I first read about the Duke University porn star about two months ago via XOJane, when Belle Knox wrote, “My experience in porn has been nothing but supportive, exciting, thrilling and empowering.” And she wasn’t kidding. This girl has a lot going for her now, whether you want to accept it or not.
Belle is a college student who is paying for school by working in the porn industry. And there has been controversy over her decision since the moment she admitted to it. While some people are really supportive of her, others have nothing nice to say. But this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Whenever a woman is confident and empowered, people are always going to try to bring her down. As Belle says in her article, “Patriarchy fears female sexuality.”
Women should be able to do whatever they want with their bodies and not have to deal with the constant slut shaming from society because someone is going against gender norms. No one gives men shit for doing porn, so why is a different for a woman? Women immediately lose all respect.
All humans deserve respect, regardless of their career choice. She’s going to college and working to pay for her degree. She obviously has other goals in life as well but she likes what she is doing now and there is absolutely no shame in that. Everyone makes their own choices in life, and not everyone is meant to be a doctor or a lawyer. That doesn’t mean they don’t deserve respect.
I understand that porn is in fact a male-dominated industry. However, porn is not just for men. And regardless of how many women/men watch porn, she is doing something she likes to do. So why put her down for that? Negative energy is a waste of time. She can do whatever she wants with her body because it is her body. Everyone likes sex, so good for her for being hot, having fun, and getting paid for it. She is embracing her sexual freedom, which more women should do. And I don’t mean we should all be making porn, but we should all be confident enough to do what we want with our bodies – and certainly confident enough to stop judging others.
Luckily, Belle isn’t letting anyone get her down. She has her own sex-toy line now, and is also set to host a web-based reality show called The Sex Factor. This show will have eight guys and eight girls competing against each other to become the next biggest porn star, as well as winning a $1 million prize.
Belle is making a difference by challenging gender norms and showing an entirely different side of feminism. Porn may not be for everybody, and we all have different opinions on sex. But just because porn isn’t your cup of tea doesn’t mean it isn’t someone else’s. If you don’t think you should be doing porn, then don’t do porn. It’s that simple. But don’t criticize someone else for doing what they want to do. Do what you think is right, and stop wasting time judging other people’s actions, because Belle’s hard work and dedication are making her even more successful, whether you support her or not. And where is your criticism taking you? Absolutely nowhere.
Picture taken from Belle Knox’s twitter: https://twitter.com/belle_knox
No copyright infringement intended.
