This research project will examine the subjective realities experienced by female pornography performers, working in the American mainstream pornography industry. The aim of this research is to situate these lived experiences within the international feminist debate on pornography. This research will use the narratives of the participants, as owners of their experiences, as a tool to assess the opposing feminist perspectives and theories addressing the presence and role of female performers in the work they do. Feminism has long held a debate with pornography, from Andrea Dworkin (1981) to sexpositive third and fourth-wave feminism, featuring theorists such as Gayle Rubin (2011), Laura Kipnis (1999), and Nadine Strossen (2000). As we move further into the 21st century pornography has undergone significant metamorphosis. In conjunction, feminism has also undergone significant changes since the time of Dworkin's campaigns against pornography, and now, with the advent of social media, a greater number of perspectives are being heard. One perspective that is sorely lacking is a coherent collection of the voices of the actresses themselves; a gap that has implications for ethical discourse and research on pornography. Interviews with female performers will be analysed utilising a Foucauldian Discourse Analysis framework. Acknowledging a paucity of studies that focus on performer experiences, this research will build on established work such as James D. Griffin et al., (2012) to construct a more accurate analysis of the experiences of working in pornography. Many assumptions exist about pornography; such as claims that the women are coerced or abused (Levy, 2005).These claims need to be explored with the perspectives of the women included, and this research will explore these alongside experiences of stigma and violence. This research project also posits that violence may arise from feminist discourse, and investigates this through a nuanced reading of terminology, stigma and objectification.