Producing the porn self: an introspection of the mainstream Greek porn industry

ABSTRACT

In this article, we offer an insight into Greek mainstream porn production after contextualizing it historically, socially and culturally. Through interviews and discourse analysis, we examine how porn workers talk about themselves as professionals, as romantic persons and as self-regulated individuals, and we present the industry from the point of view of a producer. We argue that the domestic porn industry works like a closely knit community of workers, where participants share problems, attitudes and affection, and where issues of sexual health are as important as agency.

KEYWORDS:

• Porn labour
• Greek porn production
• Greek porn celebrity
• ethics of the self

Notes

1. As well as its domestic versions, such as Singles, a romantic sitcom aired on Mega channel between 2004 and 2008.

2. http://www.sirina.tv/home, accessed July 1, 2015.

3. http://www.sirina.tv/backstage, accessed July 1, 2015.

4. In one such video (http://www.redtube.com/280758, accessed July 1, 2015), we see Greek female porn icon Marianna Douvli chatting with one of her male partners between takes. Dealing with her partner’s flaccidity, Marianna is flirtatious, affectionate and funny in equal measure, at times encouraging him verbally, at others teasing him orally. In between, the makeup artist comes to comb her hair, Dimitris offers advice to everybody and Mariana cracks up laughing, bosses everyone around, asks for more water and tells one of the cameramen to ‘freshen up her cunt which is on fire’ using a small tray for a fan.

5. Julia was a beauty pageant runner up in 2006, of British origin, who decided to become a porn performer in 2010. She made headlines with her first couple of movies for Sirina Productions, only to vanish into oblivion amidst rumours of coke addiction.