups or the government suggest that 18 year olds are too young to do porn. The adult industry aggressively makes the case that said 18 year olds are old enough to enlist, vote and enter into legal agreements such as buying cars and using credit cards, ect. They (both the actress and the BIZ) claim that performing in adult movies is their constitutional right as adults in this country (I happen to agree). Then, in the same conversation, the adult entertainment industry, after making such a convincing case that 18 year olds are adults, goes just the opposite direction when the topic of exploitation comes up. Some poor girl who, as the adult they were just talking about, gets herself into something she was not ready for or was not fond of doing. At which point, the BIZ will coddle her and say its all the bad man's, company's or the most recent alien visitor from Mars' fault. Anything, but her own dam fault for not doing her homework, biting off more than she can chew or lacking enough spine to stop something she was not comfortable doing. If she is an adult, treat her like an adult. If she is old enough to do porn, she is old enough to handle, deal with, reap, partake in any and all repercussions of said decision. If, at 18, she is not old enough, in the eyes of the adult industry, to deal with such repercussions, by all means, move the age up to 25, 30 or any other randomly chosen age you will help you accept her decisions as HER decisions and stop coddling her.

When 18 year old enlist in the military, then get orders for a combat zone, then go AWOL because they are scared of being killed, no one shows such mercy. We all say, you joined the dam Army, you took their money, allowed them to put you through college and now, it is time you paid that debt. Pick up your rifle and go fight and quit being a whiny pussy. No one made you join, it was your decision. I simply ask that the same extension of recognizable adulthood be extended towards the adult entertainment industry as well.

Sexually yours,

BisexualBritni


PS. This letter does not reflect any factual scenario. "Shawna" is not a real person and I simply used Max Hardcore because he is my friend and is often on the receiving end of complaints such as these. My dealings with Max Hardcore have never been anything but absolutely professional. He has paid me every dime I have ever been owed and been the perfect gentlemen towards me at all times.