Women empowerment in the live camming industry

Priscila Magossi from NEW CAMMING PERSPECTIVE explains through Captain Marvel movie how to succeed as a camgirl by setting your emotions free**

Yon-Rogg: “Can you keep your emotions in check long enough to take me on? Or will they get the better of you as always?”
Carol Danvers/Veirs: “I don't have to prove anything to you.”
MARVEL, CAPTAIN.

Competition nowadays leads to the necessity for men and women to prove themselves constantly in order to be regarded as successful in both personal and professional terms. When it comes to women, unfortunately, this is even more evident. The exposure of their emotions is one of the first things people often criticize, seeing them as an impediment to thriving. However, what doesn’t reach the eyes is the relationship between emotions and the development of talents that lie dormant in so many people but seem impossible to reach.

In contrast, our desire to live should be greater than just surviving. To be alive implies the ability to set your emotions free. In this article, we will discuss how a camgirl can live by choice — not by chance — by setting her emotions free, and how the mainstream is stimulating this behavior as a social trend, through the hero Captain Marvel.

How does this take place?

Do you recall the days when you were a young girl and you thought you could go anywhere, just as long as you really tried hard? No? I do. There is still a lot to do, but neglecting your potential shouldn’t be a choice. That’s why we should consider what it takes to notice what we are good at.

This is no easy task, especially in our competitive society, which tries to teach us — both men and women — how to succeed, but doesn’t teach anyone about the value of being in touch with our emotions in order to discover our individual talents instead of simply following the flow, being passive and docile.

Something to notice is that it’s not really possible to succeed in a healthy way without reflecting and getting in touch with your inner self and emotions.

Why setting your emotions free is related to the discovery of your talents?

First, it must be understood that we are not talking about material accomplishments. They are important, but this goes beyond that; it’s about happiness. In addition, Greek philosophers — such as Aristotle — spoke about finding a purpose in life, in other words, something to live and die for.

Now let’s imagine that we are at point "A" and want to reach a goal at point "C". There is no way around point "B" if we consider that we are talking about our minds and limits. Freud mentions that the obstacles, point "B", are our “primitive emotions” (rage, anger, fear, sadness, etc.), which must be sublimated in order to discover an individual’s talents. This is empowerment!

Empowerment = Girl Power?!

At this day and age, female characters with strong roles have started to be presented as more than just the hero’s prize... they are the heroes! Captain Marvel is a great example of this phenomenon. Since the beginning of the movie, her team diminishes her, saying that her emotional side is dragging her down and she must learn to ignore it in order to succeed:

• “There’s nothing more dangerous to a warrior than emotion”
• “Don’t let your emotions affect your judgment”
• “You’ve come a long way, but you’re not as strong as you think you are”
• “What has been given to you can be taken away”

However, one of the most exciting and dramatic moments of the movie is when she faces all of her team and this insistence to control her emotions, by saying:
“What happens when I’m finally set free?”
That’s when she manages to release all of her power, finding her real talents. Such a climax is not very different from what women and other minorities should face when they are limited by others from reaching their potential.

At this moment of the discussion, let me clarify that “minority” is a concept defined by social science as a cultural, ethnical, or racial group that coexists with, but is subordinate to, a more dominant group, regardless of the population amount.

My personal account is that I was judged my entire life for being emotional — probably just like so many other women — and just like Captain Marvel, I had been told too many times:
“You are doing great, but you are not ready. You will be ready on the day you have learned to control your emotions, rather than being controlled by them.”* 

Applying this philosophy to the Live Cam Industry

So many told me I would never succeed in this business because I was too emotional, and I would never find a way to do it without hurting myself. They said this type of job requires coldness as an essential trait, for both performers and execs:

• The performers are faced with overexposure, cyberbullying, objectification, and competition among them.
• The execs have to use flattery with their bosses and usually end up suffering from this oppression in silence, along with the pressure they are under to increase platform earnings.

In either of these roles, there is no financial security because the models’ traffic is very unstable, and exec contracts are often tied to sales commissions. When there is a salary, it could still be cut at any moment, depending on the results.

Thus, I’ve heard this so many times during the last 9 years in this industry:

• Keep calm and drink tea, not alcohol!
• Be rational, follow the flow!
• Pay homage to the oppressors; they are the ones who make the rules!
• Keep up the business level and keep your emotions in check!

However, what did I do?

I cried, I screamed, I exploded, I got drunk, and I exposed the oppressors. The consequence of my rebellion is the NEW CAMMING PERSPECTIVE, the realization that:

• Cam girls are people, not numbers in a list.
• Rules must acknowledge that emotions are part of being human and they can affect workflow.
• Camming is not porn.
• Premium and freemium cam sites are completely different (performers, traffic, business strategies).
• Most importantly: human rights matter.

I have always been inquired about my tears and shouts. These emotional signs show that the NEW CAMMING PERSPECTIVE is not just a job to me, but a purpose of life (which is always emotional). Finding meaning in life requires:

1. Setting emotions free,
2. In order to find something worth fighting for,
3. Figuring out one’s true potential.

Be a superhero camgirl, find yourself!

You can be a powerful woman or a pet; it’s your call. Be free to take up any role, but keep in mind that the need to interact is the real reason men seek camgirls and not porn sites, and so many of them like strong women.

So, do not be afraid to discover who you are and how you can take advantage of your personality by setting your emotions free!

Finally, models and members are part of society, and every social behavior reflects on both parts. Female empowerment is a trend, and it’s already seen everywhere, and we expect it to stay. Modern life leads to isolation, and it can be very hard for a busy person to find another to relieve the tensions that build up from this lifestyle. Members find support in camgirls, who don’t have to prove anything to anyone else — just like Captain Marvel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Priscila Magossi (link) is a journalist (Mackenzie-SP/Brazil, 2002-2005), with a master’s degree (2006-2008) and a Ph.D. (2010-2014) in communication and semiotics (PUC-SP/Brazil). Since she started her journey in the communication field, she has been studying the impacts of mass media and cyberculture in post-modern society, focusing primarily on the social bond dynamics. Regarding her main activities in the camming industry, Magossi is the author of the “New Camming Perspective” (link): a formal study about camming that also looks into the porn industry, mainstream media, and social behavior to draw conclusions. The goal of this project is to maximize profit, retain return customers, offer better working conditions, and empower women. This new approach to understanding camming is centered on the main concepts of:

1. Building Connections between models and members,
2. The Social Aspect of Camming,
3. Social Traffic.