This is something I ponder a lot: are female porn stars being degraded by the male producers and the male audience? Or are they in control of their own destinies and their bodies? Why is it that although most female porn stars will deny it, they've either had absent or abusive father figures in their lives? I really find it hard to believe that that are well adjusted female porn stars out there.. Let me examine the arguments here.

Take female porn star A. A is a smart businesswoman, she markets many adult toys in her image, has starred in many movies, and might even be recognized by many mainstream people. She makes lots of money, and although she has been in the industry for a long time, she enjoys relative success and has a great life. She, for the record, has probably undergone many cosmetic procedures to attain a look suitable for porn, but quite frankly, odd for real life. Many would say she is control of her own destiny and doing alright by herself.

Female porn star B is not like female porn star A. B was abused/had no father figure growing up, so subconsciously to "show the world" how deserving of the attention she once lacked is, she takes her clothes off for the camera and has sex with men. B is trying to overcompensate for feeling unwanted and ugly when she was younger. B does scenes with multiple men, and might even dabble in "degrading" porn (what porn isn't?). Many would say she is being degraded.

Don't think I'm a prude. In fact, if you catch me in the right mood, I quite enjoy pornography. I think the feeling we get inside that makes us want to watch nudity is both natural and should be encouraged. However, I can't help but also feel bad for the women in the industry. The men can be hideous and overweight; the women must be considered "beautiful" by the industry's standards-- most porn stars have tiny waists, bleached blonde hair, lots of makeup and silicone breasts (again, I am generalizing here) or they're relegated to fetish films. I, personally, have never seen a pornographic film in which the woman was in control. The men treat women like they're their personal dolls to be thrown around and even borderline abused.

There are people who say that some women are to "beautiful" for porn. Take Aria Giovanni, for example. Something about this girl just irks me. In the beginning, I thought she was pretty because she's curvy and has brown hair in a sea of stick thin blondes. However, the more I thought about it, the more she disgusted me. Most men defend her because they think she's hot, but in my opinion, she looks trashy. How could you not when you're lying on your back spreading your labia for people you don't even know? Many say she was smart and unpopular in school and so she's too "worldly" for porn. Give me a break. Fisting yourself or penetrating yourself with a very large dildo on camera is quite worldly. By the way, people call her an "Italian goddess," but she's 1/4 Italian and her birth name is Cindy Renee Volk.

I think encyclopedia dramatica put it quite nicely: Aria Giovanni is Italy's biggest porn star, or she would be if she wasn't born in California and named Cindy Renee Volk by her parets. Apparently an unpopular and shy kid at high school, she decided that education was too hard and that pushing most of her arm up her vagina was a much better way to make friends and earn a living. Doesn't do hardcore, because that would be icky.