Candida Royalle: Porn Pioneer

FEMINIST PORN IS SOMETHING THAT ISN'T JUST ABOUT PROFESSIONAL COURTESY AND RESPECT ON SCREEN. IT AIMS TO ALLOW WOMEN TO CONSIDER THEIR JOBS AS AN ADULT PERFORMER PROFESSIONAL WITHOUT HAVING TO DEAL WITH ABUSE AND SEXISM THAT THEY USUALLY DO- CANDIDA ROYALLE

By Lacey Christensen

I first met Candy on “The Deuce”, HBO’s semi-biographical take on those at the intersection of porn and sex work in bygone eras. Loosely based on real people and real events, “The Deuce” is certainly worth watching (and not only because James Franco plays both the twin brothers that are at the center of all the sex and drugs).

For me though, Candy was the main character. Portrayed by Maggie Gyndehall, the character was an amalgam of a few women but largely based on Candida Royalle, a feminist porn pioneer. Candy, named so as a cheeky nod to the real life Candida, is a strong business woman who spoke lovingly to her actors and actresses, and talked tough to her directors and financiers.

And I fell in love with this crusader for equality. Or just basic decency in some cases.

Dying to know the story behind the story, I plunged into my search engine and began sleuthing. What I found amazed me.

Candida, given name Candice Marion Vadala, started as a folk singer. She studied singing, art, and dance at Purnell School of Design. Paying her dues in small clubs, she quickly learned she could not support herself singing. So, she shifted to street sex work, hustling on her own. In a move of safety, she switched from the streets to the sets in 1975, acting in over 25 movies. All the while, soaking up the profession.

After almost a decade, in 1984, she moved to the other side of the lens, shooting the adult movies herself and founding her own production company, Femme Productions. Because she had learned first-hand what it was to be on film, she changed the way actors and actresses were treated. And exactly as she is portrayed to do on HBO, she spoke to her crew with warmth and patience, but with producers and financiers, she was a tough business woman.

Candy’s whole goal was to bring humanity to pornography and expand the narrow male view to one that included women’s perspective. And she quickly did, breaking the stereotype of the objectified woman and including women’s voices for the first time.

In her films, Candice strove for a more reality-based picture. She used scenarios that we’re more likely to happen in a viewer's life, reasoning it would heighten the sexual thrill if a viewer could picture the scenario on screen happening to them. Making a friendlier, non-degrading adult film was not only for female viewers. This also opened up a world of couples porn. If a person wanted to persuade their partner into watching a dirty flick, bringing home one that degrades women is not going to be sexy to anyone. But Candida saw this flaw and began fixing it, making adult films sexy for everyone.

Candy didn't just make movies, she made an industry. Candice had become a name worthy of admiration and respect. With all her experience, she was asked by many colleges and institutions of prestige to speak out, and was invited to the World Congress of Sexology. In 2004, Candice wrote a book, “How to tell a naked man what to do”, written to women who have a difficulty asking for their own needs to be met in the bedroom (or anywhere!).

Sadly, Candice died the following year in 2005 at age 64. However, of course, her legacy remains. We not only have Femme Productions and the many films made by her company, but the production companies she’s inspired over the years, all working to make porn that does not use degrading women as its focal point. In 2014, a documentary was made about her life called “While You Were Gone: The Untold Story of Candida Royalle”. The documentary focuses more on her search for her biological mother and shows glimpses of her personal life. You can rent it for $4.99 on Vimeo.

Rest In Perfection, Candice.

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