Dumb Like A Fox: Casey Calvert Strikes Back At Pornstar Stereotype
Most professions come with certain stereotypes. Lawyers are silver-tongued deceivers, ministers are pious and ascetic, construction crew workers whistle at every girl who passes, librarians peer imperiously at you over their glasses with an emphatic “shhh!” gesture – or so go the cliche images. The truth of these perceptions is an entirely different matter, and Casey Calvert’s recent entry on the Huffington Post is hitting back at one of the most pervasive occupational stereotypes: that porn stars aren’t very bright.
In fact, Calvert entered the industry after graduating magna cum laude (we’re guessing she braces for predictable puns every time she mentions that) from the University of Florida with a degree in film production.
Noted Casey: “After I graduated from college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I considered medical school, or getting my Ph.D., but nothing called to me like sex work did, like sex work always had. I entered porn for the freedom — the freedom of choice, the freedom of expression, the freedom of being an open, sexual person. I can’t speak for my peers’ experiences, but I know I made the right decision. I am happier now, here, than I have ever been.”
She’s not the only one with plenty of education: “On April 9th, I conducted a very informal Twitter survey asking for names of girls who are either still in college or have graduated from a university. I came up with 39 women who are actively performing; 27 with diplomas and 12 still in school. I also got the names of three female directors, all with degrees.”
There are many more porn stars, new and old, who fly in the face of the traditional stereotype. Asa Akira reputedly has an IQ of 156, Jenna Jameson led a team to victory in an Oxford Debating Society debate over Britain’s pornography laws, Annie Sprinkle earned a PhD, Shy Love has two master’s degrees, Nina Hartley is a registered nurse, and Ron Jeremy holds a master’s degree in special education from Queens College in New York, to name only a few examples.
All of which goes to prove the old adage . . . the biggest sex organ is the brain.