Indiegogo: Money for Models over 30

[Sevrin]

So this came across my Twitter feed today, and it's connected to a nude photo site. It's specifically about not-cam-models, but it's still related.

Some models have it all planned out, some don't. We want to help each girl we can. You can too!

All of our models are beautiful. They are beautiful inside and out. Some of them have a plan when that external beauty starts to fade and some don't. If we could we would move each and every one into our house and help support them for everything they have done for us, but unfortunately we can't afford to do it for every single one. So I saw this app and thought: wouldn't it be great if we could start each model off with $1000 or more in a savings account and teach her how to add a portion from each check she makes to that account and then open a SEP IRA or 401k? And then also give all the fans a chance to help meet the models they will help with a long term future plan. So people can see that X-Art models are much, much more than just pretty faces! You can choose a model to donate a specific amount to or we can recommend one for you based on the shooting schedule. Let's come together and help these girls take advantage of their God given gifts, so when they are older they don't need to depend on anyone. Can we do it? I think so! Brigham and I will match all donations. So get your chance to see a shoot live, meet your favorite girl and help the people who bring you joy! Love, Colette

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mone ... ls-over-30

Scam or not a scam? The goal seems over the top if they're planning to give one grand to models. If they'd match it, they'd have bursaries for a thousand models, which is several hundred more than they feature on their site.

Thoughts generally? I know some models here are way organized with their finances, but others not so much. I know I wasn't thinking much about my financial future when I was in my 20s.

 

[CharlotteLace]

I don't think it's a scam, but I do think it's a little misguided. There's plenty of people in every career that don't know how to save/invest/etc., and reality will hit them just as hard. It's not like modeling is all they can do afterwards, either. Their career choices just might not be as lucrative as modeling. Plus, couldn't you just tell them to start putting money into a savings account now? Why insist that somebody else start them off with $1000?

I don't know, I'd be a lot more inclined to donate if it was for inner-city kids or orphans or individuals who don't have paychecks coming in. People who face a legitimate disadvantage, rather than simple ignorance/poor money skills. I'd feel the same way if this was for camgirls instead of models, too. I mean, I know what my job entails and I know the risks and its inconsistency, so I damn well better be certain of my safety net. Just because some people are blessed with a well-paying job doesn't mean they get a free pass to act irresponsibly with their income. Or rather, it doesn't mean they can expect others to pick up the slack if they act irresponsibly and don't save money. (I don't mean those who struggle and live hand-to-mouth, but those who do well, live outside their means, and don't plan accordingly.)

I don't know, I'd rather fund other things, like animal rescues, community programs, helping veterans, fundraisers for the arts, etc. Hell, for $1000 they could rent a conference room, xerox some basic finance stuff, and get a bunch of those girls together to teach them finances for an afternoon.

In a way, it's a little demoralizing for the models. It's like they're saying, "Help these girls before they get too old because their youthful looks are all they have, and they don't know enough to provide for their future." Fuck that, I bet they know how to Google "financial advice."

 

[Gen]

It seems like they'd be better off to invest in hiring a finance coach and having them give seminars to their models. Any career that focuses on young people making lots of money with a short shelf life should offer things like this; pro athletes have mandatory financial training and while some will still squander it, it's helpful to a lot. It's like the 'teach a man to fish' saying.

 

[Jillybean]

It seems like they'd be better off to invest in hiring a finance coach and having them give seminars to their models. Any career that focuses on young people making lots of money with a short shelf life should offer things like this; pro athletes have mandatory financial training and while some will still squander it, it's helpful to a lot. It's like the 'teach a man to fish' saying.

Exactly! Instead of teaching a man to fish, they're kind of giving him the fish.

 

[SexySteph]

Wait, I'm confused. Why are they calling them models? They're pornstars, it's X-Art girls. (Not that porn is somehow less, it just seems misleading.)

Also, I'd assume X-art girls do pretty well for themselves. If they're concerned why not just be like "hey, we have a financial advisor on staff for you to use if interested!" I thought that was something businesses sometimes offer? Or at least, idk, casually bring it up in convo?

 

[weirdbr]

Wait, I'm confused. Why are they calling them models? They're pornstars, it's X-Art girls. (Not that porn is somehow less, it just seems misleading.)

Also, I'd assume X-art girls do pretty well for themselves. If they're concerned why not just be like "hey, we have a financial advisor on staff for you to use if interested!" I thought that was something businesses sometimes offer? Or at least, idk, casually bring it up in convo?

Some do, but in a very controlled manner, trying to distance themselves from the situation. For example, my employer frequently get speakers from a third party company to give a talk to our new hires about stock, compensation and pension funds, but that talk starts with an almost 5 minute long preamble as to why this is not financial advice from them, just general information and that the company doesn't necessarily agree with points of view presented there. All of that to create a 'safety net' in case someone misunderstands things, screws up their finances and then comes back with a lawsuit trying to 'prove' that it was the fault of the employer for giving bad financial advice.

