Princess Miki Aoki Mesmerizes 'Cult' Following

A version of this feature appears in the September 2020 issue of AVN magazine. Click here for the digital edition. LOS ANGELES—Princess Miki Aoki learned what she is capable of in adult entertainment, tapping into her creative potential and embracing her entrepreneurial spirit. “I’m finally fulfilling my dream of creating things for a living, a dream that I once thought was unrealistic,” Princess Miki says. “I learned that I’m more than capable of running my own business—every single aspect of the business—and that I value this kind of independence ten times more than I thought I would.” She adds with a smile, “And I learned that I’m really fucking good at seducing an entire army of men into submission, and I’m not limited to one ‘victim’ at a time.” A Domme, clip-artist and “expert mind hacker” who worked as a professional video editor before adult, Princess Miki calls her growing community on AVN Stars her “cult headquarters.” “And I describe my subscribers as my devout members (and I say this with great endearment),” Princess Miki explains. “It’s a space where they can freely express their obsession and love for their divine leader—through comments and tips—and for a power hungry gal like me, I absolutely love to see it.” Princess Miki joined AVN Stars after a month-long hiatus this past February, figuring that “a fan club would be a great way to kick off my return.” “I was right, and I couldn’t be happier,” she says. “It’s been a fun and easy way to create an interactive and immersive space for my fans and subbies.” Miki continues, "I absolutely love AVN Stars and would recommend it to anyone and everyone! My favorite part of it is being able to interact with my fans behind a paywall, because this way, I can see who my ‘real fans’ are. I’ve also established a community in a way that I never had before.” She posts at least one full-length clip a month and does near-daily posts on AVN Stars that include exclusive videos, photos and the occasional contest. “I also provide exclusive sneak peeks of my latest projects that non-subscribers don’t even know about,” Miki adds. “Besides that, this is the only platform where I regularly respond to messages.” Princess Miki picked up her techniques as a Domme “from natural curiosity and informal research on the psychology of kink.” “I wasn’t a Domme professionally prior to establishing my career online, but I definitely played with kink in varying capacities in my personal life,” she says. “I also believe I exercised my dominant personality in subtle and largely unspoken ways with romantic partners in the past. I’m a woman who values power and control, what can I say?” In this exclusive interview, Princess Miki reveals more about her world of kink, discussing how she got into adult modeling, her next-level clip game, her “unorthodox” style and her editing prowess, among other things. AVN: Where are you from originally—born and raised? MA: I was born in Japan and lived there for five years until I moved to a small town in the Midwest, which is where I spent the rest of my upbringing. If anyone from my hometown sees this, they might be a little shocked to find out what I’ve been up to. What is your ethnicity? My mom is Japanese and my dad is a white guy from the Midwest.  I hate to bring up my distaste for the “submission Asian” stereotype—because that conversation sounds like a broken record by now—but I want to add that there’s nothing ironic about me being a Domme. My grandma (my mom’s mom) is the most scary, intimidating and dominant force I’ve ever encountered. We butt heads a lot, but it makes a lot of sense since I'm often told that I'm just like her. My mother is no pushover, either. It runs in the family. We don’t take shit from anyone. However, my ethnicity and the stereotypes attached to it have been fetishized by both people I know and by strangers, so being able to flip the stereotype upside down and turn this contradiction into a career feels like a big, satisfying "fuck you." How old are you? I am 24 years old. What were you doing for work before you got into adult? Before I got into adult work, I was working as a video editor — but what I was doing back then in no way resembles the kind of work I’m creating now. How and when did you get into adult modeling? What inspired you to go for it? I had recently completed a degree and thesis in a major that no longer reflected the path I wanted for my life. This isn’t a unique story by any means, and like many in this position, this put me in a state of limbo and uncertainty. During the summer that followed graduation, I was left with plenty of time on my hands to think and reflect, and reflection called for asking myself some broad, but important questions. What did I want out of life, personally and professionally? Ideally, I wanted to have the freedom, time, and space to create art, but being able to do this professionally seemed out of the question. But a solution jumped out of nowhere. Finally, at the end of that summer, a friend of mine had suggested giving online Femdom a try — clip-making, in particular. I was aware of the online femdom world, but I never put any serious consideration into applying my kink and sex-related interests in a professional capacity. I had also never acted in or produced my own videos, and my video editing experience was all based on telling the stories of others. But I decided to give it a shot anyway and filmed my first POV clip during a slow afternoon. I was met with encouragement from those that had seen the video, so I kept going. I couldn’t be happier with this decision. How did you hear about AVN Stars? I had considered establishing a fan club on AVN Stars for a while after hearing other models speak so highly of it, but I decided I wouldn’t tackle any new projects until I took a much-needed break.  