Farrah Abraham is the Teen Mom breakout star who went on to star in Vivid Entertainment's best-selling sex tape of all time. As such, she's fodder for a riveting game of hypotheticals. For example: Would you live free and easy if it meant having verifiable sex only twice?
To become a millionaire, Farrah got pregnant at 17 and then filmed a viral video with famed porn actor James Deen at 22. She has parlayed a few hours of "activity" into an almost-schizophrenic business model that includes strip clubs and children's clothing. She's also behind an album called My Teenage Dream Ended, which is considered either a dark piece of outsider art or a pop travesty, depending on the critic.
Vivid, which has also released videos by Kim Kardashian and Anthony Weiner's latest sexting partner, will open a strip club near Miami Springs on September 12. Farrah is the company's ingenue, so it's appropriate that she'll make an appearance that weekend. She spoke with Cultist to promote that event, along with her various enterprises. As it turns out, she doesn't like being called a feminist very much at all.
See also: Vivid Live: A Miami Strip Club From the Folks Who Brought You Weinergate
So you're calling me from an eastern Nebraska area code. Where do you live?
I don't live there, but that's where I do have my phone set. I live in Austin right now. I was actually from there, so I just kept my phone there. I'm from Omaha, Nebraska, and that's where we did the filming of Teen Mom and all that.
Have you ever been to Miami?
I used to live there, so yes. I lived in Aventura.
Now that you've made a million dollars on your sex tape --
Or more.
How do you plan to spend the money?
I plan on being smart, investing, having other products come out, opening up my restaurants and retail stores. You know what? I'm an entrepreneur. Many people know this about me, besides the blogs and gossip or whatever. I've gone to school, and I continue getting my education in accounting auditing, right now in New York. So I'm finishing all this, but I plan doing all this and bars, and maybe gentlemen's clubs. And the mom side of me wants to do a children's clothing store. I like chic fashion myself, and I just wanna share that. So those are the sort of things I'm dabbling in, and building my empire.
So what's the credo of your lifestyle brand? Those things seems pretty disparate.
I just want to bring great prices and better products to the world and be creative all at the same time, and I think that's what I'm good at business-wise. That's Farrah. If you know me, that's me. I'm young, I'm 22, and I'm a single mom. On the flip side, I'm a very good mom. I work very hard. I'm probably one of the best parents you're ever gonna meet. So I learn how to balance this. I feel like if I can't show my true self, and if I can't explore who I am, then it would be lying to myself and I would stunt my growth. So if I feel like opening up a restaurant, opening up a gentlemen's club, opening up a children's clothing store, and doing songs, books, everything that I feel like doing, I'm going to do it. It suits me well. That's who I am.
I know you've mentioned opening some restaurants. Where will the flagship location be, and can you give an indication of the concept or menu?
All of the businesses I'm going to start opening will first be in Austin, Texas, where I live. The concept and all that will be talked about in promotion for the opening, so right now it's just a very innovative concept that people are looking forward to seeing.
I've heard you speak about how your sex tape came about, and I don't understand the narrative. Can you expand on it?
Basically, how my sex tape came about is how I live my life. I'm 22, I'm very sexual, I'm single. A boyfriend of mine at the time, which was James [Deen], is in the industry and makes videos all the time, and so I thought it was a comfortable situation to have my only sex video with him. Proved me wrong, obviously, because it was leaking out, and I was starting to have people reach out to me. Maybe he did that because he wanted to promote his film at the time, The Canyons, which was coming out with Lindsay Lohan. So it turned into a hurtful chain of events, so I involved my lawyer. Other companies were reaching out and wanted to buy it, so I ended up selling it. And against all odds of everybody else telling me not to sell it, not to do it or whatever -- it was already out, it was already going to be out there for free. So I made a business deal out of it. I'm smart, and I'm happy that I did that.
Are you guys still together?
Nope, I'm definitely not talking to him or dating him anymore. I'm not really going to say how long or what we've done. This is really not about him.
It sounds pretty shitty that he went behind your back and leaked your personal tape. Do you consider yourself a feminist?
I'm pretty feminine. I think so.
Not feminine -- feminist.
What does that mean, you're a lesbian or something?
No, that's not what I'm asking at all.
What context are you saying it in?
It's a complicated concept, but I guess at its most basic, it means that women are equal to men.
Oh, I definitely feel that women are equal to men. No doubt about that. I mean women should have equal rights to men, every day.
I wanted to talk about your album a little bit too.
The album was actually released when I released my memoir, My Teenage Dream Ended. It was a New York Times best-seller. The soundtrack went with the chapters. Some people don't like to read too much. Others can get emotions through music, and that is why I did that. I think a lot of teen moms relate to that more so. It was not for mainstream coolness or anything like that. It was just a very therapeutic record that I did. Also I'm doing more music and singles that we're working on right now for different reasons.
Have you seen the Atlantic article that calls the album a brilliant piece of outsider art?
I've seen a lot of different ones that are positive and understand my unique style, so I'm happy about that. I thought I could communicate my emotions through what I was talking about, and I think everything that we create for emotional value is because we're trying to connect with other people. So I think it achieved a goal and it was very successful. I'm inspired by all music. I love country. I love electric. I love everything. So whatever I'm inspired by is what surrounds me and what I'm feeling on the inside. I encourage everyone to make their own music.
And so --
So was this not about the club at all? Because I'll make sure to tell Jackie [from Vivid] that we didn't mention any details.
What's your role gonna be for the club?
I'm here to talk about it, because I'm going to be there promoting it. It will be September 12, Thursday. And I will be there from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. It's for Vivid Live, and they put $10 million into it.
Do you like the way Vivid handled your tape, now that all is said and done?
You know what, I'm just going to get off the phone, but I wish you all the best.
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