This month, XBIZ World took a look at Women In Adult, www.womeninadult.com, and the role that female executives play in the growth and operation of the adult industry at all levels — there’s no glass ceiling in porn, and if there was, it would involve some guy with a camera shooting up through it, to provide a new niche for upskirt fans.
According to the group, Women In Adult (WIA) “is the industry’s premiere organization to promote and advocate women’s diverse roles in adult entertainment through a series of annual workshops, trade show events and other social gatherings.”
While a job in porn may not be the highlight of your resume, it could be the best job you’ve ever had.
The group’s mission “is to offer women from all sectors of the adult industry an uplifting environment to cultivate relationships, explore business opportunities and inspire one another.”
The XBIZ Summit in Miami offers a WIA Spa Day networking event, bringing its members together for quality face time in a relaxing atmosphere, fostering relationships and delivering an unparalleled interpersonal experience. Receiving separate but unequal treatment, the guys will be getting together for a sausage fest and talking about girls — while the girls are out polishing and primping, but not talking about guys — c’est la vie!
Because adult entertainment promoters tend to have a decidedly liberal slant, while its consumers embrace every imaginable incarnation of humanity (driving broad acceptance rather than narrow minded judgments), there is a place in the adult business for everyone: male or female and everywhere in between and beyond.
No matter whom you are, where you live, your level of education, the language that you speak, your religion, politics, weight or color of your hair; from 18-80, people of all walks of life are turning to the sex trade, for a fun and interesting way to make a living and to express themselves and their sexuality in a safe, healthy way. And don’t let that 80 number stop you, as an increasing number of octogenarians are remaining in the workplace and remaining sexually active, driving new and growing audiences for porn.
Whether in front of a camera or behind it, in an office down the hall, or in a studio or call center somewhere around the world, or even from the privacy of your own home — porn provides opportunity for everyone — making it the most progressive workplace environment imaginable; the reality of which is a sting in the pants for foes of freedom that seek to tarnish the adult entertainment industry with words such as exploitation and slavery. News flash: legitimate porn businesses call slaves interns.
Like any modern multibillion-dollar industry, porn needs talent ranging from CEOs to janitors; but unlike many mainstream counterparts, most porn companies won’t care if a job applicant has a big tattoo on their neck and a bone through their nose — as long as he or she is qualified for the position.
From single moms to stay at home dads, ambitious city slickers seeking the big time, to quiet country folks trying to earn a living, many motivators can make porn a promising alternative to the soul crushing reality of other workplace options.
Perhaps surprisingly, a desire to honor religious observances can also play a role in a person’s decision to enter the adult industry, due to the flexibility that aspects of it offer.
For example, Adventists and Jews wanting to keep the Sabbath may find it difficult to reconcile their prayer schedule with their work schedule and employer demands, such as having to work on Saturdays. Muslims may encounter a problem when asking the boss for a month off for Ramadan or to hit the Hajj — and who wants to work on Christmas, regardless of their personal beliefs?
Find your niche in adult and your schedule — and time — can be in your own hands.
Before you get too excited about that time aspect, however, realize that I did not say your free time would be in your hands, because depending upon your role in this business, you may not have any free time on your hands at all.
From the often steep learning curve that can demand endless hours of research and force the need for continuing education, to the never ending drone work usually involved in publishing and promoting a website, time and freedom may not be something you will get much of — but this is the toll that all entrepreneurs face until they can delegate chores to employees and other enablers — regardless of the type of industry they operate in.
Time can also be a tricky thing for live cam performers seeking to target surfers in more affluent countries, a handful of time zones away — requiring odd working hours, and extended working hours, when tips are lean and paid-for private show time scarce.
Like miners, the more you dig, the more you earn: the gold doesn’t just jump in your pan by itself — but unlike miners you don’t have to be in good physical shape to make a productive living. In fact, adult entertainment has long provided a haven for handicapped individuals, particularly in the phone sex and text chat arenas; where imagination is the source of the image, which may not at all reflect the reality of the personality behind it.
Likewise, many girls that some guys chat with are really other guys — perceptions and reality can be highly divergent online — as long as the user’s fantasy remains intact.
This is where porn’s extremely democratic nature makes it the most equal opportunity employer in the world, even if retirement plans and fat benefits packages are hard to find.
Confined to a wheelchair, have stringent medication schedules or health concerns that keep you homebound with time on your hands? Adult may offer a career path delivering more money and opportunity than many other endeavors available to or practical for you.
Rather than a sham, porn’s work at home opportunities are very much real, even if they make managing the rest of your life more difficult, especially when you might have troubles balancing tasks — it may be a lot easier to avoid a lunch break while working at home than it is in an office, where getting away for a bit can be a task slowing necessity.
Whether you’re an accountant or an actress and looking for a job, porn has a position for you, where the opportunities are unlimited and the practicalities a Godsend for those who might not otherwise find an acceptable job in a traditional workplace environment; as well as for those who are competitive enough to write their own ticket on any playing field in any industry; as we need the world’s best and brightest and can pay for their time.
While a job in porn may not be the highlight of your resume, it could be the best job you’ve ever had. Check it out and get your own equal access to this world of opportunity!
Stephen Yagielowicz is XBIZ World’s senior technology editor.