Mia Khalifa has a simple but important piece of advice for young people considering entering the adult film industry.
The social media star had a brief stint in the porn world back in 2014.
At the time, she was just 21 years old and appeared in about 12 films over the span of three months before deciding to leave the industry behind.
Despite her short time in the business and only earning $12,000, Mia Khalifa quickly became a household name.
This was largely due to one particular video she appeared in, where she wore a hijab during a threesome with Julianna Vega and Sean Lawless.
The clip gained a ton of attention and stirred controversy within the Muslim community.
Mia Khalifa sat for a chat about porn, autism and the Internet with Louis TherouxSpotify
It even led to Khalifa receiving death threats from ISIS.
Now, during an appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast, the former porn star, whose real name is Sarah Joe Chamoun, reflected on her experience and urged young women to think twice before making life-altering decisions at such 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 while discussing her time in the porn industry.
“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 it took her nine years of therapy before she felt ready to make major life 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.
We get it, Mia.Instagram/@officiallouistheroux
Khalifa stressed the importance of young women knowing themselves before jumping into life-changing choices.
“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.”
In the podcast, Khalifa also touched on the death threats she received after the hijab-wearing porn video, sharing how it has left her hesitant to visit the Middle East.
“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 a “really scary” experience she had two years ago when visiting Marrakesh, Morocco.
“It wasn’t because of the city,” she clarified. “It was at the airport—being followed to the gate and having my passport taken away from me, with them taking a picture of it with their iPhone—that’s what makes you feel unsafe.”
