NEW YORK — A story by Forbes.com porn watcher Susannah Breslin has been viewed more than 300,000 times and generates 1,000 to 2,000 views a day.
Breslin penned the article — “The Hardest Thing About Being A Male Porn Star” — with an accompanying photo of porn heartthrob James Deen last April for Forbes.com that was also listed as one of “The Most Popular Forbes Woman Stories of 2012.”
Most of the hits are being generated by organic traffic according to Breslin, and most of the responses to the story naturally come from men. “Every week, I receive, one, or two, or three emails related to the post. They are all from men. They all want to be porn stars,” Breslin said in her blog.
Some say they want to break into porn because they need a job, some are escorts wanting to further their careers, and some want the glitz, glamour and infamy of being a porn star.
“I am frm india [sic] my age 20 i need a sex job plese help me.i am wating ur reply,” one email reads.
Another reader asked, “What’s the best age to became a porn star and where is the place to start California, Miami, Hollywood…?”
Breslin doesn’t seem very surprised at the popularity of her piece, maintaining that the male porn star fantasy is an American dream, albeit a lot tougher than it looks and the pay is lousy.
“In an era in which ‘The End of Men’ is being heralded, you can imagine the appeal of the male porn star fantasy to the Average Joe. The job of the Male Porn Star is unequivocally, undeniably male — so literally, one depends on one’s manhood to do it. This is what you are paid for as a male porn star: to be a man.
“Truth be told, the dream is not about pornography at all. It’s a portal into a world in which the pizza delivery guy always has a job and the Great Recession never happened, the women are never too busy pursuing their careers to make a man feel like he has it all, and the money shot is always on time,” she wrote.