A version of the article ran in the August 2019 issue of AVN magazine. Click here for the full digital edition. Photo above by Holly Randall, courtesy of Charlotte Stokely.
According to the old adage, “Pretty is as pretty does.” And in the case of Charlotte Stokely, her inner self is every bit as lovely as the slender, blond and blue-eyed package that surrounds it.
Empathetic, funny, insightful, articulate—those are a few of traits one might notice when conversing with AVN’s reigning All-Girl Performer of the Year—or even just when reading the consistently positive and warm social media posts she sends out to a combined half-million followers on Twitter and Instagram. It’s a persona that is genuine but also carefully crafted, reflecting the years Stokely has spent in the public eye as an adult star.
“Anyone can wear a bikini, but to be a person that you can connect with and relate to and masturbate to and basically commit your life to as a fan takes a little something extra,” Stokely says.
When Stokely came on stage to claim the trophy for All-Girl Performer of the Year at the 2019 AVN Awards, it was the culmination of a lot of hard work and tenacity. Stokely entered porn in 2005, shortly after being kidnapped at gunpoint and held captive for four days. “I didn’t tell the police,” she recalls. “I had this interesting idea that if I became famous, if I disappeared people would notice. … I started porn to save my life. And I quickly jumped on a plane to L.A.”
Back in the 2000s, the industry was going strong and money was flowing. Often, Stokely did two scenes a day. “On one hand it was empowering because it was a lot of fun. But it just all happened so fast. I didn’t really know who I was. It was a whirlwind of fuckery and fun, and a lack of fortitude. The three F’s,” she jokes.
“This is before the economy crashed and I was making 30 grand a month, so what else did I need? I would rent limos to go to McDonald’s at 2 a.m. because I could. Just lived a wild life,” she recalls.
Above, photo of Charlotte Stokely by Holly Randall
After a year and a half, she switched to strictly girl/girl bookings. “It was too hard on my body. … If you put your finger inside me, you can reach my cervix,” she says when asked why she stopped doing boy/girl scenes. “My last boy/girl thing was, I think, in 2007. … I’ve never done anal on camera, ever. Because I don’t want to, and I don’t have to.”
In 2012, she signed a contract with MetArt and SexArt for girl/girl scenes. “I think that really helped push my girl/girl career because I had branding for myself with a reputable company as girl/girl only.” And she’s continued to push on her goal to be “the girl/girl girl.”
She also honed her acting skills in such projects as Axel Braun’s Justice League XXX: An Axel Braun Parody and The Possession of Mrs. Hyde (both Wicked Pictures), Ricky Greenwood’s Confessions of a Sinful Nun and Girls of Wrestling (both Sweetheart Video) and Jay Allan's The Kitten Klub (Adam & Eve Pictures). But her interest in acting came before she got into adult. “I’m a Leo. The world is but a stage I dance upon. … I’ve always done improv type comedy. I love reading. I love memorizing things, so I’m great with scripts. … Acting for me has always been super fun. And I take it very seriously.”
Wellness issues are also something Stokely takes seriously. “When I stopped doing boy/girl I got a job at a holistic healing center,” she recalls. “I just started reading and observing and learning all these things.” She also has studied nutrition (specifically, naturopath Peter J. D’Adamo’s blood type diets) and sex education, and is taking classes to become a health coach.
And this month, she’s launching a new business to share what she’s learned with other adult performers. “I want to be a mentor to female performers. To male as well, but I can relate more to female,” Stokely explains. She’s calling her company The Greatest Feelings: “I got the LLC, I got the URL—TheGreatestFeelings.com belongs to me. I want to guide women on ways to be a successful porn star but to not lose sight of joy, creativity, environment, mental health, spiritual health. … And then also with my 13 years of holistic healing experience‚—six years professionally—I want to help women focus on hygiene, self-care and certain foods to eat and certain foods to avoid based on their bio-individuality to really help them age well, because our bodies are our business. … I want to help women performers specifically be the best classy slut they can be in the most healthy way.”
Above, photo of Charlotte Stokely by Dean Capture for CherryPimps.com
Stokely believes she can help people because she’s been through some tough times herself: “I’ve been through some shit and I’ve been unhealthy and I’ve had bad career decisions and I’ve had bad environment decisions and I’ve eaten poorly. I’ve been there, I recognize it; I healed myself from it. … I did it, I lived it, I learned it, I’m teaching it.”
The tough times in her life help her understand what struggles other performers have. “I think it’s important for women to see that I’m a relatable person, and that you can have bad things happen to you but they don’t become you. And I do want to talk about that now. People see me on a pedestal—‘You’ve won all these awards, and you have your shit together’—it didn’t just happen. I had to work hard to be happy. I had to work hard to be healthy. I had to work hard to dedicate myself to my career. … You don’t become what has happened to you. And if anything, it should make you stronger.”
In addition to what she’s learned in school, Stokely also can share practical information that she’s gleaned during her years as an adult performer, not only how to do a good scene and attract fans, but also how to take care oneself—emotionally, physically and financially.
“I want to tell girls to save money for a few reasons. One, we don’t have retirement. [Two], we pay taxes at the end of the year, and unless you’re smart and get those deductions, you’re gonna be fucked. And then you’re going to be pressured to do things you don’t want to do because you don’t have savings. And then that fucks with your mental health and your spiritual health and your emotional health and your physical health.”
By serving one client at a time, Stokely hopes to help strengthen the industry as a whole. “We don’t need more girls lost and confused and hurt. We need girls to be strong, empowered women with a business sense who are here for a reason.”
Below, a still from Jay Allen's The Kitten Klub (Adam & Eve Pictures)
