To be considering webcam work?

[AnneNonimous]

Haven't even name changed...eeeek

I am slowly trying to start my own business. Slowly because I don't have enough money, don't yet have enough equipment and am a lone parent.

I have seriously been considering taking up online webcam work to earn extra money to buy the equipment I need.

I have checked out a few websites, you can block certain countries from seeing you so nobody I know would have to find out! Getting undressed is not necessary and infact banned on some sites outside of 'private shows' and I could do it as and when I want (ie when DS is in bed)

Have I completely lost my mind or does it make sense?

[Sazzle41]

I've done phone sex & a friend did webcam. Both of us were financially desperate with no friends/relatives to fall back on  wise. We could both do flexible hours which was a godsend too while we looked for other 'normal' work.

Sometimes i wondered who is exploiting who tho - some men had so little social skills i felt really sorry for them. For some men, there was no sex available to them so the itch needed scratching or they were married but higher sex drive than their partner. I got the odd weirdo but just use dto say, sorry not my thing, which they all took well without exception, which was a surprise. It also made me more open with my partner sexually actually. If you arent being pressured into it or its an acceptable stop gap job til better option turns up as it was for me.. well, no harm done. Being paid for my time and my skill at fantasy and role play doesnt seem very terrible to me. Fantasy role play is a skill, another friend tried it and admitted she was terrible at it!.

[DogCalledRudis]

Phone sex is rather harmless as they cannot identify you. With webcam -- it might come to embarrass you later in life.

[TrevaronGirl]

Just a personal warning on the point about images never disappearing from the net.

I had the awful experience of seeing a pic I stupidly sent to a so-called 'friend', (a boy with whom I was infatuated) when I was 13 appear on one of the picture sharing websites (think Flickr but not that one).

Nothing really awful, in the context of some of the examples discussed on here - I was 'topless' but it was an awful shock all the same after all this time.

[blondekiss]

I am a web cam model. I have a nearly 13yr old daughter and a partner that knows what i do for work. He wasnt keen on it at first so i let him sit in and watch 1 night. I didnt strip off or do anything sexual and still made money! There are nights where i do strip off ect but i dont do anything that iam not comfortable with. Its fun at times but can also get boring. I have england blocked which i know not fool proof but i really dont have a problem with people finding out. My twin sister knows and some close friends. I get to be here in the morning for my daughter, when she gets back from school, weekends ect ect. It fits my life style and i make good money. I choose this line of work!! If its what someone wants to do who are me or you to judge?

[groovyolmutha]

Some people won't like this but I like to be straight. If you are OK with prostitution and that your child could possibly be shown your 'performances' by other kids via school or social networking then fine.

Having 'England' blocked will not prevent this as internet is global, people travel all the time, send things on internationally, etc.

Personally, I don't approve anyway as I believe any webcam stuff is part of the whole growth in nasty porn, e.g. against children, and porn itself (however 'soft') degrades women.

Not for me to judge your actions though. I wouldn't do it if only for the risk of psychological/emotional harm to my child. I suppose I might do it if I was really desperate - i.e. the only way I could feed my children and I do appreciate that some women do not have a choice.

[Doubtfuldaphne]

I have dabbled in this work and the money was incredible. £50 an hour or more. However, I've had to turn away other work in tv which is what I really wanted to do because I was scared of being outed.
I never did anything like stripping off, If I was asked I'd smile and say no, that's not for me. A lot of men just like to talk. I'm sure I could've made a hell of a lot of money if I'd done more than talk!
If anyone needs advice on where to start, let me know.

[kittyxs]

I know that I'm a bit late to the thread (and I only joined this site to reply to it so I have no idea about mumsnet etiquette; apologies!)

Okay, so I've seen a lot of arguments about exploitation, immorality, false consciousness (phrased as "misguided choice") and such, combined with a lot of people who have clearly never participated in webcam work themselves dictating what a webcam show entails.

As somebody working as a camgirl (heaven forbid), I absolutely must dispel a few of the myths circulating here.

I am a recent graduate (first class, in case you were wondering) and am interning at a women's magazine (I want to be a feature writer/journalist). My parents are still together, I have never been bullied or abused, my self esteem is bordering on arrogant and I am a smart person.

I have been webcamming for about a year now, and I am totally happy with it. In the past, I have scrubbed dental equipment, waited tables, served drunken louts etc. for long hours and minimum wage. None of these things made me happy. Webcamming, however, gives me the money to pay my rent without compromising on the time that I invest into my internship. It pays well, makes me happy, and I don't feel exploited or degraded in any way.

I never get nude; in fact, I have never even showed so much as a nipple on the site. 60% of my tips (earnings) are the result of me sitting on cam, wearing casual clothes (t shirts etc.) drinking wine and chatting away to the people that visit my 'room.' I can earn more money having a laugh and a joke with men than other girls earn by anally masturbating, and that is simply because I allow my wit and intelligence to dictate the tone of my room: I make it obvious that I am not going to get naked for peanuts.

The other 40% of my income comes from domination and fetish shows. This means that I provide sexual services (the men cum) without getting naked or indulging in 'dirty talk.' I charge £20 for ten minutes of 'small penis humiliation' (insulting a man's penis and telling him that he has never satisfied a woman). Other sessions see me pointing the webcam at my feet and telling the client that he does not even deserve to lick them clean, laughing at a man penetrating himself with a hairbrush, and admiring a crossdresser's choice in lingerie.

I am not degraded, I am not immoral and, most importantly, I am not the exception: I am the rule.

Sexual exploitation and trafficking are totally separate issues and should absolutely not be conflated with webcam work (oh, and if a married man watches a webcam show, the camgirl is not to blame at all, he is).

