Advertisement

Amateur porn exposed in 'Hot Girls Wanted' documentary

"Teen" is the most searched term in online pornography, and thousands of young people enter the amateur porn industry every day, lured by promises of quick money and hopes for fame.

Reading Time:1 minute
Why you can trust SCMP

"Teen" is the most searched term in online pornography, and thousands of young people enter the amateur porn industry every day, lured by promises of quick money and hopes for fame.

The disturbing world of amateur pornography - professionally produced films made to look like home movies - is exposed in the new documentary by Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus, Hot Girls Wanted, which premiered on Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival.

Advertisement

Craigslist ads promising free flights to Miami bring in a constant stream of would-be porn stars. "Every day, another girl turns 18," says Riley, a 23-year-old "agent" who hosts half a dozen young women eager to enter the industry at his Miami home. He says the career-span for these 18- to 21-year-olds is typically three months. Teenagers who have grown up in the age of the internet have always known porn is easy to find.

And as pop culture has become more and more sexualised, the taboo against sex on film has faded for them, the attitude being: "We're doing it anyway, why not get paid?"

Advertisement

The filmmakers said that according to current laws, it's legal for anyone with a camera who calls himself a porn producer to solicit sex. The woman is technically being paid for her "performance," not the sex act.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x