TINA TYLER TALKS

By Tina Tyler

Monthly Column Exclusively at JasonCurious.com

Column #18: Are We Getting Too Big for Our Britches?

There's been a lot of talk about the "mainstreaming of porn" ever since Jenna Jameson first stepped foot on the E! Channel, mostly speculation on how far in we'll be welcomed. My own speculation has been more in the vein of how far in do we want to be?

Porn references have been all over TV and movies for the past few years now. There have even been some notable appearances by stars of the industry peppered amongst the deluge of innuendo. For me the biggest validation that our little cottage industry has come out of the brown paper bag was something I read just this morning.

It seems that world respected and acclaimed author Salman Rushdie is equating the level of a country's acceptance of pornography with the level of freedom that can be found there in his new book, among other musings and images of American porn stars. Even the
forward of the book, XXX: 30 Porn Star, is penned by, none other than, Gore Vidal (one of my personal faves). It wasn't so long ago that men of this caliber would never admit, even to their closest circle, that they supported pornography. It does indeed seem that porn is no longer America's dirty little secret. We are no longer the 'Outlaw
Industry' we started out as. The world, who has always watched only the product we put out, now is watching the players. All of a sudden we have to watch what we say and do. That's the bitch about being flavor of the moment.

One of porn's biggest strengths has been it's mystique. The naughtiness and taboo nature made it all that much more arousing. The more it's accepted the less the arousal factor?
It's like I always said, the more I know about the people I work with the less I want to work with them. Let's try to keep 'em wanting more folks!

There was a debate on KSEXradio a while back to see who would be the 'official industry spokesperson'. I guess some people thought we needed one what with the
world media up our collective butt at the time. When I heard about this, I couldn't help but think that there was no one in this industry that I would trust to speak for me. After all, this is a business where on any given day SOMEONE is feuding over some petty
little perceived slight or another.

If we really want to join the mainstream, we need to look at the mainstream template and start... hiring our own personal publicists, lawyers, stylists and other miscellaneous entourage members and controlling our own press (as much as that's possible). We also need to realize that we'll REALLY be giving up our privacy. All those things you don't want anyone... even anyone in porn (and that's saying something) knowing about,
now the world knows. Public perception can make or break an industry as easily as it can a singing career, especially in an uncertain political climate.

While change is inevitable, I'm still asking, how far in do we want to be?

Tina

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