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Retirement & Life After Sex Work
What does a pornstar, sex worker, escort or fetish model do after they retire?
When do they know it’s time to retire? Is there a specific way to retire? Or should they just take a long, open ended hiatus?
Is there a plan for retirement and leaving the adult entertainment industry?
Can you successfully leave this industry and never come back?
These are all the questions an adult entertainer asks his or her self every year. Should it be this year or should they be in one more?
Retirement is a complicated decision; there are no simple answers.
To me, retirement has always been a personal decision that’s based on a person’s mental state of mind and what point they are at on their life path. When the time came for me to make this decision, I spent a great deal of time researching retirement. I talked to women I know who have successfully retired, I talked to women who have retired and come back.
And what I’ve surmised is that, once you are part of the adult industry, it is very difficult to leave it. Finding “mainstream work” is often difficult because of the stigma that attached to the profession, adding “Pornstar” to your resume when interviewing for a job isn’t actually helpful in most cases. Many entertainers choose to omit it, but then it creates gaps in their resumes that they then have to lie to fill in.
In my research, I found this absolutely amazing post on Kink.com’s Blog that hit the nail on the head (they are the leader in Fetish Kink porn and now I believe they deserve some kudos for showing another side to their talent’s lives). As you can see, the women are women are very different in their daily lives and dress than they are on camera, just like any mainstream actor you see on the big screen.
Here are my opinions and beliefs on retirement:
In the adult industry, you have a shelf life. For a porn stars, it’s usually 2-3 years (there are always exceptions, if they become a major brand with a huge following, there is a lot more to leverage) on film. Then they usually become sex workers afterwards or start directing and producing themselves.
For a person who’s never been on the camera end of the adult business and entered the business as a stripper, prostitute or dominatrix, it’s a bit longer. My belief is that one has a “shelf life” of about five years (there are some amazing exceptions to the rule). That is based on a few factors, including: time in the industry, growing/refining/changing the services offered (and experimentation with the brand that is one’s professional persona) and the area in which an entertainer works. It’s a harsh reality, but in general, the clients that get used to men and women in a certain area and eventually will get tired of them. The area dries up and the entertainer has to relocate and/or reinvent their persona (but that’s another blog I will write at another time).
I started in the adult industry in 2004 and worked in different aspects of it and I still work. But in 2007, I started planning my exit strategy. I took my background that I had tabled for a few years and combined it with my (sometimes hard learned) adult entertainment knowledge and started my own adult marketing and web development firm. I continued my “professional” working as I simultaneously worked to develop and establish a company with a unique business approach and voice.
Two weeks ago, I decided (as I thought through all the questions above) it was time to retire myself and focus on what I want most, which is to continue growing the company. So my own retirement is based on personal goals and desire and wanting the next step.
It’s scary really, I feel what I am doing is still in its infancy, I am further along thank I think. Mainly because of my transparent business style and sheer neurotic drive to create the next enriching part of my life. I am lucky to be able to combine my adult experiences with the education I received in college (marketing/English degree) and create a company built upon my passions.
So here I come world, an retired escort/dominatrix/3-porn movie star - turned amazing adult marketer & adult SEO guru.
And here’s to all those who’ve retired and dared to to take the next step.
And if that retirement brought you back, awesome. Kudos for taking the time to discover what was best for you for a short period of time. Worked should be based on passion, no matter what work it is.
NOTE: I promise a more in depth exploration of adult industry retirement. There is too much to be crammed into on one post.
August 24th, 2008 at 2:53 am
I never had the pleasuer of meeting you but I want to wish you the best in your retirement. After looking at your site I wish I would have found it sooner. Would have loved a session with you . Just browsing as I will be on the west coast this coming week. Best of luck.
Brent
September 13th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Sex craze will not die with age!!!
So keep on enjoying!!!