It’s hard to think of what’s the actual craziest thing that’s happened to me during the many years I’ve been a sex worker. As someone surviving under late stage capitalism and a fascist government, my impulse is to say “being paid a living wage and feeling fulfilled by my work.” While that answer is definitely worth discussing, it’s not a singular event or story. Instead, my mind turns to some requests I’ve gotten for custom content.
When people request custom content, there are often a few common themes and kinks, such as homewrecking, BDSM, and cuckolding, but some requests can get quite niche. There was a request for an audio file based on the Heffalumps and Woozles nightmare from Winnie the Pooh. This client was into the body inflation and lack of control involved in that scenario. Despite how out-there requests like this might sound, I was interested in making this. I was keen on exploring these concepts and really focus on what about this particular vision was hot to the client. It’s also worth noting that as a small child, I was scared of that scene, so turning it into erotica for someone else seemed a fun way to subvert that for myself.
One thing about me is that I love making custom content. I love to work with a client who is interested in collaborating with me so we can work together to make something we’re both satisfied with. I have a praise kink and I take pride in my work. The chance to be creative is exciting! Occasionally, the requests I get even help me discover things about my own sexuality.
I love to work with a client who is interested in collaborating with me so we can work together to make something we’re both satisfied with.
As I talked to Mr Heffalump, I quickly realized he did not really understand the amount of audio engineering skill involved in his request or how to work collaboratively with me. I was absolutely down to create the quality of work he wanted and even got my then partner, who worked in media production and was great at audio stuff, involved. Unfortunately, this guy wanted an absurd amount of work for very little pay.
It wasn’t the unique concept that was wild or even unmanageable; it was this guy’s entitlement and inability to collaborate. Now that I’m more experienced, it’s also absurd to me that I wasted so much time on someone so cheap.
A thing that clients should keep in mind is that if they want very niche custom content, there’s more work than just being sexy involved. Sex workers have to act basically as our own set designers, script writers, marketing team, and editors. We’re also humans who deserve rest and a life outside of work. There’s a difference between someone requesting audio that I can sit down and record just my voice with minimal edits versus audio that I have to incorporate a bunch of other sound work into.
It wasn’t the unique concept that was wild or even unmanageable; it was this guy’s entitlement and inability to collaborate.
On the totally opposite side of the spectrum, I was approached by someone who wanted a custom macrophilia/giantess fetish video. This is something I find hot and I was familiar with the genre.
The video being requested required a lot of communication. Before describing his custom request, he asked me what my limits were to be sure to not include them. I can’t express how uncommon that is, even though it’s really basic consent. Rather than demanding I have specific toys or props, we discussed what to include. The video involved object insertion (including anal), so I had to measure some sex toys for comparison and veto any props that I wasn’t sure would work or be safe. He paid for the additional props needed for the video and didn’t try to haggle my custom content rate.
I ended up making two videos for this client. After I filmed the first, we discussed what he liked the most and any constructive feedback he had. He asked my thoughts on various ideas and if it was possible to incorporate them rather than just insisting they must be included. I also added thoughts about what I thought would be hot to incorporate. We shared a few similar videos to talk about what we both liked about them or didn’t like about them. He also understood what was physically possible and the fact that I’m a single person in my bedroom with a phone camera.
The final result was content I’m proud of and that the client enjoyed tremendously. I had a fun time filming it and working with him. I felt valued for my work and I was treated with respect. This experience shouldn’t be rare, but it is. When my normal experience is someone coming into my inbox with three paragraphs worth of graphic demands before even discussing if I’m available to make a video, it’s totally unexpected to have a client who is good at communication and being respectful. I genuinely enjoy having the opportunity to make exactly the content someone is looking for, but that’s only possible when they’re willing to work with me.
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