Stormy-landia — The world cannot stop talking about Stormy Daniels, and we at YNOT are 100 percent part of that tidal wave. Can you blame us? There’s a new and significant development to report on almost every day, each often more bananas than the next.
Those of us in the adult industry may feel strangely okay about this though. (We do.) This is an important series of issues, and Daniels is, in fact, part of our community. Her public goings on are things we’ve cared about for decades now. Mainstream media and situationally-connected parties, however — not so much.
The constant barrage of Daniels coverage from mainstream sites is as much about driving traffic as it is about covering the issues. Even her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, is not above the attention-seeking clickbait party.
As was recently reported by CNN, Avenatti “admitted he wasn’t initially fully sold on taking on the adult film star’s case.” He even told David Axelrod during an episode of “The Axe Files” podcast that he had a healthy dose of skepticism when he first heard about Daniels’ circumstances.
“I knew that she was an adult film star and I haven’t represented any adult film stars. That’s just not what I do. I mean, I’ve had a real legal career with real cases of significant magnitude and I’ve got a reputation that I’ve built over the years. And I was skeptical about lending that reputation to somebody in the industry, quite honestly,” explained Avenatti, via CNN.
Umm, excuse me? A “real” legal career with “real” cases of significant magnitude? Please tone it down a notch there buddy, your slut-shaming is showing.
Avenatti did dial it back some when he explained that his reservations disappeared when he met Daniels in person.
“I met her and she blew every conception that I had, misconception that I had, out of the water,” he told Axelrod, via CNN. “This is an incredibly intelligent woman. One of the most self-aware people I’ve ever met in my life.”
Here’s the thing: In spite of having such a legit and “real,” big deal super-duper career, I’m probably not the only person out there who had no idea who Avenatti was prior to him representing Daniels. Daniels, on the other hand, I was well aware of — and so was every other person in life who saw The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), amongst many other films.
The notion that an attorney, especially one with a reputation they’ve built over years and years and years and years, is concerned about a potential client’s potential impact on his or her reputation is troubling. As an officer of the court, and thus a person who has an obligation to promote justice and the operation of the legal system, one would assume that doing what’s correct is more significant that doing what makes you look cool.
But hey, the world rides on the backs of sex workers — including porn stars, and including THE porn star. Why should this dude be any different?
We see you, Michael Avenatti. Just FYI.
Image via valerie like.
