A Duke University freshman admitted to The Duke Chronicle that she has been acting in adult films in order to help pay for school.
After a fellow student, Thomas Bagley, recognized "Lauren" in a pornographic film, her secret was quickly exposed. As a result, Lauren agreed to be interviewed by the Chronicle about her experiences in the adult film industry. In the interview, Lauren disclosed that she has been traveling to Los Angeles during breaks to shoot the films, and that she feels more comfortable in the porn community than at Duke.
"I have always been a very sexual person, and I’m also bisexual, but I haven’t ever felt really welcome,” she told the Chronicle. “But when I’m in Pornland, I feel at home. This is where I’m meant to be, with these people who love sex and are comfortable about it.”
The porn star went on to discuss her views on Duke's culture regarding women and sexuality. "I feel like girls at Duke have to hide their sexuality. We’re caught in this virgin-whore dichotomy," said Lauren. "I think that being a sexual woman at Duke is extremely difficult."
Lauren did not allow the paper to publish her real name or her stage name, which she instead refers to as "Aurora." Soon after her secret was exposed, Aurora began receiving messages shaming her or asking for sex, according to Jezebel. However, Lauren told the Chronicle that she doesn't feel like her work is degrading, and that in fact her alter ego makes her feel liberated and empowered.
“For people to tell me that doing porn and having sex, which I love, is more degrading than being a waitress and being somebody’s servant and picking up after somebody and being treated like a lesser, second-class citizen, that literally makes no sense, said Lauren. "To be perfectly honest, I felt more degraded in a minimum wage, blue-collar, low paying, service job than I ever did doing porn.”
Since the article was published, the women's studies and sociology major has done at least two interviews and has been invited to speak in Duke classes about her work in the porn industry.