Off the Set: Porn Stars and Their Partners

Porn stars are lightning rods. In a society that both consumes pornography and condemns it, pornography has always been as a divisive barometer. And in spite of the recent dialogue regarding the pornification of America, porn performers remain a group of people who are consistently pushed to the margins of our society. Often, the pervasive condemnation that pornography is inherently dehumanizing is used to deny porn performers their humanity. As a group, they are dismissed as incapable of many of the things valued by the public at large, among them stability, family, and loving relationships. Photographers Paulie & Pauline stepped behind the scenes of the porn industry to take an intimate look at the private life of ten porn stars and the significant others in their lives, including Jesse Jane, Tera Patrick, Seymore Butts, Mari Possa, Kylie Ireland, Buck Angel, Nicki Hunter, and Lorelei Lee. What they discovered was not a collection of people whose work as porn performers reduced them to damaged, jaded victims who need to be rescued and rehabilitated. Instead, they found a group of acutely self-aware individuals who, along with their partners, embrace their choices to work in porn and thrive on their romantic relationships. The photos in Off the Set capture the beauty of the genuine bonds shared by these couples. Much as if you were permitted to peer into their private journals, this collection of photos aspires to reveal their vulnerability and, most of all, their humanity. In addition to more than 100 b/w and color photos, the book also features a foreword written by sex educator Tristan Taormino, and several essays on the realities of relationships for porn performers written by the stars themselves. A portion of the sale price of each book will be donated to the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation.