When women speak up and share their own stories, they inadvertently end up speaking up for women everywhere. This is why we think that media personality and former adult film star Mia Khalifa talking about the sexism and patriarchy she’s faced is such an inspiration.
Khalifa quit the adult film industry after she got death threats for doing a video where she was seen performing a sex act with a Hijab on.
And ever since then, she has been voicing her opinions and experiences about how the patriarchy impacted her choices, and the kind of agency she had as a woman, in the adult film industry.
1. When she talked about being banned from her own country and the hypocrisy of the whole situation.
Because, in an interview, she revealed that most of the people that view her content ARE from Lebanon. Isn’t that the biggest sign of patriarchy? A system that oppresses and dictates women’s sexuality and financial freedom BUT also likes to exploit it?
2. When she spoke up about how porn projects unrealistic and incredibly unhealthy standards on to women.
3. When she spoke up about how she has zero rights over her own images and videos, in an interview with a magazine. She said, “Zero. Over the photos, the videos, everything. They have full control over that, and they refuse to give me my domain name.”
By speaking up about this, she has helped inform the world of how little agency women in the adult film industry have over their own work.
4. When the sports commentator and former adult film star talked about how people prey on young women. And the importance of protecting, empowering and enabling them to make better choices.
5. When she spoke up for women everywhere and got real about how patriarchy has conditioned women to seek validation and attention from men.
In an interview with BBC, she spoke about how she became an adult film star. She said that she had low self-worth and
In most of her statements, Mia Khalifa has taken accountability for her choices, while holding others responsible too, which is commendable.
She has also called out a flawed system, by speaking up about her own experience. And the hate and shame that has been thrown her way is proof of how much the world likes to exploit women but rarely supports them.
