TheWorkingGirl.com
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Size DOES count!

"The New York Times" estimates that the porn industry is a $10 - $14 billion business, bigger than professional football, basketball, and baseball combined: "Porn is no longer a sideshow to the mainstream... it IS the mainstream." And corporations as large as Marriott (through its in-room X-rated movies) and General Motors (through its ownership of satellite giant DirecTV) are just a few of its (silent) business partners.

While the Web aspect accounts for barely 1/5 of American porn consumption, 50% of the women running these sites are single moms raising children. This fact catapults the mommy wars into yet another aspect of the age-old controversy of what good parenting is. There are no longitudinal studies tracking the psycho/social development of these children. When they become adults, how healthy will their relationships and sexuality be? As a social scientist, author, psychotherapist, and educator, I examine this enormous new sector of our population. I probe the upbringing of a particular amateur adult porn mom, and the consequences her choice has on her family.

During my intense 5-hour interview with her, Sharon Alt described how much she loves her son. I asked why he still lacked basic medical insurance. She obviously had money for breast implants, clothes, business equipment, vacations, and pornography conventions... How was this woman raised? What was her real motive for entering this profession? For how long does she believe she can keep her work from her young child? And if she's ready to tell him the truth--as opposed to his discovering it on his own--at what stage of his development would it be age-appropriate? Then, how will she address his questions? How will she protect him from teasing or bullying peers? Will he follow her lead when he chooses a profession of his own? Above all, how do we assess what we consider "good parenting"?

This film is a psycho/social investigation into a burgeoning business culture whose ever-increasing size is staggering. Because it affects many more people than just its adult stars, its concomitant issues can no longer be ignored. Andrew Baker of "New York Press" rightfully calls TheWorkingGirl.com a reflection of James Ronald Whitney's "unsettled, unsettling" art. I am proud to be part of such provocation that spurs social awareness and growth.

Dr. Gilda Carle

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See the Web sites for the director's other films: Telling Nicholas, Just, Melvin, and Games People Play: NEW YORK
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