I don’t want to be rescued and I am not a bitch because I enjoy being a webcam model

Second delivery of “The Camgirls’ Confessions”

“The Camgirls’ Confessions”, an excellent article presented by Carlos Sánchez Rangel, a Mexican journalist who, without signs of being prude, tells the stories of various characters of the Colombian webcam industry in the prestigious magazine: “Don Juan”.

When Sofia Storm was in front of the cam for the first time, she was 21 years old and studied psychology. She was using a baby doll and had make up to “look prettier.” She started to broadcast and people started to pay for it. She was nervous. She had no idea what she was doing, “Of course there is criticism: you’re getting naked and showing yourself to unknown people for cash. This is something people don’t seem to understand. If I get naked on the camera it is because I want the money and I enjoy it. At the beginning I was afraid. Not anymore. It’s good to be seen!”, says Sofia, now 25 years old.

Camgirls are not victims of the industry. Wanting to rescue these girls from a life that most people think is a failure, or calling them bitches if they do not want to be rescued is a mistake. It’s something hard to digest that getting naked in front of a camera is not something that makes them less of a person, and that this job doesn’t determine your moral values or define who you are. “Everyone seems to think: you’re a bitch because you enjoy it, or you’re a poor girl doing this because you need the money,” says ThalhiaBenedetti, a 23-year-old mother and model from Medellin. And it’s not like that. For Dani Picas, “Those who criticize this job don’t want to believe that someone can enjoy it and be free. Sometimes I feel that they are a bit jealous of us living unrestricted and sexually happy”

The hardest part of this job to deal with is the theories about what a camgirl is or isn’t. The main detractor often is, according to the majority of woman, men who have never seen a web model working. “They think we just show ourselves on a camera, open our legs and the money rolls in.” Ignorance always leads to prejudices according to almost all of these woman. That’s why many of them are convinced there’s more male narrow-mindedness outside of the webcam world than inside of it. “I feel more powerful here, sitting on my computer, talking to men, than I do on the streets of Bogota. They shout at me there, they touch me, they make me feel uncomfortable. I don’t want to travel in Transmilenio – public transit. I’m safe here,” adds Dani.

Contrary to what many think, the majority of girls are well-treated. “People say nice things to you, they raise your ego and they make you feel comfortable. It’s something different from what you imagine,” says Flora. “Those who not know this, they think that you get offended, but people make you feel comfortable and that’s why you stay,” adds Nani, a 19-year-old model from Bogota.

Brenda XXI, 27 years old and camgirl since 2014 from Bogota, thinks that many male sexist attitudes have something to do with sexual repression: “A man can’t freely live his sexual life in front of society. He can’t show his fetishes or his attractions to his partner because he will be judged. While on the internet he is one more user and they accept you for who you are, without judging. Today I know many men better than their own partners.” She also acknowledges that before doing this job she judged men differently. “I didn’t know they might find things like seeing her feet or other parts of her body exciting,” she said. “If any boyfriend would have told me something like that, I would have thought Eww, this dude is crazy, he needs to see a psychologist,” she added.

Taboo is common. In many reports about the industry, models are often labeled as “virtual prostitutes” and the clients as “perverts”. It’s a matter of biases…or stupidity… or idiocy. For a man to want to see a girl naked or touching herself – most of the camgirls do – doesn’t make him a pervert or an abuser. A woman who wants to take off her panties in front of a camera is worse or less than a woman who doesn’t. “Being dressed doesn’t make you moral and being undressed doesn’t take it away,” says Thalhia.

Some of Flora’s Friends are single, she says, and don’t want a relationship. For them, webcam models are a great alternative. “Which teenager never fapped watching girls on the internet?” added Nina.