IAm Stoya, adult performer and generally naked lady. AMA.

Welcome to Reddit, Stoya. Here's your complimentary etch a sketch portrait: http://i.imgur.com/SSr1h.jpg (SFW).

Have fun with the AMA!

Keeping that forever.

You that you have the greatest facial expressions in the world.

Um, aww. Thank you :)

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Thank you, too :)

Have you ever had sex with a fan? If so, how was it?

A genuine don't-know-me-in-day-to-day-life fan? Yes. They were so nervous they ejaculated twice before we even got to any of my holes and I gave up. He was super cute though.

You might say he was overcome with excitement. I'll show myself out......

snicker

Dream come true. How was this arranged?

He showed up at a signing and was really adorable so I slipped him my #.

Clarify Adorable. Adorable Brad Pitt Status, or Adorable puppy. For Science.

Puppy adorable... but in a non-beastiality kind of way.

I imagine everybody who has had sex with her is a fan.

THIS! <3

How does it feel being living proof that pale girls are sexy?

Super nifty. Also, living proof that asymmetrical vaginas are awesome, small boobs rock, and super awkward chicks that read can get laid on a regular basis.

May I ask, super awkward chick who reads, what the last book you read was, and what the last great book you read was? Thanks!

The last book I read was "The Wit and Wisdom of Discworld"

The last great book I read was Nicholson Baker's "House of Holes"

and right now I'm reading Kathryn Davis's "The Thin Place"... so far (60 pages in) it's great. DO NOT SPOIL THE ENDING PLEASE.

I'm sorta curious about how anal sex works in porn. Do you always have some sort of buttplug to loosen things up? Do you eat certain foods/no food the day before? How clean is it? Is ass-to-mouth ever gross or does it get clean enough to where you don't even notice it?

Do you genuinely enjoy anal or is it about work?

I used to totally stress about being clean and not eat the night before, do a super intense enema, sleep with a butt plug in. Anal was enjoyable, but I thought of it as too much prep work to do in my personal life. Then I started having anal sex off camera and realized that I was just as clean 95% of the time and waaaay less stressed about it. I think the key is to just eat healthy things and not have buttsex when you need to poop.

95% of the time.

What about the other 5%? ಠ_ಠ

Then poop happens. It's one of the risks you take when you put something in an asshole.

My fiance really really loves a little bit of ass play. Licking, fingers, tickling, etc. However, it seems impossibly tight and that putting a penis in there would just never happen. Any tips for getting started? What suddenly made it more enjoyable for you at home?

Probably lack of pressure. Something about dudes nagging about getting in there makes my asshole tighten up.

Because Quantization pointed out that I skipped one: How could I possibly seriously say yes or no to a threesome before finding out what you smell like, what your sexual health procedures are, what your small talk is like, etc.?

How do you feel about the fact that although you doubtless have tons of fans on this site, very few of them are likely to have ever paid a cent for your work?

Well... frankly... I'm not sure if it matters any more. The company that I work for was recently purchased by a company that owns a lot of the tube sites, so I suspect that somehow the piracy may actually be funding the production now. I don't claim to have any clue what their business model is or how it works, but it must work for them to have the money to buy up half the industry.

Ads. Lots and lots of Ads.

AdBlock plus always use protection

I went in bareback once... ended up with a virus.

Shoulda used a condom.

Indeed

HAHAHAHAHA.

On that subject, do you think it's a good or bad thing that Manwin seems to be trying to buy all the major companies that they can? Both as far as content goes, and as far as the legal battles that porn is either facing or about to face (i.e. the condom issue)?

I really don't know yet. It could enable them to do phenomenal, inventive things with adult content, or it could ruin everything good about pornography. We will just have to cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Wonderfulmetropolis sums it up best with "It's a really ...interesting thing they're doing"

Big fan here (I literally stayed back from my plans today to ask you this, so I really hope it gets answered). Wikipedia cites that you had a problem with authority. What exactly is your problem with authority?

Also, what is your kinkiest fetish & what makes a guy attractive to you? I need some tips to help me with my game ;)

Wikipedia quotes an article written by a person who came into the interview with their piece already written. Didn't you know that everyone who makes nonstandard decisions about their lives has a problem with authority? #Sarcasm

I enjoy playing with kinks, but do not have any fetishes. The term fetish has a connotation of irrationality and necessity, meaning that an actual fetish is required for sexual arousal or completion.

The last man I slept with was attractive because he does a crossword puzzle every day to completion and was so nervous around me that he visibly twitched every time I got within a foot of him. The one before that was attractive because he's extremely dominant and filthy. Attractive qualities depend heavily on the person in question.

