This is kind of related to Pete Zaface's interesting post on why there is so much talent right now, but it's got some different angles so I wanted to separate it. Also, this topic has probably been brought up before, but since times have changed, it'd be good to get fresh takes on it.
Let me first say what an incredible time to be a porn fan it is. I mean porn has existed for a long time but on a mainstream level, probably I'm guessing from the mid 70's (I might be wrong here). Not taking anything away from the talent back then as many women were incredibly beautiful, but today, the porn talent entering the industry is simply breathtaking (of course, there is more talent, so the numbers game play out too). There are so many beautiful women entering into porn these days that a viewer will never be let down. I just want to say, and I think others will echo this, that I'm very thankful for all the cute girls who enter into adult, benefiting we, the viewers! And this goes for the USA but also for foreign countries!
The other thread speaks to why more talent is entering adult these days, so I'll only touch on a few items related to that here. Money, obviously is a motivator, along with more sexual freedom and relaxed moral attitudes towards sex in general. But surely money can't be the only motivator as with so much competition, any starlet knows her chances of singling herself out and creating more profitability for herself is diminished.
Experience would be another factor as many women (and their partners/friends) are more open with their sexuality these days. The womens' movement of sexual liberation took strong strides from the 60's on, but if you look at social change, it happens slowly and although that was 4 decades ago, we are recently reaping the rewards of that mindset among the newer generation. That's a positive reason, I think.
A third reason would be to expand on the 2nd reason, which is what Sasha Grey proclaimed to want: that is, to enlighten womens' sexuality through adult content. I don't know if many of today's talent actually has this mindset, but it'd be refreshing to hear that they are behind that, maybe even if not to the extent Sasha always said she was. Even if they don't have that as their agenda, it definitely could be a positive by-product.
So without knowing any answers, I'm sure some posters here, including industry people, can shed more light on some of these topics:
1) I've heard that compared to previous days (last decade or so), talent would have to be sought after. Is this true anymore? Do companies even use talent scouts anymore? Do they advertise for talent still and if so, where? Or is talent simply going to agents and setting up shop so to speak, and if so, how many new girls are entering into the industry in this year 2011? I once heard/read that some agents would get requests from 6 new girls a day? Could that be true?
2) Does any talent ever begrudge entering the industry after they maybe didn't earn quite as much as they thought? Or are producers hearing more often than not, that talent is entering for reasons other than money and/or fame? If the latter, that leads to a healthier industry, I think.
3) With the consolidation of the industry, is there enough work to satisfy the entering talent? This answer would of course depend on the answer to question 1 above.
4) This goes for producers as well as us fans: Even with sites which track talent, with all this activity, how can one keep up with all the talent that is entering the industry, especially when some talent doesn't stay long? Maybe it's impossible to keep up.
Anyway, thanks for any opinions/takes/answers on this. My fellow peeps, I used to hear the word "golden age of porn" used and I think it referred to the 80's? I know many posters here got their start then and I'm not taking anything away from that era, as I started enjoying porn then too, but with all due respect, I can't help but think we are in a true golden age now!
Edited by - The Edge on Jul 5 2011