When Melissa Stratton entered the adult industry as a cam girl in May of 2021, the former graphic designer was afraid to show her face.
Each night, when she chatted online with fans from her Midwest home, Stratton positioned herself so that the computer screen cut off her image from the mouth up.
āIām probably one of the most insecure people youāll ever meet,ā Stratton tells PornCrush. āI just sat there showing my mouth and my boobs. I talked and Iād flash. I didnāt know if I would like itābut I ended up falling in love with it so quickly.ā
Porn fans are glad she did.
Nearly two years later, Stratton is one of the fastest-rising stars in all of porn. The shy, timid tendencies she displayed during her early days on Chaturbate have given way to a sultry, confident aura that leaves first-time scene partners in a euphoric tranceāand directors scrambling to book her.
AndĀ re-book her.
āIād shoot her every day if I could,ā AVN Hall of Fame director Mike Quasar says. āSheās a once-in-decade type of performer.ā
Now 33, Stratton entered the industry later than most. And judging by her background it wouldāve been hard to predict a career in sex work during Strattonās early years. She laughs about how her ambition as a child was to be a librarian or secretary. She also had a passion for ballet.
āI wasnāt very cool,ā she says.
Most of Strattonās childhood was spent as a military brat. Her father was in the Air Force, so it wasnāt uncommon for the family to move from state to state. For a significant time period she even lived in Alaska.
By the time Stratton reached high school, though, her parents had planted roots in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a fitting location considering her mom and dad were Mormon.
By her late teens, it was obvious Stratton would have difficulty adhering to the strict Mormon lifestyle. If anything, her looks would make it virtually impossible.
At age 18, Stratton was fired from her job at a credit union after just one week. Her boss explained that his wife had come into the office and grown insanely jealous after witnessing him work alongside the head-turning teenager.
Strattonās fatherāwho had arranged for her to get the jobācalled the unionās higher-ups and reported the discriminatory termination. Her boss was immediately axed and Stratton returned to work the next day.
āIt taught me a lot,ā Stratton says. āFor one, donāt let people push you around. But also, be aware of how people perceive you. Iād never viewed myself in that way. Before that Iād just always assumed no one was interested in me.ā
By her early 20s, Stratton was working for a group that did graphic design and direct mail for automotive companies. Whether she was attending trade shows or visiting dealerships, Stratton consistently found herself in male-dominated environments whereāonce againāshe was the center of attention.
She said she was 23 when she had sex with her boss, who was in his late 40s, when he delivered paperwork to her office one night after hours.
āHe started throwing some attention my way,ā Stratton says. āI was like, āThis is kind of hot.ā I was thinking, āIāve never had sex on a desk. Iāve never done anything, like ⦠naughty, you know?āā
Over and over, Stratton remembers repeating the same phrase in her mind.Ā Seize the moment! Seize the moment!Ā And then she did.