The antipathy and contempt porn workers face is more intense, but the stories here could confront any non-former-porn-star in the swelling ranks of the lower middle-class. The natural conclusion to leap to, of course, is that the neediness and the porn career are inextricably intertwined: that Carrera entered porn because she needed to be loved, and/or is so unsure of herself because she's ashamed of her porn career. For someone like her to need the approval of someone like them is an apocalyptic admission of neediness that's depressing to think about. Yet, despite all of that, what she wants is validation from some random group of self-declared smart people. This after all, is Asia Carrera, a woman who ran away from home at 17 and pulled herself together to become a successful businesswoman and a world-famous name and face. Eventually, though, the society did feature her in an issue of its magazine devoted to Mensa celebrities-a big moment for her, she says. She explains that Mensa links to all its members' websites, but that they wouldn't link to hers because.
The most heartbreaking scene in the documentary After Porn Ends, about the post-porn lives of 12 adult stars, may be when Asia Carrera talks about her membership in the high-IQ society Mensa.
