Who is Belle Knox?

The “Duke Pornstar” Belle Knox is the talk of the porn industry right now

Belle Knox is probably a name that you’ve heard quite a bit lately.  She is the “Duke Pornstar“, the 19 year old Duke University student who had a secret porn career which she was using to fund her education.  Or, rather, it was secret until it wasn’t.  A “friend” of hers ended up spreading the word around campus about her work in the adult film industry.  And then it all went viral.

Belle Knox isn’t her real name.  Like most pornstars, she uses that as a “stage name” in an effort to keep her personal life private.  Out of respect for her not wanting the media to use her real name, I won’t mention it here.  Other news outlets – in some cases national newspapers and television shows – have ignored that request and have even named her parents and siblings, along with the high school and middle school that she attended.  Because people suck.

The story of the Duke Pornstar (aka Belle Knox)…

In case you weren’t aware, tuition at Duke University is really fucking expensive.  To graduate from the school, a student will have to pay at least $60,000.  And while a Duke diploma is certainly a prestigious thing to have, it’s also nearly impossible for most 18 year old kids and their families to afford.  For Belle Knox, the world of porn offered an opportunity to help pay her Duke tuition bills.

So using the stage name of “Lauren”, the Duke freshman began shooting some porn scenes for a few online studios.  And that seemed to be going well…until she returned for Christmas break and realized that her secret was out.  A male friend had told a bunch of his frat buddies and from there word quickly spread around campus.  And then it spread around the world.  Because college students who make porn videos is apparently something that gets peoples’ attention.

In an article that she authored over at xoJane, “Lauren” came forward and talked at length about her decision to make porn, saying…

For me, shooting pornography brings me unimaginable joy. When I finish a scene, I know that I have done so and completed an honest day’s work. It is my artistic outlet: my love, my happiness, my home.

I can say definitively that I have never felt more empowered or happy doing anything else. In a world where women are so often robbed of their choice, I am completely in control of my sexuality. As a bisexual woman with many sexual quirks, I feel completely accepted. It is freeing, it is empowering, it is wonderful, it is how the world should be.

She also went on to explain that since being outed, she has received dozens of threats of rape and assault.  Additionally, people who she has never met are publically calling her names like “slut”, “whore”, and “human garbage”.  Which is disappointing.  But, sadly, it’s also pretty in line with how too many people react when they hear a woman explain that she isn’t ashamed to make porn videos.

James Deen gets high-fived as that “guy who gets to have sex with all those hotties”, but people threaten to rape and kill a 19 year old college freshman for appearing in a few online porn videos.

Eventually “Lauren” came forward and gave her porn stage name as Bella Knox.  She explained that despite the uproar it had caused, she had no plans to give up her porn career.  And, despite media reports to the contrary, Ms. Knox says that she also intends to continue her education at Duke and to graduate with her class.

But wait, even porn industry professionals seem to have a problem with Belle Knox…

It’s sad but not unexpected that the mainstream public would take childish points of view against Belle Knox.  What is even more sad and maybe a little more unexpected is the way some of the people within porn industry are reacting to Belle Knox and her sudden turn in the spotlight.  To say the least, the reaction has been less than overwhelmingly positive.

Consider the following tweets from Dana DeArmond (aka “The Internet’s Girlfriend)…

Ooh this Belle Knox thing got everybody in a tizzy. Don’t you wish you thought of pretending to go to college to get press too?

— Dana DeArmond ™ (@danadearmond) March 21, 2014

I love shameless whores. Get it girl! Make that money! — Dana DeArmond ™ (@danadearmond) March 21, 2014

And then there are these tweets from Jenna J. Ross…

As an industry we have the right to choose who speaks for us… & it sure as hell shouldn’t be Belle Knox..I say James Deen for President!

— Jenna J Ross (@JennaJRoss) March 20, 2014

In offically boycotting the fanny awards soley because Belle Knox has been nominated for best new starlet….such fucking bullshit! #rigged

— Jenna J Ross (@JennaJRoss) March 24, 2014

So it would seem that at least some of the Belle Knox’s peers aren’t exactly fans of hers.  Considering that both Jenna J. Ross and Dana DeArmond are well established within the porn industry, it does seem kind of beneath them to be taking shots at a newcomer.  And, yeah, kind of reeks of jealousy.  “Why is everyone talking about HER!?!  Look at me!  Look at me!”

Maybe it isn’t like that at all…but it certainly feels like that from the outside looking in.  Stay classy, pornstars.

What do you think?

Is Belle Knox just a flash in the pan?  Or are we looking at someone who has the talent to live up to the hype surrounding her porn career?  Do you think that after she graduates she’ll continue working in porn?  Should she?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.