By Ron Evans

WARNING: STORY CONTAINS SEXUALLY GRAPHIC MATERIAL

There’s always been a strange sort of fine line between what is widely regarded as art or performance and what is simply labeled pornography. And it’s not typically a tangible thing to nail down, no pun intended. Some try to sum it up with the ol’ “if it gets you off, it’s porn” assertions. But I have to imagine plenty of folks got...deeper meanings, shall we say, from classic fine art pieces like Heinrich Lossow’s impossibly naughty painting, “The Sin.” This oil painting from 1800 depicts a monk gettin’ some with a nun. Or the infamous Garden of Earthly Delights by Heironymous Bosch which reads like a checklist for things adventurous lovers have, have not or never would try. These are both thought to be classic works of fine art, yet they have almost certainly been used to stimulate more than just philosophical discussions over a bejeweled chalice of fine mead.

Similarly, a film that shows simulated sex can win an Academy Award, but if there’s a hint of actual lovin’ going on - it’s often looked at as lowbrow smut that belongs on a shelf behind a beaded curtain. Did that just age me?

While I wouldn’t suspect most sex workers to be terribly concerned about being considered artists, there are still some stigmas to overcome in terms of blanket (the puns are writing themselves at this point) judgement from the public at large, friends and family. That’s why many of them are doing it on the down low. Even the term “sex work” tends to prickle certain ears in and out of the industry along with debates as to whether or not what cam models do is considered porn. While some clearly revel under that label, others reject it vehemently.

Recently I befriended a local business owner as she was trying to get things up and running. The timing could not have been worse. COVID 19 swept through the state just as things were really getting a fair chance for her business (which shall remain unnamed) and she was forced to close its doors. This left her with some hefty bills and very few places in town that were hiring. While she was pondering her options for the future - a part of her past came into mind. “I could do cam-modeling.”

The Garden of Earthly Delights by Heironymous Bosch - 1510

We will call her Scarlet. On the nose maybe, but it sounds cool.

Scarlet had dabbled in cam-modeling (she dislikes the going term “cam-girl”) several years earlier and while she enjoyed the fast money of it, ultimately she was feeling weird about the whole thing. She hid her face in the videos and only pretended to use sex toys with clever angles and sleight of hand tomfoolery. “But I felt bad about that, like I was cheating the viewers. So I decided to just stop.” Scarlet said.

Now things have changed. She’s older, more confident and more experienced (her words) and she has a different viewpoint on live cam shows. “I got back on it and made $200 in the first night and I thought ‘Ok, this is what I’m gonna do.’” She also no longer felt like hiding behind the mask or using showbiz trickery as part of her shows. “I feel empowered by it and I don’t think I should have to hide it.” She also now actually enjoys it. Immensely. “All of the orgasms are real.”

But...it’s a small town, and I’ve even heard some of the Radar Dames Burlesque members talk about not being hired for service industry jobs because of their involvement with “the Devil’s business.” And Scarlet is wise (sadly) to take some identity-related cautions with her side gig. “I tell some people that I webcam, everyone that I’m close to. I have blocked certain regions from being able to see my page. Most people just don’t need to know.”

I had assumed that women were way more popular on these sites than men, and while the stats support that to some degree, Scarlet says the male models make up a large slice of the sex cam pie. “I go through cam rooms all the time to see what other people are doing... I’ve seen some pretty hot guys. One guy was just laying on his bed looking into the camera jerking off and I typed something like ‘hey, how’s it going?’”

He doesn’t respond.

“Then someone else in the chat room said ‘Oh, he never talks.’ I was like...really? He never talks? This is just what he does? ‘Yes, he just jerks off and never talks.’ and it’s kind of beautiful.”

And lucrative. Scarlet said this silent wanker was racking up tip after tip in his very popular chat room. These rooms are essentially “public” in that you can see what other viewers are typing and tipping. Most of them are free to watch in this capacity. The option for a more private experience is usually on the table though. “I charge for that.” adds Scarlet. “You can also go cam to cam where you can see them as well, so there are ways to be slightly more intimate with someone.”

Face to face is pretty intimate. The anonymity of the sex and porn world in general is a key factor for most connoisseurs of “laptop theatre”, but imagine if suddenly the people you were watching turned to you and commented on what you were wearing or asked you to…do a thing. That’s next level, for sure.

While the timing of starting a small business in the age of COVID 19 sucked, the economy of online sex... well. Quite booming. The pay system for cam modeling is simple enough. “A customer will spend a dollar on a (digital) coin that they tip you with. 50 cents goes to me and 50 cents goes to the site.” The money all comes from tips so it’s really down to the performer finding an audience, a niche style (like our silent mysterious wanker) and how often you decide to just hop on and go live. “Sometimes I have an idea of where I’m going with it, but you never know what’s gonna happen or who’s gonna come into your room. It’s kind of exciting in that way. I can also do ticketed shows. I can say ‘tonight only, I’m doing a shower show’ and charge tickets for it.”

