Controversial new documentary Hot Girls Wanted, concerning the recruitment of young women into the so-called "pro-am porn" world, has struck a mighty nerve among members of the adult industry community, several of whom have voiced their opinions on it through mainstream outlets—including Casey Calvert for Refinery29.com, Aurora Snow for The Daily Beast, Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals for Uproxx.com and AVN's own Mark Kernes here.
But AVN wanted to know what those at the very center of the HGW debate thought about it—namely, adult's current crop of "fresh" starlets. So for the July issue of AVN we polled a number of up-and-comers, all no older than 21 and in the industry no longer than about a year, for their reactions to the movie, and some of them had much more in-depth thoughts to offer than we expected.
One of those was Rachael Madori, whose credits thus far include Wicked Comix's Barbarella XXX: An Axel Braun Parody, Manipulative Media's Stalked, Airerose Entertainment's Lesbian Fanatic and Digital Sin's Innocence Bound. Rachael submitted her own full review of HGW, which follows below.
A hot topic among those of us in and outside of the adult film industry is a new documentary available on Netflix titled Hot Girls Wanted, directed by Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus. The film follows several young girls who pursued the life of an amateur adult actress. This movie is quite obviously one point of view looking into the amateur adult film industry. As a woman still fairly new to the world of adult films, I believe it makes some accurate points but it has a more negative than educational agenda.
The reasons why young girls decide to try pornography are addressed. You can see, firsthand, an average model house in Miami. You also meet a talent agent who specializes in new adult actresses as well as seeing them interacting in everyday life. The video emphasizes the categories of porn movies that involve violence and exploited teens. One young actress gives us a view of her personal relationships with her family and boyfriend through her short time in the industry. Although this documentary has gained massive amounts of popularity, I can only assume this is due to the fact that the adult industry is uncharted territory for the mainstream world. It most certainly has not gained attention as a movie that offers an unbiased representation of the industry.
The first question usually posed to new aspiring adult actress is, "Why?" This question is most definitely answered by the young ladies in Hot Girls Wanted. Although I do not question the legitimacy of their answers, it makes it very apparent from the beginning of this movie that these girls are immature and have a poor sense of self-awareness. A reason often given is to escape from their previously mundane life under the thumb of their parents—and of course the most popular reason was the allure of money. The reoccurring theme I feel while watching the girls explain why they decided to start doing porn is that it's something they don't truly agree with internally but they're willing to put that aside to get away from their parents and make some cash. This typifies how women in the industry are being portrayed in this documentary.
Not only does this movie depict the girls as naive and poor decision makers, they're also made out to be powerless. When the subject of a single site called "Facial Abuse" is presented, it seems as if the girls are forced to agree to shoot that content—which is not the actual case. I feel as if the movie is trying to send the message that the violent themed porn shoots are not professional and consensual, which is extremely inaccurate.
When things are said such as "I didn't know I could tell him no" when referring to a porn shoot, I become confused. For every shoot a plethora of paperwork is reviewed and signed by the female and male talent, plainly stating that you are able to cancel and leave the set if you are made to feel uncomfortable in any way. The theme of women in the industry lacking self-awareness and intelligence is brought up again when it's said, "There are always new eighteen-year-olds to be taken advantage of." This statement completely removes the idea from the watcher’s head that all these women have made the choice on their own. The movie Hot Girls Wanted and the cast of girls have portrayed young women in the amateur adult film industry as naive, powerless, unintelligent and abused.
I have been to the model house filmed in the movie; I have met the talent manager depicted; and I have shot in Miami multiple times when I was still an amateur performer. I was also made to feel comfortable and treated extremely well. Based on my experience, what makes a young girl feel this way when she begins working in the adult film industry is to always keep professionalism intact. The reason I fell in love with this industry is because of how professionally this business is run. Girls are encouraged when filming porn is treated as what it is: a professional job. Whether it be having their paperwork ready to read as soon as they walk on set or the director being pleasant, professionalism is key—and it has never been lacking in my one year’s experience.
However, as much as this industry can affect how a brand-new girl feels, it is her responsibility as a woman and an individual to know her limits and her self-worth. In my opinion Hot Girls Wanted portrayed young girls in the adult industry very poorly, and the key to being happy as a new woman in porn is to be confident in who you are and what you want.
Above, Rachael Madori in a still from Sex Symbols 2, which streets July 16 from Airerose Entertainment.
