Female porn stars have high self-esteem, study says

"Damaged goods" may not quite be an accurate stereotype of female porn stars - instead, a new study shows these performers have high self-esteem.

 

The study published in the Journal of Sex Research contested perceptions of female porn stars as having experienced sexual abuse as children, The Huffington Post reported.

 

Citing the study "Pornography Actresses: An Assessment of the Damaged Goods Hypothesis," which looked into the self-reports of 177 porn actresses, the Huffington Post report said porn actresses in fact have higher levels of self-esteem, positive feelings, social support, sexual satisfaction and spirituality ().

 

Co-authors of the study included former porn actress Sharon Mitchell and Texas Woman's University professor Christian Hart.

 

On the other hand, the study affirmed stereotypes regarding the actors' current sexuality.

 

It particularly found that they were more likely to identify as bisexual, have had sex at an early age, had more sexual partners, and were more concerned about contracting STDs.

 

Traumatic or empowering?

 

But The Huffington Post said one of its bloggers, former porn actress Jennie Ketcham, contested the study's finding that porn actresses have more "positive feelings."

 

It quoted her as saying in a blog post for the New York Times that being a porn star was traumatic, and she experienced symptoms similar to those of post-traumatic stress disorder after leaving the industry.

 

"A performer becomes virtually incapable of experiencing authentic, intimate relationships; she bases her self-worth on sex, which reinforces the behavior. Relearning a healthy relationship to sex, others and money takes work," it quoted her as saying in a New York Times blog post. On the other hand, Mireille Miller-Young, an associate professor of feminist studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was quoted in the Huff Post report as saying porn can be empowering for female performers.

 

She said some female performers claimed porn offered them a chance to escape poverty and go to college while others "emphasize the creative aspects of pornography."  — ELR, GMA News