[burgatroyd]

The fact that you are asking means you have doubts.

Please don't do this.

If anything your image can be used against you later.

[Iggly]

An old thread resurrected but I had to post.

This is part of a wider pornographic industry. Pprn is not something which makes the world a better place. I associate it with treating people like shit and degrading women. Women in porn are "sluts", " bitches", or worse just referred to as body parts.

You'd have to be pretty naive to think porn is about freedom and empowerment. The whole web cam thing is part of that.

It is like buying clothes from somewhere like primary. Are you happy for your clothing to be made by people being paid peanuts and working all hours? Or buying battery chickens? The shops you use are clean and "nice" but they have a dark side.

Also selling your body is pretty sad. Hardly ambitious is it?!

[ReputableBiscuit]

how is it selling a body, iggly? The body will still belong to the woman. She can turn off the webcam any time. No-one will have touched her.

[blondekiss]

Am I worried about my daughter finding out a work hard for the things she needs/wants.

Am I worried she will find out I work night & day to provide for her No.

She goes on every school trip with her friends.

Sure I don't need to tell ya bout copy right laws now. The company I use will sue if anything turns up on the internet.

I have a 3 story house, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms that I brought at 26. I don't claim benefits, I don't struggle on min wage! Who the hell are you to judge anyone?

I bet your not so clean!

I put myself through night school twice! While bringing up a child on my own.

You wonna call it porn then go ahead but the difference is I don't get told to do things I feel uncomfortable with. I do what I want when I want. Most the men just like talking & getting to know you.

Before you ask yes my partner watches other girls on cam, we watch them together and I have no problem with it. We also watch porn together.

[PittTheYounger]

Did you learn to spell at "night school"?

[Bellabluebell10]

Hi, I'm thinking of getting into web cam modelling but I'm trying to find a trust worth site, could u help?

[parakeet]

I'd like to ask Iggly, why does the fact that some porn is misogynist make it morally reprehensible to work in non-misogynist sex work i.e. being the kind of web-cam girl that Kitty describes?

After all, a lot of mainstream Hollywood movies are misogynist, but most of us don't feel we therefore have to boycott the entire film industry. To the contrary, many of us feel that progressive, pro-women type movies, are helping to counter the sexism of Hollywood movies. Similarly, those of us who disapprove of clothing made for pittance in Bangladesh do not boycott all mass-produced clothing, we simply try to buy more fairly priced goods.

[annabanana19]

Why do women think that showing their fannies/tits on line is the answer to paying bills?

Save yourself and your kids any embarrassment and keep your knickers on.

[parakeet]

More slut-shaming.

[Darkesteyes]

YY para. slut shaming is sickening. Is it any wonder though that more women are doing it with the cuts to benefits and tax credits and low wages in other jobs? And lone parents being kept short of money because of financially abusive fathers who wont pay child support? And when Universal Credit comes in it will compound these problems. And yet as a society .....yep its much easier to blame the women

Expecting ppl to live on low or no incomes what the fuck did we expect in food bank Britain.

[paxtecum]

I know PittTheYounger's comment about spelling was several weeks ago, but really, it is a very pathetic, nasty comment.

Re clothes: you really are kidding yourself if you think that buying expensive clothes eliminates the probability of 'slave' labour.

Fair Trade clothes are available but aren't usually 'normal' mainstream fashion.

[parakeet]

Re clothes, I didn't say it eliminated the possibility of unfair wages, did I, but I do think it reduces the possibility - in that a £5 top made in Bangladesh cannot possibly have been made with fairly paid labour, but a £20 top might have.

But this is not the point of the thread. And yes, Pitts's comment was the pits.

[Sazzle41]

Well better webcam, and therefore your choices/your boundaries/ independence & autonomy & most of the profit , rather than being pimped or exploited by others and ending up getting peanuts. If its on your terms and you can separate it as just 'acting' or switch off from it/ the weird ones, and its purely a means to an end, why not... a lot of students do it now to top up their grants.

[Member13807]

Can anyone recommend me any good sites? that pays well.
thanks in advance. xx

[jesteruk]

Now this is an intresting post!
I've promoted webcam girls over the last 5 years and all the women/men i've spoken to have no regrets at doing it. Most girls only work 4-5 hrs a day 3-4 days a week and earn a nice income from it. Yes there are issues regarding people uploading it to video sites and it only takes a DMCA request to get it removed but those contemplating becoming a webcam model should always be aware that once an image is online, its there for ever.

[ChelsyHandy]

The risk of being found out by friends, family, anyone and future employers in more mainstream work would be enough to put me off (never mind the morality issues which have been covered). It would not be acceptable in my career and in several others I think. You wouldn't be sacked but if were found out you had a record of web cam work and your image had appeared on the internet in such a manner, you would find it pretty difficult to be taken seriously or progress.

There are always going to be those who make money out of the women who do this, who have a vested interest in posting only positive stories.

[jesteruk]

I can easily give you a negative to the work:

There is an american camgirl who actually had sort of a nervous breakdown whilst getting trolled by some idiots, this was recorded and it went viral. So much so she took a month off work, but then returned and every night she slags the men off BUT she has gained a reputation and now has thousands of viewers and earns more being clothed slagging the men off then she ever did getting naked! //www.dailydot.com/society/camgirl-nina-meltdown-viral

[kifkif]

Your cam session won't end up on youtube. so you don't have to worry about that, but yes, there is a good chance that it might get copied and uploaded to various other porn sites. This may sound risky, but the chances of it ever being seen by anyone you know is so miniscule as to be almost non existent. Don't know how many of you girls in here visit porn sites but let me ask those that do when they last saw someone they knew on one? I've never met a single person that ever had, so lets keep it real. Go for it! xx