Ex-Porn Star Crissy Moran on the Influence of Music and Christian Marriage
Part II of A 2-Part Interview
Pornography tops the list of controversial topics among Christians. Churchgoing fathers, pastors and young adults frequent websites filled with explicit sexual content to see the beautiful women involved in these acts. One of these women, Crissy Moran, made a more than comfortable living as adult actress- her website earned over $15,000 a month. However, Moran left the industry in 2006 to rededicate her life to Jesus Christ and never looked back.
The Christian Post recently had the opportunity to interview Moran. In the first part of that interview, which can be found here, Moran spoke about her upbringing, her decision to pursue a career in pornography, and what events led her to leaving the industry for Christ. Now she will discuss financial hardship, the influence of music and culture on her early life, and her upcoming Christian marriage.
The Christian Post: Do you think you will ever see that day where your pornography website will be taken down?
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Moran: Every shoot I did, including the photos and movies are covered by model release. So the owners have the rights to use the photos, to reproduce them and to use the movies and put the same scenes in hundreds of different films if they want to over and over again. For my website, the contract ran out already, but they are still running it. I think they know that I don't have legal help and the people who have tried to help me have backed out.
Even if that website came down, the content is already on the internet. The fans have their own forums where they all exchange content they have gotten off other sites that are private. It's always going to be there.
CP: How hard has it been to adjust to not making anywhere near as much money after leaving the adult film industry?
Moran: It's been really difficult. Initially, I didn't know how I was going to pay my rent every month. I was very blessed that the Christian community really helped me out … I worked at several different jobs. I didn't make great money. I worked in a law firm as a receptionist and also in a financial advisor's office. In the beginning I really wasn't ready to go out and share my story, so that really wasn't an income. I just shared online, and I did that [After Porn] documentary along with a few others.
Now, I've been traveling and sharing my story with churches so that's been really good. I don't take on a lot. I'm just trying to do things that God is preparing me to do. For a couple of years, I was forbidden by my therapist to work at all since I was dealing with post-traumatic stress. It has been really rough.
CP: What has helped you to stay grounded all these years after leaving the industry?
Moran: The biggest help for me since leaving the industry is a non-profit ministry I found called Treasures. My mentor Harmony Dust is the founder of Treasures, and she's come alongside me throughout my journey and helped to encourage me. She is somebody that has been [in the sex industry] and who has come out of the other side and is living a healthy life, with healthy friendships and relationships. I met her maybe a year after I left the industry.
CP: What makes the adult film industry an appealing place to work for young girls?
Moran: For a lot of them its money. That wasn't my case. For me it was more love, acceptance and being wanted. The glamour too. Especially now, the way things are with the internet, porn is now viewed more glamorously than it used to be. It's a lot more mainstreamed. Everyone knows the names of porn stars these days. In my case, the music that I listened to was very influential. It was all about self and being wanted.
CP: What kind of music influenced you?
Moran: I listened to everything so I can't really say one specific genre of music. Nowadays you have Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. Even Beyonce's performance at the Super Bowl [was inappropriate]. If she didn't have a microphone in her hand you would notice that she was basically doing the moves of strippers. And I couldn't even watch it. It was just too triggering for me. That's who is influencing the young girls of today. Rihanna has songs about S&M that influences these girls. Also, the people on the radio I would hear when I'm driving to work … would have Hooters girls listening to them. [It made me] get a job at Hooters because I thought it was what guys liked.
CP: Some say that music is just entertainment and doesn't influence people's behavior.
Moran: Music does influence people. And I think that people who don't think it influences them are being deceived. They could say that it doesn't, but even if it doesn't at the moment, eventually it will. I don't see any way around that.
CP: Let's switch gears for a moment. Do you think sex is undervalued in our current culture?
Moran: Definitely, sex is recreational nowadays. It's not something that is sacred anymore. It doesn't have any value at all.
CP: Do you think pornography can be blamed for that?
Moran: I don't think just porn is responsible. Before I got into the industry I didn't watch porn. I think the media, TV shows and music already does a good enough job doing it. Porn is taking it to a different level.
When I was younger and dating, if a girl had sex with guys in my high school she was considered a slut. Nowadays, it's expected for a girl to be [promiscuous].
CP: Your life has changed quite a bit since quitting the industry and you are now engaged to be married. How does it feel to be starting a new life?
Moran: I've been on a long journey these past six years learning to be who God wants me to be. Even before I got engaged I dated several guys in the Christian community and their values weren't what I was being taught. I finally decided to fast from dating for one year. Six months in, I met my current fiancé. We met through mutual friends. We started a long distance friendship since he lived in Houston and I lived in L.A. and he was the only guy I talked on the phone with or texted. He was just a friend.
We did Bible study together. He had a lot of self control and never really flirted with me. I made very strict boundaries with him. I knew he was the kind of man I wanted to marry early on. Our friendship really gave me an opportunity to get to know him with worrying about what he looked like or what he could do for me. We met in person [for the first time] last December and started dating in February. We got engaged in July and we're getting married on May 11.
In October, I moved to Houston and started living with his mom and her husband. He lives about half an hour away in his own apartment. This is the first time I've had a pure relationship. Living with a married couple who has a healthy Christian relationship has [given me a great example to follow]. I feel so transformed. Our relationship is so innocent. I've been learning to love somebody outside of sex, and also in way that's going to keep us together forever. Romantic love doesn't keep us together. We need to learn to love each other outside of that. I know he's the one for me and now the romantic love is starting. It seems backward, but I think it's the way it's supposed to be.
For more information on Crissy Moran and Treasures readers can visit:
www.NEWCrissyMoran.com
www.IAmATreasure.com
