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Now on Netflix is Hot Girls Wanted, a new documentary from producer Rashida Jones and directors Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus about the thriving amateur porn industry. Amateur porn, or “Porn-Am” for short, features young women anywhere from 18 to 24 with a central focus on the “girl next door” appeal. Girls fresh out of high school will flock to Los Angeles or Miami for a shot at making it in the industry, often resulting in dire consequences.
The powerful new documentary follows five different aspiring amateur porn stars — Tressa, Rachel, Jade, Karly, and Michelle — as they struggle to remain relevant in a “world where you’re just processed meat,” according to Rachel, also known as Ava Taylor. Here are ten moments that struck us as most revelatory from Hot Girls Wanted, which — while it may be too early to tell — could earn Netflix another Oscar nomination for Best Documentary.
"There are so many girls. It's not about having a pretty face or a nice body." — Set Photographer
During a shoot, a set photographer tries to coax new girl, Michelle (also known as “Brooklyn Daniels”), into coming up with her own flair. She struggles with showing off what might make her unique, while the other girls seem to have their “characters” down pat.
“What I do is an outlet for something that's already there. Supply and demand." — Jade, AKA "Ava Kelly"
According to Hot Girls Wanted, “teen” is the number-one searched term in Internet pornography. The industry keeps hiring girls who are legally 18 but may look much younger. To a slew of producers, that’s extremely appealing for their businesses to grow.
"Most of my friends think I shouldn't date her. But all I ever see is a girl who wanted to make something for herself." — Kendall
Tressa’s (also known as “Stella May”) boyfriend Kendall gives the audience insight on what it’s like to date an aspiring porn star. The two often can’t attend parties of friends without the subject becoming overbearing. After a few months, the psychological toll begins to present itself in their relationship.
"I don't judge anybody. If that's what floats their boat, they're watching it on the computer and they're not going out and doing it to an actual girl." — Jade, AKA "Ava Kelly"
Recent research shows that nearly 40% of online pornography depicts violence against women. Porn star Sasha Grey broke into the mainstream after asking prominent male porn star Siffredi to punch her in the stomach while filming. Abuse porn and forced oral sex are lucrative categories on the Internet’s top porn sites and often serve as an outlet for aspiring actresses to get famous quickly.
"This can't be good for you to have sex that much. With so many different people. Oof. It's so weird that it's my job." — Karly, AKA "Lucy Tyler"
Karly informs us of this as she fills a previously used douche with tap water to clean her vagina after a shoot. Douching is often frowned upon in the obstetrical and gynecology fields because the process interferes with the female body’s natural cleansing process. Tressa, at just 19, had to have a vaginal cyst drained because of having too much sex and douching too often afterwards.
"There we go. The degrading thing. Me, that I do it on camera to somebody who’s faking it or that guy or that woman who's been working at that company, busting their ass for shitty benefits?" — Jade, AKA "Ava Kelly"
Jade has been in and out of the amateur porn industry for a few years, but she keeps coming back. All five girls shared the same dream initially: to get out of their hometowns and not get stuck in dead-end jobs. Yet, the appeal of the porn industry often overshadows the reality of how many young women are left broke, broken, and left to pick up the pieces after the very people who believed in their work discarded them after just a few months.
“All I did was went to Walgreens, got the Plan B pill. They gave me an extra $100 for that." — Michelle, AKA "Brooklyn Daniels"
Seen throughout the documentary is a lack of education about birth control and pregnancy. Because California state law requires the use of condoms in porn, many in the industry have flocked to Miami where it’s only legally required to receive regular STI and STD testing. Many girls, however, are not using any form of birth control and are sometimes paid extra for Plan B, which, if taken too often, can result in permanent fertility problems.
"She wants to get notoriety but not be scarred. Not everybody can come back from that. She was one of the girls who didn’t know what she was getting herself into." — Jade, AKA "Ava Kelly"
Jade lays into why Belle Knox, more commonly referred to as “The Duke Porn Star,” is a fraud who has a fantastic publicist. Knox often speaks about sexual autonomy, the freedom of choice, and the ability to pay her pricey tuition. She broke into the industry, however, by participating in abuse porn.
"It’s like all about the guy getting off." — Rachel, AKA "Ava Taylor"
After a gut-wrenching appearance in a shoot with a man almost three times her age (male porn stars last much longer in the industry by comparison), Rachel breaks down the lack of creativity. “Like, it’s always your first time,” she says. “And you’re just like, ‘Well I’m dumb as hell and I need $500 and I’m gonna give it to this random dude that I would never have sex with in real life and have sex with him and say things that I never say and do things that I never do.'”
"I only made $25,000 in four months. And after I got out of porn, I had $2000 left in my bank account." — Tressa, AKA "Stella May"
Aspiring porn stars have to pay for all of their testing, makeup, nails, lingerie, travel, and rent. Ten percent often goes to their agent, who in this case is also their housekeeper. So in addition to receiving his pay per shoot, Riley also receives the girls’ rent checks.
[Watch Hot Girls Wanted on Netflix]
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