Love her or hate her, Jenna Jameson is the most famous porn star in the world. She is a household name among adults of my generation, and this week, Jenna Jameson is featured on Oprah. She speaks of her hugely successful career in porn, her volatile teenage years growing up in Vegas, and her new role as full-time mommy to two healthy twin boys.
Not one to shy away from controversy, Jenna Jameson gave quite the speech at the 2008 Annual AVN Awards: Honesty is key –- and I will never ever again spread my legs in this industry, ever! When she spoke these words, the audience - filled primarily with industry people including fellow adult performers, directors and producers - booed her. Yet, many spoke up in her defense as well.
By the start of 2008, Jameson had been an active member of the industry for nearly 15 years, with over a hundred films under her belt. Her company, Club Jenna had grossed more than 30 million in revenues, with over half of that in profits, before Playboy bought the company for undisclosed millions. Success often comes with great criticism.
Yet, on Oprah Jenna doesn't disparage the industry or blame men. Not all women who star in adult films have been abused by their daddies or uncles. The business savvy Jenna Jameson has managed to parlay a highly lucrative job as an adult performer into a multi-million dollar brand, something only men have done before she entered the industry. She has paved the way for other women in the industry, as well as out of the industry. In her New York Times Book List best seller, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale, she gives sex advice to non-industry women as well as a candid, often personal glimpse into her own life, including her rise to stardom.
One in three consumers of Internet porn are women. Jenna Jameson has recognized this growing segment for years. The mainstream media is beginning to notice this trend as well. The focus is changing from labeling all porn as degrading towards women to showing how it can be empowering both within the industry and in the bedrooms of women and couples across the country. It's no longer America's dirty multi-billion dollar secret, but a growing trend among the sexually liberated.
[Article image courtesy of Club Jenna's Jenna Loves Pain 2.]
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