Went ahead and changed that wikipedia entry for you.

Thank you! It hasn't been properly updated since 2009 :(

1. You mentioned you like to read -- what types of books? Favorite?

2. Let's say you just won 50 million bucks. What would you do with your time? Would you continue in the industry?

3. Since the vast majority of people will never meet/talk with you and will only know you from your work, what would you want them to know about you that wouldn't be readily apparent?

4. Lastly, you're in a very controversial line of work -- are you adequately compensated and are you socking it away?

1. Terry Pratchett, Warren Ellis, heavy books about sexuality that make my brain hurt.

2. I would groan about having to hand half of it over to the government and then maybe get an apartment in LA so I wouldn't have to deal with hotels when I go there to shoot.

3. Everything that I want to put out there aside from my orifices gets put on twitter or tumblr. I leave it up to the individual in question whether they want to explore those things or project whatever personality traits they desire onto my porn scenes.

4. I think I'm adequately compensated. I do put most of it in savings, yes.

A Pratchett fan as well? Favorite book of his?

Carpe Jugulum.

Terry Pratchett, Warren Ellis, heavy books about sexuality that make my brain hurt.

I'm going to assume that you've read, "Crooked Little Vein" by Warren Ellis then. That book was nothing but a sex fetish manual written by an awesome writer.

Yes... and Gun Machine which is absolutely brilliant and makes me sad for everyone who has to wait until 2013 for it to be published.

Everything that I want to put out there aside from my orifices gets put on twitter or tumblr.

Are most porn stars funny or do we just get a biased sample on reddit?

Are there any method actors in porn?

I think you get a biased sample.

I've heard many jokes about method acting but do not actually know what it is.

Method acting is when an actor stays in character off camera to prepare for the role.

Like James Deen might try to go around delivering pizzas to people before coming on set. Or sit around smoking weed and watching Adult Swim, pretending he just delivered a bunch of pizzas.

Not that I know of. If anyone in porn was a method actor though, my bet would be Evan Stone.

As a fellow Redditor we demand more pictures of your pussy!...Err i mean CAT!! YOUR CAT! Mr.Sparkle

I'm moving into a new apartment this month where I can have a cat. So stoked to rescue him from my mom's place :)

Just want to say that I'm a big (female) fan! My husband and I love you because you always have great expressions during your scenes. You look genuinely happy to be doing what you're doing and that's a huge turn on. Rock on, pretty lady.

Thank you :)

Who was your favorite male star you shot a scene with?

James Deen.

Do you think being home schooled had any effect on your social norms and made it easier or harder to do porn?

Hahahha. Being home schooled had a HUGE effect on my perception of social norms. I think my super out of the box approach to life has made my career more successful, but I'll be the first one to admit that I'm still a wee bit remedial when it comes to relating to people... porn people included.

What's the deal with gaping? Is it some industry joke on the viewer? What's your take on it?

Someone on a set explained to me once that the way that the asshole is slightly (or way) open during gaping looks inviting. I don't understand it, but if it didn't sell they wouldn't shoot it.

That person told you unholy lies.

Reiterating: I don't understand it.

Got any cunnilingus tips for the good people here? Anything that makes you go nuts, women go nuts in general? Anything you do in particular?

Yes. Every single vagina (and penis) is different. There is no easy way to give someone the perfect oral sex experience. You just have to try various things and see what doesn't work, what works, what works very well.

Even with a quiet partner, you can watch their breathing.

Also, you can feel things like muscle contractions in the lower abdomen/vaginal canal and increased lubrication.

Thanks for doing this, it's really cool of you.

You work with quite a few girls, but it seems all the other DP contract girls are either a) blonde and b) had breast surgery. Do you ever feel pressured to change the way you look to fit in? What do you think of the practice of girls changing their appearance in general?

How would you characterize most girls in the industry? Do they genuinely enjoy sex are are they just acting and actually kind of jaded? Is there competition between people to have their picture/name on covers and get lead roles?

Lastly, it's a bit of an odd question, but why do you think people view the porn industry th way they do? I've read your tumblr a few times, and you come across very well-spoken/articulate, so I was wondering if the same could be said by other actors/actresses. I think Kayden Kross has written for a few blogs, Nina Hartley and Sasha Grey are pretty smart too, and I recently learned that Bobbi Starr graduated university with a music degre and plays the oboe. There's a ton more with degrees or worked in various fields before they ended up doing porn. I think it's a common view (or misconception) that people who end up doing porn do so because they don't have anything else going on for them. What do you think of that? Are people just demonizing an industry because it's socially taboo/unaceptable?

DP did ask me once if I wanted a boob job. I declined.

