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Aurora Snow doesn’t get it. She doesn’t get why so many
people are emulating her.
You see, Aurora Snow is a retired porn star, turned writer. Her name, Aurora Snow, is a pseudonym,
because, like many porn stars, she did not want to drag the family name into
the business.
Anyway, Snow does not understand why so many young people
seem to want to be porn stars. She kind of gets why a couple might want to
spice up their sex lives by filming it for posterity. The danger of exposure
might, for some people, be an aphrodisiac. (It’s the premise of a new and
apparently boring movie called “Sex Takes.”)
Given her experience, Snow is well-qualified to warn people
of the risks of doing sex tapes.
People know the risk, and yet they still do it. Why?
Perhaps they have overcome their sense of shame. After all,
in certain segments of our culture, shame is the enemy. It is something that
must be overcome… in the interest of openness and honesty.
Sexting is apparently widely practiced by adolescents. It is
so widely practiced that it has lost some of its stigma.
We all know that some celebrities have garnered
fame and fortune by doing their own private porn. Think: Kim Kardashian.
And yet, people must know that if they want to be
respectable professionals and have real careers, if they do not want to become
celebrities, such exposure will do them no good.
Though Snow does not put it in these terms, many young people have learned about sex by
watching porn. They believe that porn stars are setting a performance standard
for sexual prowess. It is not bizarre that they would believe that they could
improve their own sexual performance by doing having sex in front of a camera.
Also, if they have fetishized pornographic images, why
should they not use their fetish by getting aroused by images of themselves?
After all, it’s better than “cheating” by watching Aurora Snow.
Yet, porn stars know better than anyone the price of full
frontal exposure.
Snow explains that anyone who is choosing to immortalize his
sexuality on his iPhone should assume that, at some point or another, the
images will escape their confines and enter the public domain.
She offers a word of warning:
So next
time you’re feeling the urge to film, remember that a two-minute video is never
just a two-minute video. Sex tapes aren’t always fun and fortune—they can be a
disastrous embarrassment. And they can be used as video incrimination or
provide for some good old-fashioned shunning.
A quick
glance at the tabloids will let you know whose tape might become public next.
Yet, as long as there is a thrill to be had or a long shot at fame, people will
immortalize their sex for future generations to marvel at.
2 comments:
"Perhaps they have overcome their sense of shame."
Okay, but when that happens, what will it take to make things exciting? If making a porn tape is supposed to get you beyond "bourgeois morals," and it becomes commonplace, chic and therefore bourgeois, what's the superlative going to look like then? What will up the ante and excite the senses?
This is all driven by a culture of narcissism, celebrity and domination. There are many public figures who embody these values. Yet this leads to self-centeredness, loss of privacy and using people to one's own ends, respectively. When human beings become objects, even if it's consensual (the myth of the "victimless crime"), then the true meaning of love goes out of the world, or at least becomes counter-cultural. That's why Christianity will continue to flourish, and why Christian values are the light of the Western world, as out of vogue as they appear on television. People are titillated by the unusual or bizarre, which might give us hope that this porn star thing is a fad or a curiosity. The true destruction will come when it is commonplace. Then perhaps people will begin to see Christianity anew, as the contrasting value set against the rapacious media culture. But Christian morality and ethics are a high standard. Maybe that's what makes them worth following.
This provides an opportunity for Aurora Snow to recognize and stand for the dignity of the human person -- which she has now that she's chosen not to give it away to the camera. Her advice should be heard loud and clear in this crazy world that values experience over all other things. Hers is testimony to what you will give away to find love, attention, and power. She knows it doesn't come with her former profession. Being a porn star isn't just a job, it's a lifestyle, and that lifestyle comes with a lot of tradeoffs that last forever. But redemption can happen at an instant. I wish her the best, and hope her story gets the airtime it deserves.
Tip
I've always wondered about Prostitution. The extent, the total money, the corruption. After all, many women (and some gay youths) can do it easily.
Every so often, Waukegan IL does a street prostitution sweep. They find many "johns" of high status and professions. Even clergy. And that's just the streets (where a few spasms can get you awful STDs).
I knew a pornographer in CA (email only, deceased). After the Crash of 08, his "models" Mothers were asking him for work.
It's not much better now. I'm sure there are many older gents like me, with a bit of disposable income. Viagra.
Who knows how many spend it on the cash-strapped neighbor lady? (I wouldn't) Heck, in my poor locality, most are a govt or paycheck away from homeless. There's a Paycheck or Auto Loan or Pawnshop on every street.
Porn is a relatively small sordid "business". Prostitution is un-knowably huge and ubiquitous. Hard times make for hard choices. What say you? -- Rich Lara
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