How a Porn Star Retires: Aurora Snow on Life After Porn
Aurora Snow on why many porn stars keep returning to the business—and how she finally managed to get out.
I was certain that I would never want a family of my own. I wouldn’t have entered porn if I had. I scoffed at the idea of being tied down in any way. But four years ago my brother was in a motorcycle accident, and I found myself thrust into the role of caregiver to my 4-year-old and 6-year-old nephews. My youngest nephew clung to me half asleep as I carried him from my car to his bedroom, and as I tucked him in, everything changed. I suddenly wanted a family of my own. That meant I needed to leave the adult business, but I wasn’t even slightly prepared. Like most of my colleagues, I had never considered an exit strategy. Worse, I felt I had no other skill sets.
A day in the life of a porn star might, on the surface, seem like the life of a Hollywood A-lister. Shopping in Beverly Hills, getting $500 facials, and spending thousands on shoes that will rarely see the light of day. But take one look at performer contracts and you will notice some major differences. Hollywood actors have a union, health insurance, and even earn residuals on their projects. Porn actors have none of these things. Once the money jar is drained on fashion, facials, and shoes, that’s it. There’s no more. So retirement is a tricky concept.
I have spent the last several years trying to figure out how to extract myself from a business I’ve been in most of my adult life. At first I cut back on the number of scenes I did. I adjusted to life on a budget and then put myself back in school. Finally, I felt like I was on a new path. But school cost money. Now I had to consider taking on more scenes to pay for it. I’d come full circle. In a way, I was right back where I started. I fell into porn to pay for school and here I was again. I was caught in a cycle that seemed to have no end.