Can a woman working in the sex industry be a whole-hearted feminist? This is a question that has plagued my cammodel mind for about three years now. I entered the exceptionally fascinating world of web cam modeling a bit more than five years ago, my reasons for entering the sex on the internet line of work was copious and complicated as is the case for each of us models, female, male and transgender.
For me exiting the corporate world to work from home meant that I could set my schedule, take days off when I wanted or needed to and as funny as it may sound it meant that I no longer would have to fear my fifty miles each way commute wondering if I would indeed lose my life in the city traffic. I honestly did not think too long and hard on the social stigma that could or would be attached to the sex work. In all honestly the thoughts of being a feminist never even came close to being a part of my life.
You see I am a product of the baby boomer’s generation, a 1985 high school graduate. My generation was a bit of a spoiled one, we were all about consumerism. A generation that was raised to be more about the house, car, boat, electronics. One who’s main concern was for self rather than the societal good. It pains me to say that I was never educated in grade school about the woman’s movement, ashamed by the fact that I did not even know that the 19th amendment had yet to be ratified. It was not until a couple of years into my web cam modeling career while taking a collage course about women in society that I felt the need to learn about the gallant women in our history sparring for our rights. Learn I did indeed!
I was finally schooled on the history of the feminist movement. In addition to history I also learned that said movement is very much alive today. This ignited in me a passion for picking up where my mother’s generation left off in the bra burning 60’s, and stand beside my daughters no slut shaming feminist movement. I personally felt it is time for my generation which was a gap in the movement to step up to the plate. To say that I was all fired up is a complete understatement! That which put the intense fire in my belly to become involved and to step up for women quickly became a smoldering pile of ashes when I reminded myself that I was a “Sex Worker”.
How in the hell can you stand up for women, when you are essentially in the porn industry? You see, for many years the feminist movement fought against the porn industry. The view in the movement was that the industry objectified women. It leads to deplorable treatment of the female actresses, and to the women in the receiving end of the men watching the porn. I’ve never been a fan of the late 80’s and 90’s porn movies. My taste is best satisfied with porn of the 60’s and 70’s, when in my view the women were generally not treated with violence.
Back in the day porn seemed to portray a more realistic image of sex. The world of making movies or video I cannot fully speak to, because web cam modeling is a different sublet of the porn industry, however, here I was putting on my makeup and doing my hair in other words getting all made up to sell myself, to sell sex on the internet. Questions permeated my mind and it got deep! Am I cheating women? Am I taking money from a family in need? Am I taking the affection of another woman’s man? And the most important question to me was am I doing a disservice to my gender? The last question posed was the one that kept me up at night and at times made me sick to my stomach.
To be honest this confusion over the conflict in my heart about doing damage to my gender is most likely the very reason that I did not achieve all that I could as a web cam model. In this past year, my feelings of confusion on this subject were amplified by the election here in the United States. The day after our election, a state of utter shock as well as anger has fueled me to take a greater stand for women’s rights. Now more than ever it is needed as we usher in a President whose platform has been much about degrading women and minorities.
Instead of taking to the internet and seeing how I could become a United states immigrant to Canada or possibly Ireland, I took to google to see how I could stay and champion for my countries women. It is on the web that I found out about The Fourth Wave-Feminism movement. The Fourth Wave Movement has several facets to it, however the one that jumps out and speaks most to me the web cam model is its thoughts on feminism and sexuality. The year 2014 ushered in the inclusion to the fourth wave movement the great Betty Dodson.
Betty Dodson is well respected as one of the leaders of pro-sex feminist movement, she bills herself as a fourth wave feminist. Her work was much about teaching women to discover their sexual desires by way of masturbation. You see the fourth wave movement not only is about pro pleasure, it also about women having the CHOICE in how they want to live their life. The slut shaming movement means that we can be proud of our profession, and that we should not be shamed by society for it.
More importantly we should not be shamed by our gender for bringing pleasure to the world-wide web, all while being our own boss and earning our way in life. We web cam models should hold our heads high, for many of us we are earning our way thru college, providing for a family or working towards our dreams and our web cam modeling has financed it. The faction of us models that intend to do this career for life, know that you can heed your calling in life and shall be supported by your true feminist sisters.
I end this with a call for one to take some time to learn about the feminist movement, past and present. Learn, promote and champion the movement, and while doing so hold your head up high with pride in who you are, and what you do. You are a Webcammodel, the giver of pleasure to the world.
