Duke University Porn Star Scandal Is Helping Redefine Sexual Agency

Why The Duke University Porn Star Scandal Is Helping Redefine Sexual Agency

By Nichi Hodgson @NichiHodgson

Another college student, another paying-her-tuition-fees with porn scandal. When I first heard that a Duke University student nicknamed Lauren had been ‘outed’ for making adult films, my initial response was a shoulder shrug. I say that, not only as a 30-yr-old former pro-domme who wrote a schlocky BDSM memoir about my experiences, but as a sexual politics journalist and ethical porn campaigner.

As I’ve worked between the U.S. and the UK, I’ve grappled in particular with the contradictions of America’s status as the biggest producer and consumer of pornography, and its paranoia about sexual morality — particularly female sexual morality. So my reaction was essentially one of expecting nothing less (and nothing more) from a country that loves to make money off of female sexuality, but cannot tolerate letting women own their own.

The American Dream of turning any kind of capital and labor into cold, hard cash has its caveats. A college girl loving her extra-curricular life in porn is one of them.

What’s particularly disturbing about these stories — apart from the moral furore surrounding them — is the regularity of these kinds of ‘outings,’ and the repeated themes that underscore each individual case: how the young women are outed (via internet gossip forums and social media); how they are forced to justify their actions; (for money to pay for something that will ‘better’ them, like their degree); and how their privacy is so grossly violated, with “every private detail about my life…dissected,” as Lauren herself puts it in an open letter published by XoJane.

To read Lauren’s letter is to get a real sense of bite back. It is reasoned; it is insightful; it is unapologetic.  Apart from putting forward a cogent argument for why her experiences in porn have helped her to come into her own sexuality, she also uses the letter to name her adversaries.
They are the feckless frat boys who can’t get their heads — or genitals — around the notion of a campus porn star. They were responsible for that first wave of gossip; the standard conservative moralisers; the patriarchy — a phrase that’s almost so unfashionable nowadays that to read Lauren straight up state that “the patriarchy fears female sexuality” is actually kind of thrilling.

It terrifies us to even fathom that a woman could take ownership of her body. We deem to keep women in a place where they are subjected to male sexuality. We seek to rob them of their choice and of their autonomy. We want to oppress them and keep them dependent on the patriarchy. A woman who transgresses the norm and takes ownership of her body — because that’s exactly what porn is, no matter how rough the sex is — ostensibly poses a threat to the deeply ingrained gender norms that polarize our society.

I am well aware: The threat I pose to the patriarchy is enormous. That a woman could be intelligent, educated and CHOOSE to be a sex worker is almost unfathomable.

There are feminists that want Lauren silenced as well; most galling of all because they should know better than anyone why the silence of women is treachery. Lauren implores them not to write her off.

Please do not continue to make the mistake you have made in the past of ignoring the voices of minority communities. Listen. Listen to the women who have for so long been silenced. Listen to their thoughts and their needs. Only then can we achieve solidarity and true progress within our movement.

That’s the most significant thing about Lauren’s letter: Not so much her assessment of porn, politics, and female identity, but the very fact she herself expresses it — and her personal experiences, to boot — in her own words.

Praise be to XoJane for disabling comments on her article. Finally, a woman in the sex industry speaks, and nobody gets to tell her she’s deluded, damaged, or slutty for expressing herself in an unquestionably intelligent way.

Thankfully, the frequency with which exposed sex and adult industry workers now rail against being publicly slut-shamed is increasing. Last year, former Miss Delaware Teen USA Melissa King was stripped of her title after it was discovered she’d stripped on film. She later took to Instagram to share a cheeky cake-icing covered face shot, captioned ‘Not again,’ to make fun — and take charge — of her identity as a former adult movie star.

Then there was Christina Parreira, a college student and sometimes-porn performer who it was revealed had exchanged sexts with former Pasadena college professor Hugo Schwyzer. Schwyzer was the one breaking ethics codes by sleeping with students, but she was the one exposed online. So she hit back with an article on her blog, which was soon widely syndicated around the net.

These may seem like petty cyberspace victories, but they are rewriting sex workers’ histories; the people who have long been the scapegoats for societal fear about the demonic force that is human sexuality.


