The new breed of porn stars...
Belle Knox's double life as a student and porn star
March 10, 2014 - 7:48AM
Up until last week the name of X-rated actress Belle Knox is not one the average internet denizen would most likely have been familiar with. However last Thursday, Knox took out the number two spot in Australia as the Google Trends ‘hot search’ with more than 20000 attempts to find out a little bit more about the self-described ‘rising porn starlet’. So who exactly is Belle Knox and why the sudden interest in her?
Under the pseudonym Belle Knox, the young freshman student at the prestigious Duke University (where she majors in women’s studies and sociology) has been starring in pornographic shoots to help offset the costs of her higher education.
In an opinion piece Knox posted on xoJane on February 21 identifying herself as the ‘Duke University Freshman Porn Star’, she explained her reasons for going into the industry. “I couldn’t afford in tuition, my family has undergone significant financial burden, and I saw a way to graduate from my dream school free of debt, doing something I absolutely love.”
Belle Knox appears on CNN after revealing her identity as the 'Duke porn star.'
She receives around a scene in her part-time adult career, as opposed to the a month she was taking home after tax as when she waitressed in high school.
Nonetheless, her experience has not all been rosy with Knox saying she came under attack and abuse from fellow students after a Duke attendee recognised her performing online and outed her identity to his fraternity.
In an anonymous interview in February with Duke University’s student newspaper, The Chronicle, she stated, ““I feel angry. I feel victimised. I feel harassed. I feel hated. I feel discriminated against. At Duke, I can’t be who I want to be. I really wish I could just do porn and pay for my college and not get s**t from people and just be respected as a human being, but clearly that’s not going to happen.”
Belle Knox told Piers Morgan, "I saw a way to graduate from my dream school free of debt, doing something I absolutely love.”
Knox has also said that while she has had plenty of support after speaking about her experiences, she has received some negative reactions from the general public being on the receiving end of threats and hate speech in response to her work.
Then last week on March 4, she revealed her pseudonym of Belle Knox (she had previously just been referred to in broader terms as the ‘Duke Porn Star’) alongside images of herself on xoJane, leading to the spike of curiosity about her.
The motivation behind disclosing her working identity was explained by Knox saying, “In revealing my performer name, I’m also going to let you know exactly the level of hate that exists in America regarding women who refuse to be quiet about their sexuality.” Knox took aim in particular at the societal double standard of shaming porn performers, while letting the consumers of porn off much more lightly.
In an interview with CNN where she was introduced as ‘the most infamous student in America’, Knox said, “I think that probably every single person at some point in their life has watched pornography. So I think it’s extremely hypocritical that the same society that consumes me is also condemning me.”
Knox seems to be part of the new breed of educated and outspoken porn stars, such as James Deen who has been profiled in GQ and invited to speak on college campuses about sexuality, and high-profile name Stoya who has written about feminism for Vice and on privacy for The New York Times.
In her CNN interview, Knox said she thought the attention and traction her story had gained was largely because she spoke about how much porn had empowered her. Knox said she has found her time in the adult industry to have given her a sexual autonomy that she finds “incredibly freeing”.
As for the future Knox has publicly stated on xoJane she has no plans to quit either her adult work or her studies at Duke University. “I am going to graduate, I am going to pursue my dreams and I will hopefully galvanise change in a world wrought with gender norms and sexism.”
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Belle Knox's double life as a student and porn star
March 10, 2014 - 7:48AM
Up until last week the name of X-rated actress Belle Knox is not one the average internet denizen would most likely have been familiar with. However last Thursday, Knox took out the number two spot in Australia as the Google Trends ‘hot search’ with more than 20000 attempts to find out a little bit more about the self-described ‘rising porn starlet’. So who exactly is Belle Knox and why the sudden interest in her?
Under the pseudonym Belle Knox, the young freshman student at the prestigious Duke University (where she majors in women’s studies and sociology) has been starring in pornographic shoots to help offset the costs of her higher education.
In an opinion piece Knox posted on xoJane on February 21 identifying herself as the ‘Duke University Freshman Porn Star’, she explained her reasons for going into the industry. “I couldn’t afford in tuition, my family has undergone significant financial burden, and I saw a way to graduate from my dream school free of debt, doing something I absolutely love.”
Belle Knox appears on CNN after revealing her identity as the 'Duke porn star.'
She receives around a scene in her part-time adult career, as opposed to the a month she was taking home after tax as when she waitressed in high school.
Nonetheless, her experience has not all been rosy with Knox saying she came under attack and abuse from fellow students after a Duke attendee recognised her performing online and outed her identity to his fraternity.
In an anonymous interview in February with Duke University’s student newspaper, The Chronicle, she stated, ““I feel angry. I feel victimised. I feel harassed. I feel hated. I feel discriminated against. At Duke, I can’t be who I want to be. I really wish I could just do porn and pay for my college and not get s**t from people and just be respected as a human being, but clearly that’s not going to happen.”
Belle Knox told Piers Morgan, "I saw a way to graduate from my dream school free of debt, doing something I absolutely love.”
Knox has also said that while she has had plenty of support after speaking about her experiences, she has received some negative reactions from the general public being on the receiving end of threats and hate speech in response to her work.
Then last week on March 4, she revealed her pseudonym of Belle Knox (she had previously just been referred to in broader terms as the ‘Duke Porn Star’) alongside images of herself on xoJane, leading to the spike of curiosity about her.
The motivation behind disclosing her working identity was explained by Knox saying, “In revealing my performer name, I’m also going to let you know exactly the level of hate that exists in America regarding women who refuse to be quiet about their sexuality.” Knox took aim in particular at the societal double standard of shaming porn performers, while letting the consumers of porn off much more lightly.
In an interview with CNN where she was introduced as ‘the most infamous student in America’, Knox said, “I think that probably every single person at some point in their life has watched pornography. So I think it’s extremely hypocritical that the same society that consumes me is also condemning me.”
Knox seems to be part of the new breed of educated and outspoken porn stars, such as James Deen who has been profiled in GQ and invited to speak on college campuses about sexuality, and high-profile name Stoya who has written about feminism for Vice and on privacy for The New York Times.
In her CNN interview, Knox said she thought the attention and traction her story had gained was largely because she spoke about how much porn had empowered her. Knox said she has found her time in the adult industry to have given her a sexual autonomy that she finds “incredibly freeing”.
As for the future Knox has publicly stated on xoJane she has no plans to quit either her adult work or her studies at Duke University. “I am going to graduate, I am going to pursue my dreams and I will hopefully galvanise change in a world wrought with gender norms and sexism.”