Was Linda Lovelace A Victim Of Fame?
Porn was the way both Linda Lovelace and Chuck Traynor found what they thought they were looking for in their quest for 'The American Dream'. It was probably the only way available for them at that time.
When Linda Lovelace finally found it within herself to escape Traynor's control, she did not leave the porn industry. It had made her a star. She continued to try to promote herself as a star - a celebrity even. But she failed miserably.
Did this make Linda Lovelace angry and resentful? I would say yes and perhaps understandably so considering her nature. It certainly gave her an axe to grind in her later attack on the porn industry itself.
The more probable fact was that Linda Lovelace needed someone experienced to guide her career. Traynor had been good to get her started, but the mix of Linda's growing instability, his increasing violence, and his lack of experience meant Traynor was unable to effectively promote her any further.
This is not saying Traynor wasn't a cruel, vicious controller of Linda. He was. He was also his worst enemy. His rages on the set of Deep Throat and his jealousy of anyone being nice to Linda made him a liability. Traynor had to be encouraged to leave the set so that the best bits could be shot and Linda could relax.
And it was not only on the porn set that Traynor was not fully accepted at that time. Eager to get the most of Linda's new found fame, he tried to get her into all the best social gatherings, but it seems the couple became more the 'jesters to put on a show' than accepted as part of the party group.
And with the fame of Deep Throat came the law suits. Both Linda Lovelace and Harry Reems were prosecuted. The cases were handled by lawyers, detailed in the press, and no doubt aided and abetted by the mob.
Even then, Deep throat was being celebrated as a stepping stone to making porn acceptable as a medium. The impact of the low budget film was widespread. Linda's 'technique' was to become so famous it would in later years be used as a pseudonym in the Watergate Scandal.
At street level, there also must have been thousands of guys getting their girl friends (or even their wives) to try to control their gag reflexes.
When a poor girl from 'the wrong side of the tracks' becomes what seemed like 'an overnight sensation' it must be confusing and even scary. On the one hand, she has the fame and acceptance she has been craving, on the other, it slowly becomes apparant that this is probably gong to be her biggest success. All she can do is capitalise on it and wonder why nothing else seems to work.