The following text is by the editors of MERRY JANE, but all photos are by the one and only OK McCausland
AVN is not the stomping ground of Cupid or Saint Valentine. It’s full of all sorts of eros and sexuality, but if you’re looking for “love” of the Hallmark, head over heels, goo goo gaga variety… then the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas for the 36th annual “Oscars of Porn” is gonna come up short.
This is because the relationship dynamics among everyone at this sex expo were imbibed with SPECTACLE (all caps). After all, this was a convention where adult entertainment fans momentarily broke through the barrier of their laptop screens and got within spitting distance of the performers they regularly pleasure themselves to in private. And, on the reverse side, pornstars, cam girls, and sex workers of all stripes had to interact (read: tolerate) the customers, colleagues, and casino lounge lizards who regularly flood their DMs and/or send them tips over Cash App.
No matter how you looked at it, there was a performative quality keeping the four-or-five-day event afloat — otherwise the Uncanny Valley threatened to fry your synapses and break down the fourth wall that just barely prevented AVN from being intentionally surreal.
That said, there was love at AVN, but in the sense of adoration, camaraderie, and unabashed fandom. For casual attendees and smut enthusiasts, it was a dream come true. The dudes walking around pretty much embodied the heart-eyed emoji, and the reverence they expressed was almost infectious... almost.
But the best type of love was the most visceral among the performers themselves. Hanging with a group of top stars (shout-out to Nikki Hearts, Leigh Raven, Charlotte Sartre, Kristen Scott, Lance Hearts, and Janice Griffith!), it was no different from an XXX high school reunion. We witnessed old friends and peers catching up, talking shit, and posing for a million photos. And whether they were in a private hotel suite or situated smack-dab in the middle of the expo, these adult entertainers conveyed some real-deal intimacy like only true pals can.
Corny as it may sound, “friends are the family you get to choose,” and at AVN 2020, the true love was found amongst the homies. The following photos aim to capture the various shades of intimacy and connection we witnessed in Vegas — whether in the form of a pornstar cuddle puddle, or a fan getting spanked by his favorite dom.
~ The Editors of MERRY JANE
For more on OK McCausland's work, visit her website and follow her on Instagram
For more on OK McCausland's work, visit her website and follow her on Instagram