Contrary to stereotypes, female porn stars aren’t any more likely to have experienced childhood sexual abuse than women who do not star in porn, a recent study found. Further, the research found that female porn stars (like Jenna Jameson, above*) have higher levels of self-esteem and more “positive feelings, social support, sexual satisfaction and spirituality” than women who don’t make porn.
The study, published in the Journal of Sex Research, surveyed 177 porn actresses and compared their answers to those from a sample of women whose age, ethnicity, and marital status aligned.
So the whole theory that porn actresses are broken, somehow? Not the case. “These findings did not provide support for the damaged goods hypothesis,” the study stated.
Some commonly held perceptions do hold true, though. The porn stars were more likely to have used 10 specific drugs (“marijuana, hallucinogens, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, other opiates, methamphetamine, tranquilizers, barbiturates, and other sedatives”) and, the Huffington Post reports, “were more likely to identify as bisexual, have had sex at an early age, had more sexual partners, were more concerned about contracting STDs and enjoyed sex more than the matched sample.”
Researchers posited that this might be one reason why the psychological well-being of porn stars is better than the public expects:
It is likely that low levels of embarrassment are experienced among porn actresses, and being able to be completely naked in front of others might be associated with an elevated self-esteem. Although exhibitionism was not measured, that may also be a common characteristic of porn actresses. For an exhibitionist, performing in an X-rated film may be associated with an environment where that characteristic is rewarded. Self-esteem has been conceptualized as the extent to which one values, approves, or likes oneself (Blascovich & Tomaka, 1991). Thus, if porn actresses are exhibitionists, it may be the case that performing sex acts on film are associated with heightened feelings of self-approval because they may be receiving reinforcement from management, coworkers, and fans, which may subsequently be related to elevated levels of self-esteem.
Fascinating research — we hope to hear more on the subject.
*Jameson was not involved in the study. Photo is for illustration purposes only.
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