Porn actress Odette Delacroix reveals ‘unbearable’ stresses of adult industry where stars are bullied, alienated and pressured to ‘look like little girls’ – after fourth star dies in just two months
Odette said she was "shocked" by the deaths of her fellow performers - but revealed how many of today's porn stars suffer severe depression brought on by the terrible pressures of the industry.
PORN star Odette Delacroix has spoken out about the “unbearable” pressures of the adult industry after four of her fellow performers died in just two months.
Olivia Nova, 20, was discovered dead on Sunday night - just weeks after August Ames, 23, Yuri Luv, 31, and Shyla Stylez, 35, also passed away.
Although the cause of Olivia's death remains unknown, August committed suicide after battling depression and online bullying - and Yuri is believed to have died from a drug overdose.
Odette told Sun Online she was “shocked” at hearing about Olivia's tragic death so soon after the other three.
But the 28-year-old, who opened up about her own battle with depression, said stars face almost constant abuse and bullying online, increasing competition for roles, judgmental attitudes and little support.
To make matters worse, many porn stars are afraid to speak up about their problems - such as mental health issues, eating disorders or substance abuse - out of fear they won't be booked for further jobs, she said.
"I knew all the girls - Yuri and August more so than the others - and they were all very versatile, successful and beautiful," Odette said.
"They were all making money, they had tons of fans - using typical logic they should have been happy.
"August like me, had struggled with depression and we'd tried numerous treatments.
"She also suffered a lot of online bullying after getting some minor cosmetic work done and the ageism left people worrying if she's be aged out.
"Yuri was also gorgeous and successful but she had told me that she hated how an 18-year-old would take her job - even though she would nail it and the other girl would show up high.
"I know she had lost a couple of gigs because of that but she had just hosted a birthday party which lots of people went to and she seemed very happy, then the next thing we know she's gone.
"With Olivia's passing away, she was so young and had only been in the industry a short time so I think the pressure on her would have been immense.
"Porn is a tough first job - I took my time before I even shot a scene with a guy for instance - but with the younger girls they are pressured to do that in their third week in the job.”
Odette revealed that bullying - both online and off - is a huge issue in the industry - and may have contributed to the four deaths.
“The thing that made these girls - and also killed them I believe - was social media," she said.
“Its so easy to harass someone online.
"There isn't a day in my career I haven't had abuse from someone either online or in person.
"When my local high school found out about my career I was stripped of all my awards - they literally took my name off the wall.
“Since these deaths, I have made a rule that I only spend one hour a day on social media.
“Enough to put myself out there - but not enough to read all the negative comments.
“Adult performers get smacked around emotionally - they get it from every angle even within the industry.
"For example because I'm kinky and have moved into fetish porn - people look down on me and I won't get nominated for awards anymore.
“Plus we're all afraid to talk about any problems we have because its so competitive - if I say I'm depressed they'll just use someone else.”
Worryingly she revealed many porn actresses are also under "unbearable" pressure to look as young as possible to fill a growing demand for "tween" and "barely legal" porn.
She said she received the most bookings of her ten-year career when she lost a lot of weight and looked "like a little girl"
"When I started in porn the fad was for busty, curvy - not a little girl - a woman," she said.
“Then around 2010 the obsession became about finding a Lolita performer.
"When I got an contraceptive IUD fitted, I lost a lot of weight over an eight-month period and I got down to 70 pounds.
“I got more work than I ever did in my life - in fact I earned so much money I bought a house for my family and bought myself a fancy car.
"And that's because I was so skinny and looked like a little girl.
"No one once asked if I was ok - I thought I looked like a cancer patient but that was the trend, the look, that's what they wanted.
"At first I think it was a way for the studios to save money because younger girls don't command big rates but then they realized that's what guys want to see."
Competition for work is so intense Odette believes that these days it is easier to land a role as a mainstream actress than a porn role.
This competition means girls are pressured into shooting scenes they don’t want to do - because they know they are easily “replaceable”.
"It used to be you started with solo porn, then moved up to girl-girl scenes, then boy-girl, then anal stuff - and you took your time and tried to milk it as long as you could,” she explained.
"Now these girls do a three month circuit and they’re done - no one books them any more. Unless you are a 'spinner' - that is under 100 pounds and young-looking.
"There's a lot more pressure now to never turn down a job, never voice your opinion and to do things that you might be uncomfortable with.
"You feel very disposable.
“I started out slowly in the industry and made lots of contacts and now I run my own business - and have my own websites so I am in control - but not everyone is able to do that.”
Odette, who turned to making and starring in fetish porn after feeling pushed out of mainstream porn, feels like depression is also widespread throughout the industry and she hopes by speaking out she can encourage people to seek help.
"I don't know if porn makes people depressed or if people who are depressed are more likely to be drawn into the industry,” she said.
"For me porn has helped my depression more than it has made it worse but every one is different and there are still those days I find it tough.
“My depression came back after LA banned us from shooting without condoms - and there was an exodus of porn stars from the city to other cities around the country such as Las Vegas and Miami.
Most read in news
“I felt like my support system, my family had disappeared - almost overnight - and I don't think the industry has ever been the same.
"This is the first time I've spoken about my depression publicly during my whole career.
“So I hope that it helps others to realize they are not alone.”