Of course, you know who Mia Khalifa (aka Mia Callista) is. Nobody here is unfamiliar with her, and many of you know how controversial the start of her career was. But the whole story… From her beginnings to becoming a big influencer… Only a few of you know that.
For those who have limited knowledge of who this woman is, well, she was one of the most popular adult film stars in the mid-2010s (despite only appearing in a handful of videos). All of this happened before she ever imagined herself as a big-time Instagram Influencer. She’s now in a great place, and her story of how she got there will astound you.
Mia’s Early Life
Mia’s story begins on February 10, 1993, in Lebanon. She lived there for ten years and attended a nice private school in Beirut, where she was taught many subjects and even learned to speak French. She was raised Catholic as well, but she no longer practices the faith. Despite the fact that she had a good upbringing and a good education in Lebanon, the country was divided and full of violence and conflict.
When Mia was just 10 years old, her parents decided that they would be better off immigrating to another country. Due to all of the violence going on in Lebanon in 2003, families all over the country were leaving, almost in a mass exodus, looking for better lives that weren’t filled with so much conflict. In total, about 18 million Christian Lebanese families in the country decided to leave during this time. Mia’s family was one of them.
New Land, New Life
Mia’s family immigrated to Washington DC from Lebanon in 2003, which she saw as an adventure at the age of ten. Even though she thought it was an adventure, she was still faced with the difficult task of adjusting to a new town and school. As a result, she began to study English and eventually became fluent in the language. Her heavy Lebanese accent gradually faded, and she felt like she could finally fit in.
Mia, too, needed a good education like she had in Lebanon, so her parents decided to enroll her in another private school. When they found one, they thought it would be a great experience for her. It was, however, a military academy.
Mia Khalifa was not one of those people who would be horrified at the prospect of attending a military boarding school. Mia actually thrived while attending military school. She was so young at the time that change came very easily and naturally to her.
Mia adjusted well to her new surroundings. She spread her wings and flew at military school. She quickly adapted to American culture, but her parents did not, and this difference caused a schism between her and her family.
Mia decided to attend UT-El Paso in Texas after graduating from high school, where she majored in history. In fact, Mia was a hard worker who completed college in three years.
Battling Her Demons
Mia was very intelligent and had a good education, but she still had personal struggles that she had to overcome. Nobody was aware of her personal problems.
She didn’t tell anyone about them. And because she had to deal with them all on her own, she made some strange decisions and did some things she wasn’t too proud of anymore. Mia’s weight was one of her biggest personal struggles, resulting in low self-esteem.
Mia considered herself to be chubby as a child. When she was a child and a teenager, she seemed to be constantly self-conscious about her appearance, which contributed to her low self-esteem.
She wanted to do something about her appearance and low self-esteem as a young adult, so she began to diet and exercise. She was able to lose 50 pounds as a result of this. Despite being 50 pounds lighter and feeling like she was finally thin, she struggled with her appearance.
Mia’s journey to overcome her low self-esteem had only just begun, and she still had a long way to go.
It was the start of her era of looking good and flaunting herself. But she had some other matters to attend to before she felt confident enough to do so. Mia had aspired to be a model. And, despite the fact that she was thin and had lost a lot of weight, she didn’t think her body looked good enough yet.
Mia’s Constant Battle With Her Looks
Even after losing weight, Mia felt her body wasn’t toned enough, and she was dealing with excess skin from her weight loss. Mia noticed that her body was untoned and saggy and that her breasts appeared deflated.
She even admitted that she thought she resembled a middle-aged woman. Mia knew there was only one thing that could permanently improve the way her body looked. As a result, she eventually turned to plastic surgery.
Beauty Enhancements
After graduating from college, Mia relocated to Miami, Florida, where she found a plastic surgeon who she believed could help her achieve all of her body goals. She believed that surgery would finally boost her self-esteem.
Mia was finally confident and proud of her appearance after undergoing plastic surgery on her breasts and excess skin. She didn’t think she looked like a normal person until she had plastic surgery.
Mia was overjoyed to finally have lifted breasts and tight skin after all that time, so she began to wear the clothes she had always desired. After all, it was summer in Miami, and she was excited to finally be able to wear crop tops and short skirts.
A man approached Mia on a summer day while she was out and about in Miami, wearing all the clothes she had once dreamed of. This man approached her and asked if she was a model because he thought she was stunning.
Mia Getting The Attention She Wanted
Mia was overjoyed that he thought she was a model. She had always wanted to be a model, and now that she had done everything she could to improve her body image, she felt she was finally beautiful enough. She was overjoyed that a man had recognized that in her.
Mia was even more excited when the man who stopped her asked if she wanted to be a model when she said she wasn’t already one.
The Life-Changing Offer
The man told Mia that she was stunning and that he thought he could help her become a model. Then he handed her his business card. His business card directed her to his studio, and he promised to be there if she wanted to pay him a visit. He made it clear that he was serious about hiring her as a model.
Mia accepted the man’s business card, her mind racing. She was finally getting noticed by this man after years of battling her low self-esteem and body image issues.
A Life-Changing Event
After a few weeks, Mia was so intrigued that she knew she had to go to the man’s studio and find out what was going on. She wanted to see the man’s studio and meet some of the other people who worked there, especially other models.
Above all, she hoped that visiting his studio would result in a great job in her desired field. Mia eventually went to the man’s studio.
