Wikipedia:Notability (pornographic actors)
 | This page documents an English Wikipedia notability criteria. Editors should generally follow it, though exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on this guideline's talk page. |
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The following guideline is a clarification of Wikipedia:Notability (people), and outlines criteria to determine the notability of pornographic actors and actresses, for including articles on them in the Wikipedia. While the notability guideline for people has general criteria, this subset focuses on criteria most suitable to performers in this field.
Valid criteria
An erotic actor or actress may be demonstrated as notable if they meet any one of the following conditions, as substantiated through reliable sources:
- Performer has won or been a serious contender for a well-known award, such as those listed in Category:Adult movie awards or Category:Film awards or from a major pornographic magazine, such as Penthouse, Playboy, Hustler, Playgirl, or other well-known magazines, as well as their counterparts in other pornography genres (including feature of the month in these magazines).
- Performer has made unique contributions to a pornographic film genre.
- Is the performer noted for beginning a trend in pornography?
- Did the performer star in an iconic, groundbreaking or blockbuster feature?
- Performer has been prolific or innovative within a specific genre niche
- Performer has been the participant in a significant event or controversy reported by credible news media.
- Performer has been featured multiple times in mainstream media (see AfD example:Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Air Force Amy)
Invalid criteria
- Number of films (e.g., "any actor with X films is notable"). Pornographic films can be made in a few days, thus performers can appear in dozens of films per year.
- Avoid criteria based on search engine statistics (e.g., Google hits or Alexa ranking), or measuring the number of photos published online. The adult film industry uses Googlebombing to influence rankings. See also limitations.
- The person has a relationship with a well-known person. Relationships do not transfer notability.
- The person has an entry on a filmography database. Databases such as IAFD and IMDB have low standards for inclusion.
- There is an original film named after the performer. Production companies and performers frequently name original films to promote newcomers or rising stars. Without corroborating data films named after a performer may not demonstrate notability.
Rationale for the need of this guideline
This guideline is not an exception to Wikipedia:Notability (people), but a clarification of how those standards should be appropriately applied to this unusual industry. Pornography carries a stigma such that performers receive very little attention from the mainstream press. However, the opposite is true on the Internet, where promoters flood the net with pages and pictures; most of these are not independent fan sites. The volume of film appearances is also radically different than other genres; an energetic though non-notable performer can appear in dozens of porn films per year.
This guideline attempts to summarize the consistent aspects of discussions at AfD evaluations, and thus reflect current community consensus. Being a guideline, this is not an absolute policy, and exceptions should be recognized in individual discussions. If specific exceptions come up consistently enough, these should be incorporated in this guideline. Due to the nature of its subject matter, this guideline may always be controversial.
See also
- WP:LIVING - Provides criteria for writing a biography on a living person.
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Porn stars - Wikipedia project helping to develop and organize entries on pornographic actors and actresses.