Before I began writing for BaDoink, I think I had a very skewed vision of what people within the pornography industry were like. Porn stars, the face of an ever growing body of sexual media, seemed to be these mysterious, dangerous figures, there to perform acts you’d never dream of reenacting yourself, however much you wanted to. As well, the industry itself always appeared as a very shadowy creature, far from the mainstream, but thriving off of everyday consumers who’d never admit their consumption. There was, and still is, a gulf of miscommunication, and I used to be on the side of the mainstream, and now I find myself right in the middle, slowly realizing the relatable, humans stories behind a vastly misunderstood industry. 

Pornography is far from a black and white issue or form, and most would be delightfully surprised when shown the different aesthetic and artistic variations within the industry, and who better to show us the way toward a growing movement within pornography than an old friend of ours here at BaDoink. 

Adult star Amarna Miller, known for creating production company Omnia-X, has spoken with us many times, and after chatting about nerd and geek sexuality and taboos, I just had to hear her thoughts on other aspects of the porn industry and mainstream versus other types of sexual practice. Below is another exchange with the eminent Amarna Miller, detailing her personal story and thoughts on the wide world of pornography. 

How did you get started in the industry, what do you strive to produce within it, and where do you want to go as a performer, producer, director, and artist? 

I started when I was 19 with my own production company (Omnia-x), which closed 6 months ago. It was very easy because I was already working as an artistic model so I felt comfortable in front of the cameras and taking the step to explicit works was just “one thing more to do” in my normal shoots. I also went very, very slowly regarding my scenes: I was doing solo and GG shoots for two years until I decided to shoot BG.  Then I finished my university degree and got full time into my job as a porn actress.

When you work with something as fragile and intimate as your sexuality you must be very careful with how you manage your career, because you can break things that affect your normal life. Because of that, one of my personal rules is to only do on screen the things that I really enjoy in my personal life.

I want to do what makes me happy. At the moment working in porn as an actress makes me really happy and that’s why I’ve been in the business for five years, but I can assure you that if at any point I don’t like it, I’ll leave my career as a performer. Produce, direct, write and in the end, all the things you can imagine related to creativity are my passion, so I’m sure that I’ll be doing things even if I’m not working as an actress anymore.

As it stands, porn is still at odds with what we call conventional culture. What needs to change to foster more acceptance on both sides of the equation? 

We need education. More people fighting for the right to enjoy our sexuality without feeling ashamed of it. One of the biggest problems in contemporary society regarding sexual education is hypocrisy: everyone is very open-minded, everyone loves sex; everyone thinks that we passed over frustrations and repressions… but this is false. If you’re a girl and you admit that you masturbate, then you are a bitch, if you have more than one sexual partner, you’re a whore, and if you are in porn, oh if you’re in porn! You’ll never find a boy who can respect you, because you can’t even respect yourself. It’s terrible.

People need to start thinking (and believing!) that to enjoy your body and feel proud of showing your sexuality is something good and healthy if it’s done for the right reasons.

When you perform or create sex media, do you approach it much differently than you would sex in private?

Not really. Of course when you’re shooting you have to think about being open to the cameras, maybe forcing the positions so the director has a good take, not creating shadows, standing next to the lights and that stuff. But in the end and because I shoot only the things that I really enjoy, most of the times I do in my personal life the same kind of things that I do on camera.

What is the optimum message you want to send with said media? 

Do you mean, what do I want to express? In all my interviews and also in my blog I always try to make visible situations that the users of pornography usually don’t notice or even think about: the real conditions of the industry, the social problems of being a sex worker and the guts of the business.

What is your experience as an artist and also creator of porn media? Have you run into conflict, trying to merge those worlds? 

No! I never ever had any conflicts mixing the artistic techniques that my degree taught me with pornography. In fact, my final project in Fine Arts was about showing how you can merge cinematography, pornography and art in the same piece. I’m very tired of everyone telling me that porn is not cinema, that porn is not art… please, stop labeling everything! Porn can be as good and as bad as we want it to be, but of course a good video needs time, technique and patience, and most of the companies nowadays are looking for doing easy, fast and as cheap as possible videos so they can earn profits quickly.

Fortunately, since some years ago there have been companies shooting good quality scenes, closer to cinema that to mainstream porn. You should check the work of Four Chambers, they are amazing and the best example of this.

Is there anything in porn that you don’t agree with? Have you ever encountered porn that sends a negative message about sex, or are the negatives mostly in the reception? 

I love shooting porn and I truly enjoy my work as a porn actress but I hate the industry. The monopoly of the business and the poor working conditions make me sad. The performers are the main part of the movie and also the ones that are always beaten by everyone: the companies, the agencies, the directors… It’s time to legalize porn business and our job as sexual workers so we can start to have the right to complain.

Regarding the “Porn makes people think that what they seen on screen is real sex, and when they try it at home they become frustrated and sad”… Well, every time you see Batman do you dress in a costume and try to chase thieves? No? Then please, stop guilting porn. The real problem is poor (or non-existent) sexual education. Porn presents fantasies, and as long as the performers truly like it and the practices are consented by everyone, for me it’s ok. If you take porn as a model, or you think you can do the same you can do in the films, then the one with problems is you, not the scene. And if you’re worried about kids learning “bad” conducts in pornography, then teach your children to separate real life from movies, and give them enough sexual education to know what to do and when.

I think people who try to learn things from porn should watch it as an inspiration, but not a truly model.

What do you have to say about certain sexual relationships being more “natural” than others? The mainstream embraces monogamy and basic sexual practices, and shy away from what they perceive as unnatural. Thoughts on our strange relationship with sex and behavior?

Well, if we talk about what’s more natural… I don’t believe that monogamy is inherent to the human being. I truly think that this is a cultural conception that became the normal way of interacting with your partner because of the emergence of personal property. When the human being was a forager we lived in tribal societies where we shared everything… even the sexual partners! (As our super closed related primates, the bonobos). Then personal property emerged and men needed to work to sustain their houses and terrains, being sure that the one who is going to inherit their things is his real son, blood of their blood. Because of that, the human being imposed monogamy in the occidental world. I’m not even talking in my mother language so it’s more difficult for me to explain, but I hope I’ve draw a little sketch in your minds.

If you’re interested in the subject, I recommend you read the book “Opening Up” by Tristan Taormino, “The Ethical Slut” by Dossie Easton and Janet W. Hardy, and “Sex at Dawn” by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá.

I consider myself polyamorous and I don’t believe in sexual or emotional exclusivity, but of course I respect all kind of relationships as long as the people involved in them have decided to choose that option. What makes me sad is that most of the relationships are monogamous “by default”, because that’s what occidental society, education and culture has teach us since we were young. If you’ve decided to be with one person for the rest of your life, that’s great! But if you’re doing it just because you didn’t think about other options, maybe you should re-think the way you see your personal relationships. And this is why infidelity and cheating is so common in relationships that are supposed to be monogamous….

For all things Amarna Miller related, check out her personal website and stop on by BaDoink for more sexy coverage and even sexier interviews.