If going into porn is like joining the corporate world, becoming a cam model is like owning your own business. It’s being your own boss. You’re in total control of the process, which for many women—especially college women—comes with benefits. There’s low cost of entry. The hours are flexible. Some models have agents (like famed college cam girl Kendra Sunderland), but usually, it’s Do It Yourself (D.I.Y.) sex-work. The camming industry is worth $1,000,000,000 ($1 bil) a year, making it more profitable than porn; which is not to say it’s easy money. What makes customers come to you? A hook? Trick? Gimmick? You need a trademark; something that gives you a uniqueness in a world of copycats and lookalikes; substance with style in a world filled with fluff, detritus, and bling-bling glittering yammering glamour; trite, worn-out, repeated plots; and dramas of victimization, control (and domination+submission) and revenge+pain.
‘I used to be a manager of an adult store, so I guess I always played around with the idea of camming or any kind of sex-work. My family has no money, so when this opportunity came up, I was like, ‘Wow this is real, I can do this, I’m comfortable with it, it’s really gonna make a difference.’’ (‘Valerie’)
‘I’m learning more about myself every day, like if a guy asks a request or something that I’ve never done or never heard, it’s a learning experience, in a way; It’s all just kind of fantasy to me—a way to express my fantasies and put them online with people I can share interests or kinks with.’ (‘Alex’)
For a dollar, you can send your first message to ‘Valerie,’ a 22-year-old college student living in southern Georgia. If she responds, you can spend more money to keep chatting. Maybe you’ll discuss literature, her tattoos—or whatever is on your mind. Eventually, you might feel comfortable enough to request a video of her doing an exotic dance (one of her favorite hobbies). Every dollar you spend will help her pay her tuition.
Mygirlfund‘s founder and C.E.O., Brian, estimates that around a third of the site’s members are students. ‘I think college girls do really well on the site because they’re intellectually stimulating, in a way, It’s about carrying on conversations—they might not be performers, but they are conversationalists.’ (’Stefan’)
Men pay $1 to send an initial-message, and women keep increasing percentages of the profit, starting at 65%, for replying. All other prices—for photos, custom videos, and live cam sessions—are left completely up to the women to decide (and negotiate).
Akira Morikawa 