Porn is still generally a social taboo in most parts of the world, although public views are loosening up here and there. But for countries like Lebanon, where the topic is still very controversial and pretty much forbidden in some circles, the fact that someone born in the country was named PornHub’s #1 porn star wasn’t very pleasant news.
In fact, her popularity in her own country is quite negative, with many calling her a disgrace to the nation – which should come as no surprise to those familiar with the highly conservative nature of Lebanon and the region around it as a whole. The country has very specific views on not just pornography, but the relationship between men and women in general, and the way Mia Khalifa has been portraying women has been seen as strongly unpopular by authoritative figures in Lebanon.
And yet, as can be expected, far from everyone agrees that Khalifa should be ostracized for her actions – many have come out in support of her, including comedians and bloggers. The Internet as a whole seems to be very positive towards Khalifa, although this could be easily explained by the nature of her work and the fact that she was named the most popular porn star in the first place.
Some have claimed that she went too far in some of her films, however, including one in which she wore a Muslim hijab for the entire film, resulting in death threats being sent towards her way, both in private as well as a publicly on platforms like Twitter.
While the actress herself doesn’t seem phased by the negativity aimed towards her, she has expressed concerns over the way women are being treated in her own country, and she stated that her views on Lebanon have changed significantly following the incident. She was once very confident in the progressive thinking of her nation, but has now completely reversed her opinion on that, and is disappointed with the backwards thinking Lebanon has displayed.
Khalifa has been embracing her popularity quite a lot, as she recently also made a promotional video for Florida State University, enticing Braxton Miller, quarterback of the Ohio Buckeyes, to apply for the university. The move has drawn a lot of attention, with some calling it a bold one, although the actress reassures her viewers that she’s not violating any regulations, and the video is perfectly acceptable, despite her rather obviously seductive actions. Some have been very open-minded about the video however, stating that porn stars might make an unexpectedly powerful advertising “tool”. State Florida don’t seem too fond on associating themselves with the porn star’s actions, on the other hand, which can be understandable.