Girl Power” and “Porn Princess” — all of which are in the Top 10. “I have been a porn star for 20 years, and I am in no way surprised or offended,” Adamson said. She continued: “It shows women having fun, enjoying sex and the power that is within all women to express themselves sexually. It is not offensive; if anything, it is empowering.” While Adamson said she was proud of the film, she was critical of her fellow stars. “It is very sad that these young performers feel they have to use degrading, exploitive language to appear to be in charge,” she said. ‘I think there is an effort now to promote sexual freedom, but a minority of people are still exploiting people for sex.” Jessa Rhodes, the star of Girl Power, said she was “shocked” and “appalled” by the list. “I’ve worked in the industry for over five years and I’ve never used that language,” she told the News. “And it’s something I will never do. I find the language degrading, and I find it extremely offensive to women who actually live their life in the industry and love the industry.” Rhodes added that she is especially surprised about how the films’ content was compiled, as it is based on her “private interactions with fans on Twitter.” Erin Marie Fox is no stranger to the industry — she made her debut at age 17 in Girl POV. She says she’s never had any negative experiences working in porn, and she even sees the negative aspects of the list as a sign of a changing industry. “It’s so funny because when I first came into porn, no one looked like me. So to see women like me in porn is kind of a big deal,” she said. “I look forward to seeing more diversity because it’s important, especially now in mainstream porn. There is so much opportunity and these young girls can go far.” Riley Reid, who made her big screen debut in Pornstar Pets, was not aware that the phrases she used in the film would attract the attention they did. “There’s no excuse,” she said, “It was just me being silly and not really understanding that people were offended. I feel awful that this has happened. I am ashamed. I think it’s something that happens in the industry. I don’t see it as an attack on women. “I was just trying to have fun.” Amber Rayne, another porn star, says she was also shocked by the list. “I’m not really the racist type,” she said, admitting that she never actually heard her words spoken. “What I really don’t understand is how is that offensive?” she asked. “You’re just having fun. Don’t make it wrong. It’s just being someone you aren’t, being someone that you aren’t.” Sierra Clement, who also stars in Girl POV, was surprised by the backlash over the list. “I think the way they put it together is disgusting, the way that those performers are promoting themselves,” she said. “Those girls, I wouldn’t say anything about them, but at the same time, to promote myself in the same way is just completely disgusting. I just don’t understand.” According to Clement, most of the girls in the film have known each other for years. “That’s what we do in this industry,” she said. “I mean, we have a good time together and we make a good living at the end of the day.” In a way, she says the list just goes to show that there are still more negative and degrading stereotypes than positive ones. “I think the industry could be much more positive, but it’s all about money,” she said. “I just really hope that this is the beginning of something that changes.” Some stars, such as Jessica Drake and Tasha Reign, were featured in the film, but did not use the offensive language. “I personally didn’t use that language,” Drake said. “But in this business, we are constantly faced with things that are demeaning to ourselves and to other women.” She continued: “But I will say that if you have the courage to be the leading lady in this industry, which is a male-dominated business, then I think it’s really easy to take on the things that people say because it’s easier to say nothing than to speak up. But it’s important to be proactive, to say that things aren’t cool. That’s why I didn’t use those words.” Wendy Delovely, the former queen of porn, is also unapologetic about her inclusion in the list. “A lot of people don’t know about me, because when I came into the industry, I made a point of hiding it,” she said. “They were so shocked when I did porn, which was hard for me because I was making these sex tapes for years, and now I am doing hardcore stuff that gets so much criticism. People are calling me names for my sex tape and they ask me why I didn’t do a porno. I am the perfect combination, because I am a slut and a whore and a cougar. I get all those labels and that’s what makes me popular.” She added: “I was the number one porn star in the world for years, and now I’m number four. Who says they made a mistake? Porn is like a trend. You have to know how to ride the wave.” Porn legend, Nina Hartley, was named one of the eight porn legends featured in the film. “It’s just unbelievable that women would be called whores because they are proud of their sexuality and they are proud of what they do,” she said. “It’s a very patriarchal way of looking at it. This is not an attack on anyone; it’s just a point of view. I didn’t even know I was on the list. I read a little bit and didn’t get offended. I thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to do my little part in this thing, talk about women’s empowerment, women’s education and self-empowerment.’ That’s the whole thing I stand for.” But despite her disappointment, Hartley says she’s a positive role model in the industry. “We are really about women,” she said. “We have come a long way. I am very proud to be a feminist. I love the women’s movement. I love feminism. We have a very important goal that we have to work on — sexual politics — to take back our bodies, control our image and help other women who struggle.” “If you look at the history of porn, there has been a lot of exploitation and degradation of women,” Hartley said. “The porno has been degrading. And I think you see that with many of the performers now. They might be very sexual and open and free with their bodies, but their attitude about women and men is horrible. There’s always been that kind of degradation. And it’s not so much about what we are doing now; it’s what happened to us and the things we saw and learned. There is so much beauty and strength and confidence in sex. We don’t have to cover up anything. We can show what we are doing and show how powerful we are. Women can show all sides of themselves, not just one. And sex, like everything, can be beautiful.” Tod Woodworth is a freelance writer based out of Toronto. He has written for numerous outlets in Canada, including CANADALAND and BuzzFeed Canada.