Mia Khalifa has one word of advice for young people who would like to make a name for themselves in the adult film industry.
The social media star had a short stint in the porn industry in 2014. At the time, the then-21-year-old featured in approximately 12 movies filmed across three months before deciding to quit.
Despite being in the biz for just a few months and only earning $12,000, Mia Khalifa became a household name, particularly after a video she starred in saw her wearing a hijab whilst having a threesome with Julianna Vega and Sean Lawless.
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The clip garnered a lot of attention and sparked backlash within the Muslim community, with Khalifa being on the receiving end of death threats from the IS.
Now, appearing on The Louis Theroux Podcast, the former porn star (real name: Sarah Joe Chamoun) reflected on her experience, warning girls against making life-changing decisions at a young age.
"The reason I used to have a lot of trouble talking about it is because I was extremely clouded by shame,” Khalifa said of her experience in the porn industry.
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"I used to have a visceral reaction to even hearing the name Mia and knowing that if someone is calling me by that name, they are seeing me in a way that I don’t want to be seen in, but that had a lot more to do with my mental health than it does about the bigger picture of things."
Khalifa shared that she had therapy for nine years before she could finally feel ready to make big decisions.
"I think that nine years of therapy is a lot and it's not because of what I went through in the industry. It’s what I had to go through to get to a point in my life where I feel like I am of a healthy state of mind to make decisions in my life,” she said.
"And that's how long it took me to make those decisions that are so life-changing,” she added.
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She also urged young women to know themselves before taking big steps, saying: “When you're 19, 20, 21 years old, 18 most of the time, that's what they're hoping for, you don't know what you're going to want for your life or what you want out of your life.
"You don't even know yourself that young. You should not make life-changing decisions when you're that young,” she added.
On the podcast, Khalifa discussed receiving death threats for her hijab-wearing porn video, explaining how that left her a little apprehensive to go to the Middle East.
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"I wouldn’t call it official,” she said of the fatwa issued against her, “but I’ve spoken to a lot of security agencies, and their recommendation is that I don’t go [to the Middle East].”
She recalled having a ‘really scary’ experience going to Marrakesh, Morocco, two years ago. “It wasn’t because of the city,” she said.
"It was at the airport being followed to the gate and having my passport taken away from me and taking a picture [of her passport] with their iPhone, that’s what makes you feel unsafe.”
Topics: Adult Industry, Sex and Relationships, Mia Khalifa, Podcast, Religion
Stefania Sarrubba