Mia Khalifa has quipped she's sharing 'never-before-nudes' with new X-ray pictures, which make an important point about her heartbreaking experiences within the adult industry.
Khalifa, who was once one of the biggest names in adult films, is keen to reclaim her image after leaving the porn industry.
After entering in October 2014, Khalifa, whose real name is Sarah Joe Chamoun, shot to fame after a controversial video where she posed in a hijab and spoke Arabic, which later saw her threatened by the terrorist organisation ISIS.
She has been extremely vocal about being pressured into the industry from a young age, and is now an activist, fashion entrepreneur and jewellery business owner.
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She appeared at Paris Fashion Week this week for Trashy Clothing's runway debut, where she wore an exposed black dress with gold-plated nipple coverings.
And she recently did a peculiar photo shoot with SHOWstudio, which saw her body X-rayed in a number of different positions, as she showed off her body and some of her own jewellery from her brand Sheytan.
'Baring it all for you'
SHOWstudio shared the images on social media, writing: "Icon and activist @miakhalifa reinterprets the power of the body with her SHOWstudio Boxset contribution. ‘Never-before-seen’ nudes, offer a witty and personal take on the concept of nudity, reclaiming her own image with X-Rays, wearing jewellery from her brand Sheytan."
The 33-year-old popped up in the comments, replying with an X-ray and white heart emoji.
Another post by Nick Knight, director of SHOWstudio, explained the images show Khalifa's 'total understanding of the power and desirability of her own image' and play 'with [the] idea of surface and of the beauty'.
Khalifa responded: "Baring it all for you!"
Mia Khalifa's criticism of the porn industry
After switching to OnlyFans after leaving the porn industry in 2015, Khalifa has spoken out to criticise it in the past, suggesting that she was exploited before she eventually left following just a few professional shoots.
"I became infamous by accident," she told The New York Times, recalling her instant overnight fame.
"I entered the adult industry in October of 2014, and very quickly I was pressured to perform in a video where the context was that I was an Arab veiled woman."
Khalifa, who is Lebanese-American, added: "The intent was to exploit the fact that I was Arabic and spoke Arabic, and I went through with it. Not long after, I would say maybe a couple hours after it premiered, the avalanche started.
"Every news outlet picked it up, and everybody had an opinion. I was completely out of control of my image, my reputation."
And she has previously dispelled the notion that she was 'racking in millions from porn', claiming she only made $12,000 during her time and 'never saw a penny again
after that'.
Even though she quit after just a few weeks in the industry, the damage was done, and she couldn't return to her day job without being 'looked at in a certain way'.
She also spoke to Louis Theroux on his podcast, The Louis Theroux Podcast, about how her mental health was negatively affected following her experience, to the point where even hearing her name was difficult.
However, since leaving the adult industry, Khalifa, along with her fellow ex-porn star, Lana Rhodes, has become a millionaire, with OnlyFans being the biggest 'moneymaker', along with her modelling gigs and influencer work.
But a big thing for Khalifa is avoiding nudity, since she can now control her own content, and her latest Instagram images are perhaps the closest fans might get, even if it's a slightly satirical take on the matter.
She previously told The New York Times in 2024: "I don’t do nudity past what I’ve done in a fashion magazine, which is like a see-through shirt or something.
"So I feel secure, and the audience that I’ve cultivated on that platform knows what they’re in for."
SHOWstudio's x-ray images of Khalfia form part of their 25th anniversary boxset. You can buy the boxset here.
Topics: Mia Khalifa, Instagram, OnlyFans
James Moorhouse