General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I'm The Duke University Freshman Porn Star And For The First Time I'm Telling The Story In My Words [View all]Whiskeytide
(4,466 posts)... and I agree with some of them. Statistically, sex workers do have childhood abuse issues at an increased frequency, and many have mental health issues which could be related to their work, or which could have been the reason they sought out the work in the first place.
But the problem with statistics and studies is that they are generalized, and sometimes don't fit the individual we seek to apply them to. For example - statistically "the homeless don't like being homeless". But aren't there sure to be examples of people with wanderlust who do it because its what they want to do? People who backpack across Europe. Bikers who travel the country. Retirees who sell their home and buy a camper to see the country. Such wanderers are certainly statistical deviations, and are not the norm. But they are technically "homeless" by design, and seem to like it.
Perhaps this young woman is the statistical anomaly. I think we might give her the benefit of the doubt, and resist judging her based upon generalized statistics.
It would be interesting to see where she is and what she's doing in 30 years, though. How might her actions now affect her down the road?