For many, porn and sex work is equated to a salacious world of sleazy men with moustaches and pimps with gold chains.
So a common reaction to news that a porn star was treated in a degrading way becomes, ‘Well, what do they expect?’
But, as Australian porn star Madison Missina told Mia Freedman in her No Filter podcast, porn stars – like any employee – expect respect in the workplace.
Listen to what she had to say here:
Missina, 32, said there were some really great, professional adult actors out there. They were hygienic, respectful and keen communicators.
“There are some porn stars that I no longer work with that I’ve turned up to set and they’ve been all over me, wanting to touch me and say things to me like, ‘Oh, I’m just trying to make sure we get great chemistry for set’,” Missina said.
“And I’m like ‘Eugh. No. This is just sexual harassment. Stop it.”
Madison Missina. Image via Twitter.
And now just this week, there are numerous media reports about porn star James Deen exhibiting this behaviour with co-workers.
In recent days, three former co-stars of the world’s most famous porn star have gone public with allegations he raped or assaulted them.
The empire of the adult film industry’s “it boy” – a man who managed to amass an impressive 89 film and TV titles to his name in 2015 alone, as well as a huge legion of male and female fans – is crumbling around him, with porn studios and websites quickly severing ties with him.
It began on Sunday, when Deen’s former girlfriend and fellow porn star, Stoya, claimed she was raped by the 29-year-old
“James Deen held me down and f–ked me while I said no, stop, used my safe word. I just can’t nod and smile when people bring him up anymore,” she wrote on Twitter.