How did you learn your techniques for being a Domme? I want to include a disclaimer that I'm not a professionally trained Dominatrix and would never claim to be one, and that my "training" stems from natural curiosity and informal research on the psychology of kink. I'm a clip artist first and foremost, and my Domme work is anchored in creating an environment where a viewer can participate in a D/s scene in a video format, even if they are thousands of miles away. My approach to mental domination is largely instinctual, and that may be why my style is a bit unorthodox. Most of what you see on screen is "me," and not a result of a carefully crafted persona. This may come across as inconsistency, and one might even say this is committing "brand sacrilege," but it's been working for me pretty well. My personality and "techniques" as a Domme shift on camera and off because I am a dynamic person. I believe we’re all dynamic beings, and as a Domme, I want to freely express myself because anything else would be constraining. It's bad for my art to force myself into a mold. Speaking of molds, I admit that in the beginning, I tried my best to fit into the mold of the "bratty princess" archetype that I believed was marketable. This felt restrictive and unnatural, so I slowly deviated from the “mold” and “character” I had established, and transitioned into what I am today. I'm still learning every day, as I'm relatively new to this, but the process of learning has been nothing but enlightening. I've discovered a lot about myself and my sexuality through my work, and I'm grateful to have the time and opportunity to discover this often untapped part of the human experience—and to have the opportunity to open the eyes of others as well. What kind of clips do you create? What is your specialty? I produce femdom POV clips in all kinds of forms, but I’m likely best known for my heavily edited special effects videos in the “mesmerize” category. I am not and don’t claim to be a trained hypnotist, so that’s not the kind of effect I’m striving to create in my clips. Instead, I strive to establish a highly immersive environment where the viewer can be transported to a place where he or she can safely explore their submissive psyche. I enjoy creating clips that start with metaphors; some are more obvious, and others are subtle.  It sounds absolutely pretentious of me to say this, but I often try to carve out art and stories out of femdom concepts. The underlying sexual psychologies of dominant and submissive individuals are incredibly fascinating, and they are absolutely worthy of being explored on an artistic level. I’m passionate about playing with colors and compositions to convey what I’m trying to say, not just with my words. Porn can be art. Not just my porn, but a lot of creators’ porn. The stuff that’s out there is absolutely amazing. I also produce simpler videos that I hope are just as immersive. I would like each and every video to simulate the experience of being directly spoken to by me, whether it’s through a trippy “mesmerize” clip, or through a simple clip filmed on the couch where I’m speaking to the viewer as “Mommy.” How did you become skilled/advanced at creating clips? About how many clips have you created now? Do you also edit your own clips? How did I become skilled at creating clips? Two words: YouTube tutorials. My hunger for learning independently has driven my career forward. I also played around with Premiere Pro during my leisure time to deepen my understanding for the program and what it’s capable of. And yes, I edit each and every clip of mine. I’m way too proud and WAY too much of a control freak to let anyone touch my work.  I’ve filmed well over 400 clips now, including the ones I’ve filmed for HumiliationPOV.com, which is where I got my start. What are your hobbies or interests outside of your adult work?  I love traveling to new places and experiencing all of the beautiful things an unfamiliar place has to offer. When I travel, I prefer the peace and quiet of nature. I’m sitting on a deck overlooking the water in Maine right now, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. But I also appreciate beautiful architecture and trying new cuisine as well. Seeing, feeling, and tasting new things is the best part of being human. I feel particularly inspired when I travel, too. I’m also a creepy people-watcher, but I can’t help it. People are weird and hard to look away from, and I feel like I'm filming and narrating my own National Geographic special in my head when I'm in the middle of people watching. Sometimes, my boyfriend and I quietly make up stories about passerby's in airports. I miss airports for that reason. Is this weird, or can I say I'm learning a lot through observation? What’s next for you in 2020 and beyond? 2020 is all up in the air, but I think this applies to the lives of everyone right now, thanks to a global pandemic. In general, I plan on taking my little cult and empire to new heights, but I have nothing to spoil right now. My boys and girls should be excited and nervous for what’s to come in 2021. For a full photo gallery, click here.