CHATSWORTH, Calif. - Conventional wisdom has it that most women who choose to enter the adult industry have certain issues: Broken homes, broken lives, sexual abuse, schizophrenia, suitcase pimps, and, perhaps, a strange craving for something called "drugs".
But according to Vivid Entertainment director B. Skow, this sad syndrome is disappearing from the adult industry. Today's new crop of young XXX hopefuls has "a refreshingly positive mindset," he says.
Skow directs a hot-selling pro-am series for Vivid called Brand New Faces. Now in its 16th edition, the line of videos documents the first-time on-camera experiences of fresh-faced amateurs. According to Skow, such erotic experimentation is now driven by healthy, uninhibited desire, and not by damage.
"This new group isn't burdened with the stigma of being in porn," says Skow, a former mainstream photographer who has directed 48 adult movies. "They're not just enthusiastic; they're fearless and will try anything. It's kind of breathtaking. They view porn as a career option and appearing in the Brand New Faces series as a possible step towards being a Vivid Girl or towards work in mainstream entertainment. If this doesn't work out, they'll have fun anyway and get paid for it.
"Most of them have read Jenna Jameson's book, 'How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale', and they've watched the Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian sex videos. They've seen our Vivid Girls being interviewed on TV, watched our 'Deeper Throat' series on Showtime and tell me that all of this has influenced their decision to make an adult movie."
AVN Female Performer of the Year winner Sasha Grey and Digital Playground contract girl Stoya might be considered examples of the "new breed" that Skow describes.
"I am a very sexually healthy young woman and I take pride in the liberation of female sexuality," Grey wrote in response to a UC Santa Barabra student who questioned the porn star's character. "The days of victimized, disturbed porn stars (and civilian women) are fading away. I am the new breed."
And then, too, there are those who say porn is "going mainstream". Maxim explored the topic in a recent article called "Porn to Be Mild".
Others might argue that people who read Maxim are douchebags, and that the much-hyped "crossover" success of Katie, Sasha, Stormy, Jenna, and others is more a symptom of a jaded, pornified pop culture than a barometer of sexual health.
But Skow insists he's seeing a different mentality these days. And he's the guy photographing these girls five minutes after they fill out their LA Direct Models applications.
AVN would like to hear opinions from producers, performers and readers on this topic. Is Skow right? Or is this all just brand-new feces?
Use the comment box below.
