Džesika Stojadinović Stoya has been making films for adults since the early 2012s, and has been writing since XNUMX. She has written for the New York Times, the Guardian, Playboy...
The pinnacle of her writing career so far is the book "Philosophy, cats and porn", which is a collection of Stoya's essays and short stories.
In a bittersweet way, with a touch of humor, the book describes what it's like to live as a star of porn movies, what challenges actors in that industry struggle with and, finally, about how she overcame it all.
Although published in 2018, the book has come a long way, to finally get a Serbian translation (Laguna), which is a big deal for Stoya. "A good part of the book is about Serbia, so it was important to me that it be available here as well," she says.
Stoya currently lives in Belgrade, a somewhat quieter life, in an apartment with two cats. He is no longer engaged in recording, but lives by writing.
VREME: How did you decide to make films for adults?
STOYA: I have read many feminist books that talk about how pornography is evil. Namely, there is one anthology I read that supported pornography, as long as it was done in a certain way. So I read a lot about it and became quite interested, and the best way to learn more about it is to do it. I think the younger generations say "fuck around and find out" for that.
You are aware that in that industry, most actors do not experience great success, but remain unknown. What is the key to your popularity?
Personality. I was in the right place at the right time, I cooperated with a production studio that advertised and promoted me. Also, since I grew up on the Internet, when social networks appeared, I immediately started to present my personality and my life through them.
You acted in the Serbian film "AI Rising" and you also mentioned in the book that you tried your hand at theater plays. Would you perhaps like to act in the theater?
I would really like to, but my life doesn't allow me to commit to a project that I would have to focus on one hundred percent at the moment. So right now, even if I really wanted to, I don't have time.
Photo: Lenka PavlovićThe former star of porn films presented the book "Philosophy, cats and porn"
What are you currently working on?
In addition to writing, I also teach online. Basically, I listen to people as they tell me about the problems they contacted me about. I ask them questions and give different perspectives to help them come to their own conclusions and solve their problems and move on with their lives.
How did you manage to balance between two worlds - your private life and the world where people see you as a big star?
It's hard to separate my private life from my business life, because people recognize me when I'm doing everyday things. In the US, people will literally demand pictures of you eating. They act like they need to take a picture with you at the same second, even if you have leftover food all over you.
But, here in Serbia, people are more understanding towards me as a person playing a role and are ready to wait until I finish dinner and don't make a problem if I tell them I'm not in the mood, which is nice.
Where do you feel more comfortable - in Serbia or in the United States? Are there big differences in the social status of women?
I definitely feel more comfortable in Serbia. While I was shooting the film in Serbia, I didn't feel nervous at all, even though this is my first film in which I play the main role, so it would be normal for me to be under stress.
But then I noticed one thing: that no one tackles me on the street. I can walk and sit in a restaurant by myself and no one gives me a problem. As for the social status of women, it is much more complicated.
Here, a woman's worth is often based on her potential to be a mother, while we have safe access to an abortion if we want it, while in the US half the states have taken away the right to an abortion, even when it is necessary for the mother to survive. And they are also trying to limit and eliminate access to contraceptives.
What is your opinion of the Trump administration, having lived there while he was in power?
The Trump administration has been terrifying. During that period, we saw things begin to unfold that led to the aforementioned restrictions. Trump appointed three judges to the Supreme Court, which created an imbalance that has a very negative impact on women's rights.
Namely, every fight for women's rights has to reach the Supreme Court at some point and we all know how that ends. So, during Trump's rule, we watched it slowly move in the right conservative direction.
Trump is an idiot, but his choice for VP, JD Vance, is not. And he is ready to take away women's rights. He said that women who cannot have children should not vote because they have no role in the future of the country.
Photo: Lenka PavlovićStoya currently lives in Belgrade, in an apartment with two cats
After six years, your book received a Serbian translation. What does that mean for you?
I'm from North Carolina, but my grandmother's parents are Serbian, and I wrote so much about Serbia in the book that I asked my publisher to translate the book into Serbian, and they said they would try. I was persistent in that. When I moved here, an editor asked me Instagram asked why there is no translation into Serbian yet and I explained that I just missed an editor. Coincidentally, it was her.
What themes do you explore in the book?
My book is about what it was like to be a porn actress, what it was like to be a woman who was sexualized in America. And about Serbia, that is, about the things that draw me towards it and for which I love it. In the book, I also talk about religion and feminism, but above all I talk about what the porn industry is.
How are you viewed after the publication of this book, as a writer, or as a porn actress? Do you still face stereotypes?
People see me the way they want to see me. If they want to discredit my book and my writing, then they see me as a porn star, if they want to talk about how porn stars are intelligent, then they see me as a writer. The publication of the book did open new doors for me, as far as writing is concerned, but ordinary people on the street will look at me the way they want to look at me.
One of the main stereotypes associated with actors in adult films is that they are privately promiscuous, and that they will certainly consent to sexual intercourse. How to protect yourself from sexual harassment?
Such stereotypes cannot be exclusively linked to the porn industry, but can happen to anyone who is involved in sex in some way. The only thing we can do is keep repeating that we are ordinary people who are not always interested in sex. I think that the problem would be drastically reduced if people were educated, primarily about consent and boundaries.
Photo: Lenka Pavlović"It is necessary for children to know that pornography is not real but a fantasy"
In Serbia, there are many reality programs that promote violence, including violence against women, but there are not the same negative stereotypes associated with them as there are for porn actors. What is your opinion on that?
It's a similar situation in America where gun violence is regularly shown on television, and that's okay, but if it shows two people having nice sex, that's very bad and needs to be censored.
Also, young women here often struggle with the problem of revenge pornography.
The big problem with this is that there's a good chance the person in the video is under 18. When pornographic content is not viewed by a legitimate distributor, then there is no guarantee that the person in the video is of legal age. There should be laws to protect the people in those videos. Also, special laws should be made on fake pornography that is made with the help of AI technologies.
What do you think is the key to combating the stigmatization of actors in adult films? What role does sex education play here?
I think things have changed a bit already. We could see that three years ago when onlyfans banned sexual content, which led to a huge outcry, which was so great that they quickly lifted the ban. As far as education is concerned, we have to come to terms with the fact that children will see pornography without parental supervision, and it is necessary for children to know that pornography is not real but a fantasy.
