Duke University freshman Miriam Weeks has a dirty little secret: she works in the porn industry.
For months, the 18-year-old women’s studies and sociology major kept her double life hush-hush as a student at one of the country’s most prestigious universities and as a rising porn star until her alter ego, Belle Knox, was discovered and exposed. One of her classmates found her as he browsed through porn, confronted her about it, promised to keep her secret and immediately proceeded to tell everyone about her controversial career. The very public exposé of an 18-year-old student’s private life made national headlines and what was once her secret source of income transformed into an infamous target for threats and sexual harassment.
Tuition at Duke University is $45,000 per year, excluding books, housing, meal plans and personal expenses. Weeks found a way to cover the cost to attend her dream school in a way that she enjoys and makes her feel empowered: porn. Granted, her part-time job is a little taboo, but so what? She is doing what she needs to do to graduate debt free. She has no issue with it and neither should her judgmental peers. Her peers should respect her privacy, not give her endless death threats and offensive insults.
Considering we live in the 21st century, the puritanical belief that women are supposed to be chaste and pure is a little bit outdated. Weeks, who aims to express her sexual autonomy through her controversial career, should not be criticized for deviating from the old-fashioned norm.
In her blog post on xoJane.com and in various interviews with big-name media outlets like CNN and The Huffington Post, Weeks describes the humiliation and pain she undergoes on a daily basis. On Twitter, she frequently receives threats of a possible physical attack and hurtful allegations that she is “a disgrace to the university and should be expelled.” She is a target for comforting, yet misguided, words from men who are focused on their ulterior motives. She is labeled, stereotyped, and judged, as if her pride in her career were a big fat scarlet A on her chest. The slut shaming really has to stop.
Imagine if Weeks were male. Instead of being verbally attacked on a daily basis, he would be celebrated, with possibly a few jokes here and there. He would be expected to express his sexual autonomy and he would be considered a hero to his gender. Instead of death threats and degrading comments, he would receive fist pumps and high fives. Most importantly, a male freshman porn star probably wouldn’t make national news.
The double standard between men and women is so blatant each time Weeks is publically criticized. The polarizing opinions of Weeks’ controversial career highlight the conflict women face for expressing their sexual autonomy. In one regard, they are prudes for refraining and rejecting the advances of men. On the other hand, if they make the decision to pursue — or even consent, in some cases — to sex, they are not respecting themselves and not projecting the “chaste” image all women need to maintain.
Weeks should be free to pursue whichever career she wants, even porn, as long as it is something she is comfortable with. Every else should respect her decision and her privacy.
