In an age when constant surveillance is the norm and the line between exploiter and victim blurs, girls and young women are able to make good money by broadcasting their bodies on amateur Web sites. Known as camgirls, they use home-based Web cameras to stream live sex shows, attracting thousands of visitors and becoming self-made celebrities. They have a sense of obsessive self-documentation that goes beyond narcissism, as the camera feeds the adolescent fantasy that every moment of life is significant – that they are making an “appearance”.
The Web cams are usually located in their private spaces, such as bedrooms, bathrooms and living rooms. Although some Camgirls are as young as 14, the majority are in their late teens and 20s. They often become popular and well-known on their Web sites, attracting the attention of print and television media. The Camgirls also maintain media attention archives on their sites, as well as a wide array of social network profiles, to ensure that the spotlight never dims.
They may have many different interests and hobbies outside their camming, including adolescent fantasy play, skateboarding, rock and roll music, body art and yoga, but what is common among the girls is the desire to entertain. Their aim is to please their viewers, and they earn tips through on-screen actions that can be purchased by the audience. This could include teasing the viewer, rubbing her body in a sensual manner and playing with sex toys.
The most successful girls are often able to build up a regular following of fans who will request regularly scheduled private shows, buy presents and give cash donations. These payments are important for the camgirls, because they help them offset their low pay compared to those of big-name porn studios. However, they also make them feel dependent on their customers and can lead to emotional dependency.
Some camgirls start off small and work only a few hours a week to earn a modest income. But for the ones who want to stay on top of their game, this isn’t enough. To progress in the industry, they need to spend a lot more time in front of the camera and attract a larger audience. The pressure to do so can be overwhelming and, in the case of some girls, even cause them to quit their careers altogether.
For those who decide to continue with sexcamming, they must find a balance between their financial needs and their own desires and ideals. To be successful, camgirls have to promise their audience the guarantee of amateurism that they imagine is a necessary prerequisite for the commodification of their body and sexuality. The article talks about how camgirls learn to navigate this paradox and how they try to satisfy their customers’ desires while maintaining a degree of autonomy in their lives. This can be difficult for some girls, as the exploitation they are exposed to isn’t just financial but also emotional and physical.