Page 69 - AVN October 2017

FEATURE
I AM 42 YEARS OLD AND AM LONG PAST THE POINT
WHERE I AM BOTHERED BY ANYONE WHO THINKS I
AM GROSS OR DISEASED OR DAMAGED. ... I USE MY
FIRST NAME NOW BECAUSE I AM PROUD OF THE
LIFE I HAVE CARVED OUT FOR MYSELF.
—CHRISTIAN XXX
Angela White
In no uncertain terms, Angela White is Angela White.
“I decided I was going to use my real legal name
before I had even entered the adult industry. Not
choosing a stage name was political and personal,”
White asserted. “I wanted to make a statement about
how proud I was to be part of the adult entertainment
community and I wanted to demonstrate that I felt no
shame expressing my sexuality in a very public way.”
“Using my real name helps me to remain an
authentic performer. When I go to set I am always
myself—I am always Angela White. I never wanted
a separate identity in porn. My entire motivation for
entering the industry was to express my own genuine
desires and to be accepted for who I am.”
White’s travels down the road of public sexual
autonomy started in high school. She openly identified
as bisexual in her early teens and had to navigate
being a sexually adventurous young person in an
environment that mandated female sexual restraint.
“This was before Slutwalks existed and before
it was chic to make out with other [women],” she
contextualized. “I spent much of high school being
bullied for being a ‘slut’ and a ‘lesbian.’ When I was
introduced to porn, I finally saw a space in which
women were being celebrated for expressing and
exploring their sexual desires. I immediately identified
with the women on screen. I guess I saw a part of
myself reflected in them.”
The politics of separating out identities between
“real” and pseudonym is an issue that performers still
must deal with, even in 2017—and this wider cultural
artifact of slut-shaming and sex phobia doesn’t seem to
be going away.
“Despite recent media claims about the
mainstreaming of pornography and the wider cultural
acceptance of adult entertainment, porn performers
still face social and institutionalized discrimination,”
White asserted.
According to White, a number of factors including
gender, sex, race, class, her family’s sentiments
about her choices, and her feelings about prospective
motherhood made it easier to use her legal name.
“Sex workers often struggle to open bank accounts,
secure loans, and maintain custody of their children,”
she explained. “I don’t judge other performers who
have chosen to use a stage name or pseudonym. Every
performer has a different journey and a different
set of circumstances that have led them into adult
entertainment, and for many performers, it is the safer
option.”
“I don’t think there is anything ‘wrong’ with using
a stage name—I will just be a lot happier when
performers are choosing stage names solely for
marketing purposes or search engine optimization,
rather than feeling any need to avoid stigma or to
protect their families.”
Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals is a sociologist and author. Find her on
Twitter: @drchauntelle.
Christian XXX
“XXX” is not Christian’s legal surname, but he did
move from a full pseudonym to an amalgamated
name as his career expanded.
“I didn’t plan on being in porn as a long-term
career at first, so when a director asked me what
my stage name was, I told him to pick it for me,”
Christian explained. “Vin Diesel was just becoming
popular back then. He’s bald, I’m bald—so I became
Maxx Diesel.”
“This was strictly for my first eleven films, which
were all in gay porn. When I transitioned into straight
porn, I knew that I couldn’t use the same stage
name. I remember thinking that it would be hard to
remember a fake name, so I just started using my first
name and XXX.”
Simple enough.
“I have never regretted the use of my first name,
but of course what no one tells you is that the longer
you are in porn, the higher the likelihood of your real
name getting out there to the public,” he continued.
“I am 42 years old and am long past the point
where I am bothered by anyone who thinks I am
gross or diseased or damaged. ... I can respect the
fact that some people aren’t receptive to my career
because of their own moral code—it is what it is. I
use my first name now because I am proud of the life
I have carved out for myself.”
In spite of a person’s own security with career
path and life choices, there is still the factor of wider
society to contend with—and wider society still
struggles mightily with adult entertainment.
“My girlfriend and I have discussed our real-name
situation for a long time,” Christian shared. “We
have decided that, when our time in porn ends, we
both need to change our first and last legal names to
something much different than we currently have and
start our Google searches back to zero. Not sure if
that will work, but it’s the best option we can see.”
10.17 | AVN.com | 69