COVID19 has gone from being a minor concern to creating huge and irrevocable changes to the way we live. But the impact will be greater for some industries more than others. Those in the entertainment and restaurant industry, for example, will struggle particularly, as well as tourism and hospitality. But, there’s one industry in particular that will take a hit.
The sex industry.
With that in mind, we caught up with Lianne Young. As a porn, sex and relationships expert with over 20 years of experience, she offered us a unique insight into the sex industry.
First up, we wanted to know how adult performers are going to survive during COVID-19, especially without sick pay…
Unfortunately, people in the pornographic industry are not entitled to sick pay and are unlikely to get life insurance.
Especially as sex work is not a licensed or regulated industry in the UK, there’s no safety net if something goes wrong or they withhold from working. There’s no support financially for pornographic workers so it’s essential for them to become a brand, and venture into expanding themselves by taking up webcam, phone sex chat lines and ways of making revenue from home. By becoming a brand people they can offer several services, not just one, therefore their audience will not switch off. Right now it’s about retaining your customers and fans by entertaining them.
Do you think the porn industry will see cancellations of shoots?
In the US, the porn industry will operate as normal until a performer is diagnosed with COVID-19 or the industry is put on notice by the government. If that happens there will be a halt to the industry as a whole in California under government law. Unfortunately, some smaller companies will probably not listen and will continue.
It’s harder to say with the British porn industry, as it’s self-regulated and therefore will be down to individual choice. In recent years, STI outbreaks have shown that most producers and performers will halt production as a duty of care.
However, as porn is unregulated, there are always individuals who ignore a scare, for fear of financial loss. Especially as the UK’s pornographic industry doesn’t have insurance to cover the cost of production losses for both employed and self-employed workers.
Piracy has had a huge financial impact on performers in the industry, do you think the impact of COVID-19 could provide more financial damage?
Porn performers have been losing money since the internet evolved, due to websites offering free porn downloads.
In fact, it’s estimated that out of every 10,000 clips only one is paid for.
Pornography is also the only industry which hasn’t had a pay raise for performers in over 20 years, which means models are working for significantly lower pay these days which can be as low as £100-400 per shoot. COVID-19, I feel, will not have a significant impact on the industry as for every model that decides not to perform during an outbreak, there will be two that will.
That said, COVID-19 will benefit the performers who provide webcam services. As the world goes on lockdown and more people are encouraged to work from home, it provides more opportunity for models to make money on webcam work as the demand will increase during this time. Adultwork, for instance, is a website which provides a platform for webcam, phone chat, erotica, and adult content to be sold. Adult stars should consider services they can provide without personal intimacy as part of their branding to help survive during COVID-19.
What people don’t understand is that many performers participate in porn movies occasionally to raise their internet profiles – there is no big financial gain anymore from pornographic movies.
So, do you see more solo content being the future rather than partner-based porn?
No, there will not be any more or any less made unless the demand increases.
Just like any other industry, the pornographic industry is about demand.
Long-term models will do whatever work makes them money, be it solo or with partners, but this is not the answer to a financial crisis. Anyone who thinks they can now just enter the porn industry and make enough to buy a property empire are in for a shock, not even performers at the top of their game are making anywhere near as much money as the ‘good old days of porn.’
Gone are the days of it being just a job – it is now a lifestyle and one you have to be in charge of before it takes over your whole existence.