Far better that we get to read Lauren’s story, as told by Lauren. Far from being just another porn-star college student scandal, her open letter is a rallying cry for female sexual agency. And we could use more of those.

Why Duke University Needs To Change Its Campus Culture Amid Porn Scandal

By Tyler Atwood @thatwood19

When I read that Duke is in the midst of a porn star scandal, I was struck by the irony of the situation. As a former Dukie, I know Duke is a campus that prides itself on celebrating diversity, upholding liberal values, and a work hard/play extra hard ethic. Now, someone a young woman who has eschewed none of these values is being slut shamed. 

As an alum, I can attest to the strength of many of the institution’s academic programs and community service initiatives. Its fierce devotion to athletic prowess, dedication to medical breakthroughs, and ability to turn out the next generation of ground-breaking lawyers, doctors, and engineers is a well-documented reality. But I can’t extend the same praise to the social mores that exist on campus.

Duke’s attitude towards sex can be summed up perfectly by Allison of The Breakfast Club:

Duke’s male-dominated social structure operates in much the same way. Girls are promised notoriety, respect, and above all social dominance if they win over (read: sleep with) a man who belongs to one of several well-regarded fraternities. Once the deed is done, however, the girl in question becomes a proverbial notch in the bedpost unless she is deemed attractive enough for a repeat encounter. I have unfortunately experienced both sides of this double standard.

Though a long-distance relationship firmly planted me in the “Boring, do not disturb” box my Freshman year, my Sophomore year was fraught with failed attempts to be both socially relevant and respectful of my values. Coming from a liberal high school in the Bay Area, I wasn’t prepared to be treated like a commodity by men who felt like they were entitled to a piece of me.

One night, I recall vividly being brought into a fraternity’s common room under the guise of a date, only to discover that other unsuspecting girls were being brought in one-by-one by the same man. A half-drunk beer can collided with my head as I escaped out the door. Maybe it was the residual throbbing from the beer can’s impact with my head, but I certainly didn’t feel comfortable on my campus that night.

Sadly, I have heard similar cringe-worthy tales from other Duke women. Comments like, “That girl is a whale,”  guffawed by a frat boy within earshot of a girl at a raucous party were not uncommon. I often heard that women passed out from drinking at parties were “probably fine.” This behavior is not only accepted, but expected, at Duke. Women were objects to be casually thrown around like toys.

Duke women live under the unspoken rule of “Effortless Perfection.” You are simultaneously expected to be promiscuous and virginal at the same time, all the while looking like a contestant from The Bachelor. And much like the aforementioned television series, each woman is meticulously judged by her peers via the Gossip Girl-esque site CollegiateACB. Unfortunately for the porn actress known as Lauren, the website latched on to her story and refused to let go.

On CollegiateACB, you can find winning captions like ”Full streaming facial abuse video. Truly a must watch” and ”How do I Hook Up With Girls in Tridelt? We don’t mix with them and they have all the hottest girls.” I had the distinct horror of finding my own sorority mentioned negatively in multiple conversation chains, most notably an anonymous comment that attacked nearly every aspect of the group:

Chi Omega,
Unlike your male peers like Phi Delt and SigChi, you have the blessing of being women. You can easily rise out of your meandering social status if you guys put effort in your appearance, read/learn about fashion, and try hitting the gym or something. And most importantly, LEARN TO FLIRT. 

CollegiateACB’s free-for-all public gossip format is made for hookup inquiries, slut shaming, and rumors. It is the socially-active Duke student’s bread and butter. Several years ago, the University made a feeble attempt to shut down participation in the website. It was a well-meaning (if ultimately ineffectual) effort.

A club I was in, The Duke Women’s Center, met with a certain high-up administrator to ask what the next steps in resolving these deep-seated issues might be. Bewildered by the suggestion, the administrator looked at our group and parroted the same question back at us. He explained that changing the school’s social atmosphere was really in our hands, and had absolutely nothing to do with the administration or its handling of student affairs.

The change in campus culture Duke so sorely needs isn’t going to come organically from the student body — especially not the frat boys who currently hold all of the power. There is a reason why college is referred to as higher education. Students seek to be elevated by knowledge; not demeaned by antiquated attitudes. I’m well aware that certain Greek life and its questionable antics perpetuate similar attitudes at other institutions across the country, but there is a reason why Duke continues to take center stage. Something has to give.