On her website, camgirl Hellen Roxx describes her turn-ons as “the same as every other girl—a huge wallet and a thick stream of compliments!” She’s worked as a camgirl for three and a half years now. Hellen’s full-time job consists of filming videos and taking photos of herself to sell to guys online. Hellen independently manages all of her work, from doing her own filming and video editing to creating her own website advertising her services. Hellen talked to Sensa Nostra about being a camgirl, discussing how her work affects her personal life, the ins and outs of the industry, and the stigma surrounding sex workers.
In my mid-teen years, I thought being a stripper would be fascinating. I loved the idea of teasing men and being paid for it. I started to research stripping, eager to learn everything I could about it. Shortly after I started my first semester at university, I read a thread on a stripper forum about camgirls. People were talking about girls logging on to cam sites and being paid to tease guys from all around the world. All you needed was a webcam and a computer with an internet connection. I had just gotten a student loan for school, and I thought I could login to cam sites an hour here and there, and be able to pay off my debt quickly.
When I first started I was so innocent! Nobody believed I was old enough to be legal. I refused to get completely naked because I wasn’t interested in doing nude shows. I still don’t do full nude, but now it’s because I’m known for being a tease rather than baring all. I didn’t have any toys or lingerie; I’d just chat with viewers and dance, stripping down to my bra and panties. The majority of my viewers were very sweet and helpful as I learned the ropes. I still get a bit nervous before I come online, but once I’m on it’s exciting and fun. It’s important to remember that it’s your chat room, it’s your show, and you are the boss. Being the one in control makes it a lot less scary.
On cam sites I make between $3.00 to $4.00 per minute in private shows. But I prefer making digital content, because I can sell photos and videos over and over again, even when I’m not online. I take orders for custom content, ranging from $5.00 to $7.00 per minute for videos, and about $0.75 per picture. This might sound like I’m grossly overpaid, but a ten minute HD video will take me at the absolute least an hour and a half to film and edit. Every step of my work—in front of the camera and behind the camera—is done by me. I also offer texting, so I sell my phone number for $100.00. I sell panties for $50.00, and will be offering pantyhose, socks, and shoes soon to meet demands for them.
This is my full-time job. I don’t think I’d be able to find the time to maintain my success online as well as at another job! My income varies month-to-month, as it’s entirely based on commission. Cam sites take anywhere from 35 to 65% of the money a buyer spends, and also charge camgirls to receive their monthly cheque. After all this, I have to put aside 30% of my income for taxes. I don’t like listing an average amount that I earn per month, but I will say that this is my sole source of income, I am completely debt-free, and I just bought a five-bedroom house in Alberta, Canada. I do well, but there is always room for improvement.
I have a loyal customer base, and I’ve become very close with some of them. There are a few guys I talk with almost every day. I feel like the appeal of a camgirl is being able to interact with the person who is fulfilling your fantasy. The more I know about a guy and the closer we are, the better I can meet or exceed his desires. I have a few guys who just adore sending me surprise gifts and making me smile. I’m really spoiled, I think: I have around five hundred lingerie outfits, two hundred pairs of panties, lots of shoes, and about thirty toys. But my guys also send me things like books, clothes, kitchen gadgets, purses, jewelry, computer games… My regular guys like to show their appreciation for my work. I’ve only had problems with a few customers. Some guys think after they’ve purchased a service, they own me. These people are few and far between, but they’re unpleasant to deal with. I don’t sell myself, I sell my services and my time. When someone pays me, they are purchasing my attention, not my autonomy.
Personal safety is probably the number one challenge of being a camgirl. Most girls take some precautions to make sure that they will be safe in their ‘real life’, because almost everyone has a story or has a friend with a story about a stalker. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and as sex workers people inevitably have a “She was asking for it” view if anything happens to us. The stigma of being a sex worker is definitely a problem. People have all sorts of opinions about the type of person I am purely because of my job. It’s upsetting when a friend or family member learns about my job and makes wildly inaccurate statements about sex workers. Knowing whom to tell about my job is another challenge. If I tell a friend, will they still be friends with me? Will they judge me, threaten me, harass me? If I choose not to tell someone about my job, how long can I maintain the lie? If they find out I’ve lied, will they be upset?
My family does know about my job. Their initial reaction wasn’t pleasant, and I won’t say they’ve now accepted it, but they know that I love my work and am very good at it. My close friends know the basics of what I do, but I don’t often share details like my work name or website address. Some girls get angry, and some guys get obsessive. I’ve learned to be pretty selective about who I trust. Almost all of my local friends are camgirls—it’s easier to trust someone who understands the need for being careful. I have met so many incredible, beautiful, inspiring women because of this job, and am happy to have this support network.
I’ve had two long-term boyfriends over the course of my cam career. Neither was thrilled about my job, but after I kindly informed them that my career is not a choice they get to make, they accepted it. Almost without fail, when I tell a guy about my job, I’m told how hot it is, and that I should give him a private show. I’ve had to cut quite a few guys out of my life because they stop viewing me as a person and start thinking of me as their personal porn actress and demand to see my work for free. On the other end of the spectrum, there are guys who tell me how degrading it is for me to ‘sell my body’ and want to save me. Neither of these is the type of guy I want to interact with. My current partner and I discuss my work as if it were any other job: he’ll ask how my day was, I’ll share a story or two, and that’s it. I don’t go into great detail. My partner knows that I love what I do, and that I work hard to be successful. Once in a while he’ll offer up a suggestion or advice on something I’m doing.
Who I am as a camgirl is very much who I am in my regular life, but with a few traits enhanced. When I’m working I’m playing out a fantasy, so I’m a more dominant, more teasing, more sexual version of myself. Camming has made me incredibly self-confident. When you have thousands of men telling you you’re a goddess, it makes it difficult to care when a random person insults your appearance. Camming has also helped me explore my sexuality. I’ve learned about and acted out a ton of fetishes I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. Admiring so many fellow camgirls has made me more open about my orientation as well, and I’ll openly admit that I’m attracted to all genders.
Being a camgirl is not for everyone. Before anyone considers entering this industry they should spend a long time thinking about whether or not they are prepared. There are a few things I would tell someone who wants to work as a camgirl. First off, don’t ever do anything you are uncomfortable with. It’s important to set and enforce your own boundaries, because people will try to push your limits. Secondly, be prepared for a backlash. Know that people will probably judge you when they find out about your work. Be careful who you trust, in your personal life and online. Last but not least, know the value of your time. Set your rates at amounts you are happy with, and don’t interact with people who upset you. For anyone who wants more advice on this, I have a section on my website called Camgirl Corner where I post articles for camgirls.
My favourite things about this job are the money, the people, and the freedom. I get to control when I work, how much I charge, what I will and won’t do, and whom I interact with. I also get to meet some amazing viewers and form friendships with people all over the world. I’ve gone to a local strip club to check things out, but I prefer the security of working at home and being able to log off whenever I want. Besides, I think there is always more to learn, and there are so many things I’d still like to do and achieve with this job. When I started, camming was a means to an end for me, a way to pay off my school debt. Now, seeing how well I’ve done, and seeing the potential for more success, I think I’ll be a camgirl for a long time. I love my job, I love the people I’ve met, and I love the person I’ve become because of it.
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