Is Nude Modeling "Real" Work?
Posted at 2:21 PM Jun 30, 2008
This past week, Australian-based all-natural naked lady site AbbyWinters.com launched two new websites specifically designed to attract new models to their empire: Nude Travellers and I Hate Real Work. The sites are apparently aimed at the kinds of women Abby Winters believes to be their modeling population: travelers in need of a cash pick-me-up, and work-avoidant young women.
The young women who populate the webby pages of Abby Winters are are almost entirely part-time models who pose for the site for kicks and a little extra cash - and really there's nothing wrong with this. That's one of the beauties of the sex industry: you can dip into it whenever you need a little extra cash flow, but it doesn't have to be a full-time job. The work, especially when it involves getting told you're pretty and being given the opportunity to get your groove on with other fine young things, can be quite a treat. However, I take issue with the idea that nude modeling it isn't "real" work - sure, it can be a somewhat easy way to make money, but when you work as a nude model you are creating real content that will really exist online for the company to make money off of. It's not likely that Abby Winters would say it is not a "real business" so why paint the work this way?
For the inside scoop on what goes down at a photo shoot with the company, read model Chloe B's account Getting Naked Australian Style here on Naked City, in her monthly contribution to the Porn At Large column. Chloe obviously loves what she does, and I'm not saying that Abby Winters is bad and evil, but saying that nude modeling isn't "real work" is misleading.
--Audacia Ray
more: Media Critic
It's definitely not the 9-5...
but work is still work, no matter how fun it is.
Posted by: Jiz Lee at June 30, 2008 3:57 PM
While the site name is repulsive to me, I will give tip of my hat to the fact that they are now the second porn site that I know of (after my own VegPorn.com) that spells out on an FAQ page that you shouldn't be doing nude modeling if the idea of your friends/family finding out really bothers you.
Posted by: Furry Girl at June 30, 2008 5:12 PM
Both of these sites are basically just repackaging the info for models as its published on AbbyWinters.com, where they've had that info about evaluating whether or not posing nude is a good idea for at least the last year or two.
Posted by: Audacia Ray at June 30, 2008 5:31 PM
I doubt they mean any harm by it. They probably just thought it might be a catchy and humorous light hearted way to get some ladies attention. I see where you are coming from though, modeling is REAL work. However I think the ladies that are daring enough to model for this site and make the decision to model for this particular site rather than say some of the others that are not so ethical probably take the site title with a grain of salt and laugh it away.
Posted by: UndressJess at June 30, 2008 5:56 PM
It doesn't really matter whether "Abby Winters" thinks porn is real work or not -- since there isn't even a real Abby Winters. (That's not a lesbian feminist photographer, that's a MAN, baby.)
Posted by: Skeezicks at July 3, 2008 10:59 PM
What Skeezkicks said has long been rumored to be the case – there is no "Abby Winters", and really, its just a pseudonym for Garion Hall. I tend to believe the rumors (and direct accounts) about this, considering in the 6 or so years I've known about the site, I have yet to see a picture of "Abby Winters", or an account from anybody who has actually met her in the flesh.
I don't consider this such a big deal in itself, except that it kind of does recal the whole fiasco of SuicideGirls and some of their attempts to pass themselves off as "woman owned". Also, their claim that all models are "non-professionals", "travelers", etc, while to the best of my knowledge, mostly true, I've seen that on one occasion they've brought in a professional model on at least one occasion – that would be their model "Viera" (who's also on the sister site IShotMyself, under a different name). "Viera" was billed as a "traveler" from the Czech Republic, but those who know their porn models could quickly spot her as a well-known (and, I might add, extremely gorgeous) Czech glamour/porn model who usually goes by the name "Gisele".
There was also some strife between AW and related sites and former model Liandra Dahl last year, and she had some not very nice things to say about them on her blog (since taken down) last year. However, unlike SG, this was not followed by a mass defection of former models, and from what I've seen, most current and former models for AW and its sister sites speak quite highly of them.
Also recently, there's been some gripes concerning changes to the look of the site, and rumors that there's been some major fallings out among the owners of the site, which may result in some changes in direction there:
http://fleshbot.com/374378/change-is-good-except-for-when-its-not
Overall, I'm not trying to knock what AW is trying to do, since I think they have succeeded in a lot of what they've been trying to do – finding young women who are not hardened pros, having them in sexual situations where they're really getting off rather than putting on an act, and producing some damn hot porn as a result. In fact, there are few videos of there's that are so good, I'd place in my personal "porn top 10". I just think a certain amount of reading between the lines is require with the AW's self-presntation.
Posted by: Iamcuriousblue at July 8, 2008 12:29 AM
One of the things I failed to do in this post that the site itself does in all cases I've seen, is refer to the site/entity/business as AbbyWinters.com. It's a bit of a trick to avoid referring to "Abby Winters" and leading people to believe that "Abby Winters" is the woman behind the site. Though they don't actively discourage people from thinking that the site is run by Abby Winters, I don't think the advertise it that way either. I personally have no evidence that Abby is a real person, but I've met Garion a few times. The models do appear to be happy and well-treated, or at least the ones I've spoken to appear to be.
I think as a porn company grows, like AbbyWinters.com has done, its tough to stay ethical and there will always be beefs with the management. It will definitely be interesting to see the way this continues to be managed by AbbyWinters.com
Posted by: Audacia Ray at July 8, 2008 12:02 PM