And if you can bring a friend (age verified of course), especially one that’s willing to fully engage - the tips can be sky high according to Scarlet. “Any couples out there in quarantine together right now and you don’t know what to do with your time, you guys should be having sex on camera. For real.” Although Scarlet seems content to do the solo thing for the time being. And it’s paying her bills which is all she really wants out of it. “I can either do this or work three shitty part-time jobs, killing myself to pay rent. I don’t have a trust fund. There’s nothing just waiting for me. I can’t afford college right now, and I don’t even live all that lavishly. I have a cheap apartment and a shitty old car, so it’s not like I’m trying to be Kim Kardashian.”

While most of these sites have little manual moderation ongoing, it’s certainly not a free for all. There are some pretty standard industry rules. “There’s no pooping or peeing allowed.” she says, directly. You also can’t drink or smoke. No animals. It’s right there in the fine print, after all.

I love the thought of some lawyer somewhere having to type up these Terms of Services as part of their Tuesday afternoon agenda. There is also an initial age verification period, usually less than 24 hours and then the show is basically what you make it.

Another no-no is filming in public. This was a lesson learned by 19 year-old cam model and Oregon State University student Kendra Sunderland. In 2015 Sunderland live broadcast an X-rated solo performance from the university's library. This feed was recorded and uploaded to several online porn sites and Sunderland was subsequently charged with public indecency. She avoided jail time but had to pay a hefty fine. Confusing the whole legal ramifications matter a bit, Sunderland’s infamous stunt led to dozens of lucrative offers from porn sites along with Penthouse and Playboy magazines and she continues to be a very popular cam-girl/actress.

One would be fair in guessing the potential for unwanted creeps to come ‘round the yard when you do ‘sex stuff’ for a living. But, for the most part Scarlet’s bill-paying guests have not only been well behaved, she has actually become close with several of them. “I never would have guessed that I’d have relationships with these people but I find myself knowing that - this person is getting surgery on Thursday or this person is going to Vermont. And they’re keeping up with details of mine and it’s not sexual.”

Scarlet speaks of a lot of lonely folks who use these chat rooms as a means to connect with another human being on a personal level, something she is interested in from a therapeutic standpoint. “I have actually done sex therapy on cam.” A situation that spoke to her more than the usual antics of the sex-cam world. “I realized that what most people wanted was just for someone to listen to their sexual desires. Things that got them excited, things they were ashamed of thinking about or just sharing their sexual fantasies that aren’t being fulfilled. I’m very open and very accepting to these people. This is a platform for them to open up. I started out just doing the naked thing and I didn’t really like it. Like once, someone typed ‘spread your ass for me’ so I reluctantly bent over and spread my ass to the world on a webcam and in my mind I was like ‘what are you doing?’ In that moment I realized I don’t need to do it that way. And that was empowering. I have the choice. That’s not to say that I don’t spread my ass on camera, but when I do - it’s because I want to do it. Not because of a tip.”

She’s also modified her repertoire if you will. She started out having a menu (many cam models do) of sorts to help get things going. Something like:

-10 Coins: Tit Flash

-15 Coins: Take Off Pants

-25 Coins: Spread Ass

-30 Coins: Lush Toy

(this is a vibrating toy for the model

that’s activated by donations)

“But I did away with all that because that gave all the power to the viewers. Now I feel like I’m at a point where I’m extremely comfortable and I only take my clothes off when I want to take them off. Not surprisingly this makes them want to see it even more. They wanna tip and they wanna stick around and they wanna see it so bad... that’s where the power (for me) comes in.”

Her new menu reads more like:

- 10 Coins: You Like Me

- 20 Coins: You Support What I’m Doing

- 50 Coins: You Are Helping With Rent

Power and control is key for Scarlet’s comfort in this industry, this is why she disliked the Lush Toy - tips for vibration aspect. “I tried it and it just felt like I was selling my vagina for coins. I couldn’t authentically (get off) because I wasn’t into it. You can find plenty of cam models who will ‘oooh OOOH OHHHHHH’ the entire time but people know that’s not real, it’s not authentic. And the authenticity is what so many people love about my shows.”

While the site Scarlet uses doesn't archive these cam shows it’s an easy enough task to screen-record them and save them or upload them to some porn site where it could live... basically forever. Some scoff at the notion the same way they would at the tired question “Are you really gonna want those tattoos all over your body when you’re 80?” However, people do change. Politically, philosophically, spiritually. It’s a fair thought - what will these models think of their earlier cam-related escapades potentially being around indefinitely? “It is something that I think about. Let’s say I do have kids in the future etc., but I’ve just been owning it. At this time in my life these were my options and this is the path I chose.”

Stereotypes be damned, the realm of cam shows is filled with performers as diverse as the world itself. Some are born exhibitionists and would do cams just to do them. Most seem to be working their way through college, supplementing income from other jobs, getting out of debt or… recovering from the sudden demise of their small town business. And while she clearly enjoys many aspects of the cam model life, Scarlet is clear on her main motives. “If I won the lottery...I can’t say I’d never get on another cam show but...I’m never working again. I’d buy a little house somewhere. And that’d be it.”

And as for advice to anyone thinking about trying their hand (last pun I swear) at being a cam model, Scarlet maintains one simple rule. “Don’t show up naked. Tease them. They wanna know what’s underneath. Then... leave with a bunch of money. Naked.”