The adult industry, like any industry, has a wide variety of workers who are in it for different reasons. There's a full range from girls who really like sex and do porn for the opportunity to get into super depraved stuff in a safe environment through girls who are purely motivated by the money. I don't know about competition between people to be on covers and get lead roles, because I've been a contract performer for almost all of my career and those things are guaranteed for us.

I think the stereotypical way of people viewing the porn industry is a stereotype. I very rarely meet people who think performers are dumb or must be abused. Most of those spend too much time on 4chan.

I really enjoy and am happy seeing women in the porn industry who are as intelligent as you. So hopefully the stereotype will fade. Also what porn vids do you recommend for females? I'm really picky. The only ones I bought and enjoyed were pirates I and II. My boyfriend is happy with that of course. :)

Picky, huh? What appealed to you about Pirates?

Just full on sex makes me uncomfortable. I always love stories and role playing. The pirates movies reminded me of pulps. I do have a fascination for vintage softcore and my bf finds odd old magazines full of those things and gives them to me. I love the clothes they wear and the cheesiness. I hoard vintage porn on my computer so I don't know if that helps.

Thank you by the way. I'm flattered to get a response.

Digital has a whole line of purposefully campy vocational themed movies (Teachers, Nurses, Top Guns). Most of Wicked's product is about as plot driven as porn gets. Also, Burning Angel has some great hipster style comedy features.

How exactly did you end up in this business?

I had a friend/roommate who wanted to start shooting for godsgirls.com and razordolls.com and it sounded fun. Posing for nude photos ended up being so time consuming and profitable it became my full time job and after a few years of softcore work I was approached to do a couple of hardcore videos. That sounded fun too, and at 20 the decision making process mostly involved "Do I care about the reasons not to? Then why not?"

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When I encounter a misconception and have the energy to get worked up about it I usually write some kind of blog. I think safer sex precautions in porn could use a revisiting even though I've covered it a couple of times already (old tumblr post and a video for Fleshbot last year)

No offence to others in your profession, but you seem a lot more intelligent than I was expecting. Do you find that a lot of people assume you're stupid because of your job?

Yes.

Hi, Stoya! Big fan (uhh, is that acceptable to say?). Anyway, what was your most memorable experience on film?

Definitely my DP scene in "Bad Girls #something"... it was super intense and the former owner of Digital Playground said he's never seen a performer so happy to be on a porn set.

Do you have a penis size preference or prefer larger penises now that you've done porn? Also, are the mens sizes as big in real life as they are on screen?

Yes, they're as big in real life as they appear on screen. No, I do not prefer larger penises now that I've done porn. It's super fun to get stretched to the limit and be pounded by an abnormally large dick for a couple of days, but I don't think I could actually handle one of those daily in my personal life. Do you know how much it sucks to be turned on but too sore to have sex? It sucks a lot.

If you could perform with one person that left the industry before you entered it, who would it be?

Oh! Wait! Jean Val Jean. I had him off camera and he was superb. Shame it wasn't recorded for posterity.

I'm not sure if Rocco counts because he does still perform but only for his own stuff, but my first pick would be him.

First of all I would just like to say that I am a huge fan of yours. So my question is: How is fucking James Deen different from fucking other porn stars? (Also, do you think that James Deen would be willing to do an AMA as well?)

Personally, we have super ultra amazing chemistry. In a more general way, James (like Manuel Ferrara, Erik Everhard, Mr. Pete and a few others that aren't coming to mind right this second) actually connects. He looks you in the eyes. He holds hands. He kind of digs around in your head and figures out what you're into as opposed to having a routine that happens with every scene.

I don't know if he'd do an AMA. Why don't you ask him? People asking me via twitter is why I did one :)

First off, I'm a fan of all your work. You're an amazing performer. I would like to know if you consider pornography as a form of art. Also, how successful has the Stoya Destroya been for you? I really want one!

Really successful. I keep having male friends who've had sex with my vagina have sex with it and they say that while it isn't the same it's pretty cool.

Oh.. pornography as a form of art... missed that part. I would not call my video work with Digital or photo layouts for Club, Penthouse, etc. art. I would call the shots that Steven Klein took of me for Richardson art. Pornography and art are both pretty undefined, so it's a tough to generalize it.

You don't seem to film a lot of stuff, but you also seem pretty popular. Why don't you film more?

1) Because I'm a contract girl. That's how the contract girl system works.

2) Because sometimes I get bored with it. That spark goes missing and I know the scenes won't be as good as they should be. Since I only shoot a few scenes a year anyway, I take time off if I'm feeling less interested in it. I'd rather shoot less and have the work be better.

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I don't watch much porn at home, but I don't watch much of anything at home.