The man’s studio was not what she had expected. Mia’s first impression of the studio was that it was extremely luxurious. It appeared to be the type of studio where famous models would work, which piqued her interest. And everyone she met during her studio tour was very nice, as well as attractive and charming.
However, as the tour came to an end, Mia’s life took an unexpected and awkward turn. She was asked to sign a work agreement. But it wasn’t for general modeling work, as Mia had hoped.
Mia’s Adult Career
The contract Mia was asked to sign was for adult films. At first, Mia was shocked. She wasn’t quite sure she had heard him right. Adult films? Was this real?
But, as she began to think about it, she thought it had possibilities. What if she used this as a way to break into the modeling industry? Not to mention, if she did these adult films, nobody would ever see them. With everything on the internet, her videos would probably disappear behind all the other ones.
Mia didn’t think that her adult videos would be popular at all. And after thinking it over, she decided to sign the contract and do a few adult films. Her contract covered only a handful of videos, so she didn’t think she had a lot to lose. So Mia dove right into this new career.
However, after making a couple of adult videos, it wasn’t long before they started becoming the biggest hits on various adult film websites. Much to Mia’s surprise, her films were not duds like she expected.
The Spotlight
When Mia first started working at the adult film studio, she was having a great time. She said they were wonderful to her and treated her like a queen. She had a makeup and hair stylist, and she was always served first-rate food and drinks. Everyone was also extremely courteous to her.
Not to mention, Mia quickly became Pornhub’s highest-ranked adult film star, and she was also the most searched-for adult actress in 2016 according to xHamster.
At first, she had no complaints or regrets about signing the contract to do these adult films. It wasn’t until much later that Mia began to reconsider her time as an adult film star.
Mia was enchanted with her lifestyle while filming the few adult films she did. Especially since she was being treated as if she were a celebrity. She did not, however, continue to make adult films after completing the handful of videos specified in her contract.
Quitting The Adult Industry
Mia only worked as an adult film actress for three months in total. She only appeared in 12 scenes and earned only $12,000. While her popularity skyrocketed in such a short period of time, it was not the career she had planned for herself.
She began to see her adult film experience in a different light once she was finally on the other side of it. She realized how wrong everything was and how bad it still felt to her when she started looking back.
Mia thought the way she was approached and asked to appear in adult films was completely inappropriate. She stated that approaching random women walking down the street is not a good practice, especially if they are just directing them to places like the man’s studio, which will enchant them with a lavish lifestyle while asking them to do demeaning work like adult films.
Her biggest regret from her time in adult films was being forced to wear a hijab for an adult video.
The Threats That Made Her More Famous
Things began to go wrong for Mia near the end of her brief adult film career. She was receiving death threats, which prompted her to resign. One of the primary reasons she left the adult film industry was the video in which she wore a hijab.
People sent her death threats after she performed sexual acts while wearing a hijab in the video. ISIS, in particular, sent her death threats, including photoshopped images of them beheading her.
Mia was terrified by the death threats, especially those from ISIS, but she refused to let them affect her. She stated that she did not want to show weakness because that is exactly what they were looking for all along. She didn’t let the threats deter her from forging a better future for herself.
Mia struggled to find another job and establish a new career in Miami after leaving the adult film industry. But she was able to reinvent herself over time.
Reinventing Herself
Mia created a completely new life while reinventing herself. She started a new Instagram account and began the incredible journey that led her to become the successful influencer we all know. In the process, she met a new lover.
Her reinvention put her on the right track, and she was eventually offered the opportunity to co-host a sports show, SportsBall on RoosterTeeth. She later became the host of the daily sports show Out of Bounds.
And She Found Love
Hockey and cooking are two of her many interests, which she found in the form of Swedish chef Robert Sandberg, who would later become her husband. Robert is a well-known chef at a three-star Michelin restaurant.
Mia met the love of her life on Instagram by chance in February 2018. She discovered Robert on Instagram, and when she followed him, he received a notification saying that a popular celebrity with a large number of followers had begun following him. He messaged her, intrigued, and the two began talking. The rest, as they say, is history.
It was, without a doubt, love at first sight. They make an excellent couple. And the photos she posts of the two of them on Instagram prove it. They look fantastic together.
Robert was even present when she underwent surgery to repair her breast implant in 2019. Mia was hit on the chest by an 80-mph hockey puck during a hockey game in the summer of 2018, which ruptured her implant.
Mia’s Wedding And Divorce
After a few months, this picture-perfect couple announced that they would marry in the summer of 2020.
Mia had only six months to plan her wedding. There’s no need to stress! Mia’s wedding would not be her first. Mia married Wyatt O’Brien in 2011, and they divorced in 2016 after five years of marriage. Despite going to therapy, Mia and Robert announced their divorce after only two years of marriage.
Her Dreams Coming True
Mia’s life appears to be on the path she had envisioned all along, but it took her a lot of hard work to get there. Mia expressed regret for her time in the adult film industry when reflecting on her past.
She stated that when she became popular, she realized it was time for her to leave. Mia had no desire to be an adult film star; she was simply trying to rebel a little at the time. She also stated that it had no effect on her self-esteem.
While she is no longer in the adult film industry, the effects of her brief career continue to haunt her, particularly in her public appearances. Mia said she was always looking over her shoulder, partly because of the old death threats and partly because she wasn’t used to being recognized.
Mia’s journey has been long and full of ups and downs, but she has certainly made the most of her experience.