The Story of Belle Knox
College in the United States is expensive. There is no denying it.
People saddle themselves with tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt just to grab a degree here. It probably shouldn't come as a surprise that many students actually turn to adult entertainment in a bid to make cash.
In fact, head to any cam site right now, and we have no doubt you will see dozens of college students trying to make ends meet.
Back in 2013, one of the students looking to break into adult entertainment was Belle Knox, and, unlike many of the other students that came before her, she was given a pretty tough time. This is her story.
Who Is Belle Knox?
Not much is known about Belle Knox. She is very much a woman that has always kept herself to herself. All we know about her early life is that she was born Miriam Weeks, perhaps not the best name for a future porn star.
What we can tell you, however, is that Belle Knox became famous as the Duke University Porn Star. Her story is one that was shared around the world. It causes discussions, even today.
Belle Knox's Entry Into Adult Entertainment
In 2013, Belle Knox attended Duke University. This is a pretty prestigious university for those who are unaware, and she was paying $60,000 a year for it. A massive price and one that student loans would barely cover. Therefore, it isn't surprising that she took up other work while studying.
Belle's first job while at university was as a waitress. While it was pulling in a little bit of cash, it was under $400 per month. Waitressing was interfering with her studies, and she wasn't exactly treated well in her job.
At some point in 2013, she started to consider the idea of porn. She discovered that women were earning around $1,300 per scene they were in... and they got to come up with a schedule that wouldn't interfere with her studies. She was in.
Because there are many people working in adult entertainment, it is tough to be 'noticed' in adult entertainment, at least by people who know you. You could film countless scenes, and your friends and family may be none the wiser.
Sadly for Belle, somebody close to her did spot that she was doing porn... and her life completely changed.
Belle Knox's Outing
At some point in 2014, somebody at Duke saw one of her videos. It wasn't too long before the rumor mill started to swirl. More and more people around the campus were sharing videos starring Belle. She had been outed as a porn star.
While some people were supportive of Belle, the bulk of people studying at the university were not. Many of them were calling for her to be expelled from the university. Some were sending her death threats. A healthy proportion were slut-shaming.
The media noticed the harassment that Belle had to deal with. For a short while, there was a massive national (and to some extent, international) discussion on slut-shaming, and how students had to turn to adult entertainment to cover the cost of studying.
Duke University even came under fire, with many believing that the university wasn't taking threats against Belle seriously.
While there is no doubt that other college porn stars have gone through the same harassment that Belle did, they didn't come anywhere close to having the same global reach as Belle's story, and there is a reason for this.
Belle put a major focus on ensuring that her story would spread. She gave countless interviews. She outed her real name. This is because she wanted to show that she wasn't ashamed of what she was doing.
Belle Knox - What Came Next
As mentioned before, Belle does try to keep her private life private. As a result, it is unknown whether she completed her degree. However, there is every indication that she did (it was in sociology).
Her experiences of being outed while at Duke did have a massive impact on her future career. She did pick up a few AVN awards for her performances. and she also scored herself a reality show (The Sex Factor) where contestants would compete to win the prize of a sex scene with her.
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Shortly after, she retired from porn. However, she continued her advocacy for women working in the porn business. She is an advocate for feminism and sex positivity.
It is fair to say that while what Belle Knox went through at Duke was terrible, she is making the best of the situation. She is ensuring that any other college student that wants to turn towards the same thing she did is treated fairly. While there is still a long way to go, you can be sure that Belle won't be resting until we get there.
Timothy Casillas
Founder and chief editor of the Camchief website. For many years a fan of everything related to live sex shows. This site is his love letter to brave girls from all over the world. Learn more about Timothy and the rest of the team here.