When the topic of trans performer Ariel Demure is broached with Ricky Greenwood, that’s the first thing that comes to mind. Demure tops and bottoms, the director notes. She’s prompt, reliable and a strong actor. Her personal hygiene is impeccable and, well … let’s be candid. When it comes to her appearance, Demure is an absolute smoke show.
Born in Missouri but raised in South Florida, Demure sensed at an early age that she was different from the other boys in her grade school. By age six, she was sneaking into her mother’s closet to try on dresses and experiment with makeup.
Not that anyone was surprised.
Demure said her grandmother loves to tell a story about when she was 2, crawling around on the living room floor.
“She looked at my father,” Demure says, “and then pointed and me and said, ‘You know this one is gay, right?’ Even before I could really talk, it was obvious, and everyone just accepted it. I always felt more female than anything else.”
Before her junior year, Demure transferred to a new high school in Fort Lauderdale. Although she hadn’t transitioned, Demure said she’d become “very flamboyant.” Her hair, which was blonde at the time, was almost down to her shoulders, and she routinely wore makeup and women’s shoes and clothes to school.
“I was sassy,” Demure says with a laugh. “No one knew who I was. They just thought I was this very strange creature. It got me a lot of attention.”
And to her delight, most of it was positive.
Unlike so many other trans performers, who tell horrific stories of being bullied during adolescence, Demure said the majority of her classmates were accepting and encouraging of her lifestyle. By the fall of her senior year she’d become popular enough to be voted prom queen. Ten years later, she still treasures the school newspaper article commemorating the achievement.
“I was very feminine,” Demure says, “but at that time I didn’t identify as a woman. Subconsciously I think it’s what I wanted, but whenever you feel like people are going to call you out, it makes you hesitant. That’s why people start out as bi, and then gay …. it’s hard to make that jump. It’s a lot of pressure.”
Thus, Demure feels fortunate for the support she received at such a vulnerable stage in life.
“I had such a positive high school experience,” she said. “(Winning prom queen) helped me become more confident and outspoken. I started stripping while I was still in high school, mostly because of the positive feedback I received for being transparent.”
Although tentative at first, Demure said it didn’t take long to realize she had “found her calling” while working at various strip clubs throughout South Florida. Her favorite was the Castle Lounge, where she was a member of an all-female-presenting roster that included both cis and trans women along with cross dressers.
“It made me a part of who I am now,” Demure says. “Everyone’s motivations at strip clubs are different. A lot of people are doing it to survive—but I just really loved it. I enjoyed the atmosphere. I enjoyed meeting new people and talking and learning about their lives and fucking around and being stupid. Those are memories I will always have and cherish.”
By the time she turned 19, Demure had decided to medically transition. She had already begun a side job as an escort after meeting an agency owner at Castle Lounge. Eventually that same man connected her with Jack Flash, a producer/director for ShemaleYum, which later became grooby.com
Demure shot a handful of solo scenes for the website in 2013 and was eager to begin porn full time. But everything came to a halt when Demure was hospitalized from complications related to her hormone medication.
Confused and with mixed emotions, she put her transition “on the back burner” and began her career as a licensed makeup artist. Demure worked five years for Chanel cosmetics—first in South Florida and then in Los Angeles, where she moved in 2018.
Not long after her arrival California—and now with more mental clarity—Demure decided to re-start the transition process.
“I just didn’t have the words to express how I felt until I moved to LA,” Demure says. “I realized that I could transition medically, but not have the societal pressure to be more of a woman. That was the problem: I never felt trans enough. I didn’t feel like putting on airs for men. I didn’t identify with a lot of my trans female friends. There were some key structural differences that didn’t resonate with me. Once I realized I could feel like a woman without having to do all of these extra, non-sensical, performative things, it all made sense.”
Demure says she identifies as “non-binary-trans-femme.”
“I have no desire for society to see me any which way,” she said. “Labels are superfluous. I don’t want a label. I’m not a can of tuna. I simply am who I am.”
With more swagger than ever, Demure left her job at Bloomingdales’s in August of 2020 to pursue a full-time career in the adult industry. She shot her first hardcore scene—with Dante Colle for Gender X’s “My First Trans Action”—in September of 2020 and has been on a roll ever since.
Demure said her favorite scene partner to date is Ella Hollywood, to whom she’s long been attracted. Several times before they met, Demure said she thought she’d connected with Hollywood on Grindr, only to discover it was a catfish.
“It was cool to finally get to do something with her that I’d been trying to do off-camera for a while,” Demure chuckles. “She’s a really cool person, and we ‘get’ each other because we both identify as non-binary outside of porn. We both present as high-femme for the studio stuff, but in our personal lives we see eye-to-eye in that regard. I was really into her. We’ve collaborated since then and stay in touch here and there.”
Already touted as an elite sexual performer, Demure has also earned praise for her acting. She speaks clearly and smoothly when delivering dialogue and seems at ease in front of the camera, rarely tensing up or changing her mannerisms. Demure also has a wittiness and a laugh that is charming to viewers.
“Directors appreciate talents like Ariel,” Greenwood says. “She puts effort into her performance. She’s proud of what she’s doing. She wants to give you a good show. She’s not just coming to cash a check.”
Pleased as she is with what she’s accomplished thus far, Demure is hoping for an even better 2022. Considering she’s already produced high-level scenes for studios such as Adult Time, Evil Angel, Gender X and Trans Angels, a dramatic increase in bookings should seem less like wish—and more like an expectation. Demure also had breast enhancement surgery this fall.
“I’m investing in myself," she says. “I’ve always aspired to be the best version of myself. I alway wanted to remain true to me. I don’t think there’s any reason to stop trying to improve.”
Photography by Scott Wallach
