Australia- Next to feminism, plastic surgery and skinny jeans (on men), it seems porn is a subject this blog never tires of. Apparently a quarter of blokes look at pornography at work (though most downloads are supposedly unintentional pop-ups), 50 per cent men are addicted to it and one in three porn viewers are women.
So when international Porn Star Bobbi Starr comes to town for the annual Sexpo conference, I couldn’t resist doing an interview with her. After all, she does look like your average girl next door …
Me: I know you’re probably always asked this, buy I’m fascinated: what made you get into porn in the first place?
Bobbi: “I’ve always been a sexual person. I grew into a young lady who was fascinated by sexual images and sexual acts. I used to keep sexual journals. I couldn’t get enough. I lost my virginity again at a young age (it was a quick and awkward experience.) When I was a junior in college I met a boy and quickly fell in love with him. Soon (and I mean very soon) I came to discover that he worked for a fetish porn company in San Francisco. I struggled with it but mostly because I was very curious. Within one conversation he expressed that I should try working for this company. I thought to myself, “Yes! Yes, I should.” After much consideration regarding family, friends, school, career, etc I made the decision to go ahead and do it. I am still very happy with my decision and I will never regret it. I am a firm believer that you should always hold yourself accountable for your decision. Even if at some point this decision ‘destroys’ my life as I know, there will be a lesson learned that came from it.
Me: What are the ups and downs of the job, metaphorically speaking?
“Up: having safe and ‘protected’ sex. What I mean is that the people within the porn pool make up some of the safest people to have sex with due to the regulation on testing (every 30 days.) Therefore when I go to work I consider myself protected.
Down: When someone within the porn pool has unprotected sex (i.e. without a condom) outside of the pool it potentially contaminates the protected circle. So, please always wear a condom to protect yourself and others against disease.
Up: The travelling is a wonderful advantage of this job. I’ve had the opportunity to travel all around the U.S. and the world. For example, Australia! I’ve fallen in love with this country.
Down: However, it has been difficult. It’s hard to know where and what your home is. I find myself missing my bed but I would trade in my experiences for the world.”
Me: Craziest thing you’ve had to do?
Bobbi: “Suspended 6ft in the air while having sex, sealed in a coffin and dunked into a fish tank!”
Me: How do you feel about people looking at you naked all the time?
“I don’t mind it all. I’m very proud of body the way it is, curves and all. We all have the same bits and pieces; they just all come in different shapes and sizes. Honestly, I think I look better naked than with clothes on!”
Me: Are you recognised in the streets?”
Bobbi: “Airports, yes. Otherwise I just get that, ‘I know you. I know you from somewhere. Don’t I?’ look.”
Me: We’ve had a lot of discussion on this blog how porn affects relationships. Do you feel that porn helps or hinders?
Bobbi: “It can open people’s minds to a part of life that they never would have either exposed themselves to or would have preferred to ignore. It also allows for some to feel more comfortable to try new experiences. Being open, whether that is directed towards sexual experiences or life itself will help a relationship.”
However, this is a profession that most people have difficult times dealing or coming to grips with. Personally, I am single right now because I keep meeting people who start out by saying, ‘I can deal with your job. I see you love it and I’m happy for you.’ Six month, maybe six weeks, maybe even six days later they realise it’s too much to deal with and I’ve received a lot of requests for me to quit my job, which I find amusing because I had been doing my job before I met them. What they fail to see is that my job is not what makes me who I am. Who I am is what makes me good at my job.”
Me: Porn stars seem to be setting trends in terms of bikini waxes and man-scaping. What are the current trends? (including underwear)
Bobb: “I feel the porn trends are pretty cyclical. First natural, then manicured, now we are moving into a natural manicured stage. I don’t think the trends are a product of porn. I feel that it’s society in general. What you see in magazines and what you hear on TV is what sets trends it’s not really porn. If that was the case girls would be walking around town will a FULL face of make-up in their lingerie.
Me: I’ve heard when you finish up in the porn industry, you want to be a gynaecologist. Why so?
Bobbi: “For a few reasons! One: I’ve always had a passion for working in the medical field. Two: In the past few years I’ve ran into some very narrow-minded and untrustworthy gynaecologists. I feel a gynaecologist is a young woman’s most important doctor and she should feel very comfortable to talk to him/her about ANYTHING. Three: I think, in the US, the medical available to sex workers is unacceptable. And I’ve always been one to want to fight the good fight. Being someone who could offer proper healthcare to sex workers sounds like music to my ears.
Me: Are videos still in, or is the web taking over?
Bobbi: “The web is redirecting attention but it has done that for everything in the entertainment industry. I don’t think DVD will disappear. It might take a new form.”
What do you think? What questions would you have for a porn star?