 

[DeezNA]

I actually used to work for an investment management company for several years (still work with them on a consult basis), this sounds a little strange to me... There are many more factors involved regarding retirement plans than just 'having enough money', especially when you are self-employed or do not receive steady income. Unfortunately, when you are self-employed, it's not quite as simple as "set up a 401k and retire at 60". It is incredibly important to be educated in what different retirement plans offer, what differentiates them from each other and which one will work best for you and your family.

Being a cam model, I obviously don't know shit about what deals porn stars have set up... but I would hope that contract models get at least *some* benefits, who knows if they have a retirement plan in their contract?

This fundraiser feels like it's full of holes and buzzwords to me. Little to no specific information on where the money is actually going, iffy rewards that seem crafted so that the affordable ones that people are likely to gravitate to are easy to fake or simply not be awarded. $500 to give your personal address to a porn star and MAYBE have her send you a letter? Tell me that's not just pulling on the heart-strings of lonely porn-junkies... Does not sound completely legit to me.

SOAPBOX TIME, PREPARE YOUR ANUS.

Here's what I want to see: a Cam Model Union. Porn workers have the option of working with studios and companies that offer benefits and higher, more reliable pay; independent cam models do not. We rely solely on our customer base. I want to see rudimentary, affordable physical and mental health care options for full-time professional cam models, at the VERY LEAST.

It's really hard to give a shit about giving $1000 to a very successful active porn star shooting top-of-the-line "classy porn" when I see so many models working *every day* with what they have, fighting claw and tooth just to hit rent every month.

But hell, I'm just a some dude who gets naked on the internet... what do I know...

 

[IsabellaSnow]

Wait, I'm confused. Why are they calling them models? They're pornstars, it's X-Art girls. (Not that porn is somehow less, it just seems misleading.)

Also, I'd assume X-art girls do pretty well for themselves. If they're concerned why not just be like "hey, we have a financial advisor on staff for you to use if interested!" I thought that was something businesses sometimes offer? Or at least, idk, casually bring it up in convo?

I'm not sure if I read it right but something was said about being able to meet the model. I'm guessing it's more of a service?

 

[Jillybean]

But hell, I'm just a some dude who gets naked on the internet... what do I know...

When we say things like that, it discredits the entire thoughtful argument we've carefully laid out prior to this one remark. I don't like it. You brought up good ideas and points. Don't discredit yourself, even as a joke. It shows a lack of confidence in what you've stated. If you can't take yourself seriously, nobody else will. I always feel bad seeing things like this at the end of a smart, thoughtful post. :twocents-02cents:

 

[DeezNA]

But hell, I'm just a some dude who gets naked on the internet... what do I know...

When we say things like that, it discredits the entire thoughtful argument we've carefully laid out prior to this one remark. I don't like it. You brought up good ideas and points. Don't discredit yourself, even as a joke. It shows a lack of confidence in what you've stated. If you can't take yourself seriously, nobody else will. I always feel bad seeing things like this at the end of a smart, thoughtful post. :twocents-02cents:

Yeah, I'm sarcastic as hell, doesn't translate well to the internet hahaha. I'm serious about the idea, though, it's just something that would take a lot of organization and discussion; something that sorta merits a dedicated thread.

 

[mynameisbob84]

Whuuuut? They're essentially asking for $500,000 in donations to give to people who haven't budgeted for the future or managed their own finances effectively? I mean, jebus... I give £20 a month to help starving kids in Africa and that's about all I can afford to earmark for charitable donations. But if I could afford more, there's a loooooooooooooong list of places my money would be going before this. I'm kinda struggling to understand why it's a thing. I mean, I work in retail. It means unsociable hours, relatively low pay, and not much of a pension to speak of. Should I be starting a kickstarter so I can get some additional funds? (The answer is no. I should and do recognise that I'm working in retail because I choose to work in retail, ultimately because I enjoy it and haven't yet put in the effort required to find something that pays more).

And the way it's being sold...like their models are helpless to help themselves or something just strikes me as somewhat offensive to the models involved. The whole thing just strikes me as odd, yo :?

 

[SexySteph]

Wait, I'm confused. Why are they calling them models? They're pornstars, it's X-Art girls. (Not that porn is somehow less, it just seems misleading.)

Also, I'd assume X-art girls do pretty well for themselves. If they're concerned why not just be like "hey, we have a financial advisor on staff for you to use if interested!" I thought that was something businesses sometimes offer? Or at least, idk, casually bring it up in convo?

I'm not sure if I read it right but something was said about being able to meet the model. I'm guessing it's more of a service?

That's just a gift for pledging a certain amount. X-Art is a well known porn site. I'm not sure what service you're suggesting?

 

[Zoomer]

Scam or not, its jumping on the bandwagon of money for nothing... literally. Why should it be the consumer's responsibility - they've probably paid for the content. What's next, a campaign to pay for their cleaners so they can live in better conditions and therefore spend more time making movies/photos?

As it is, the person who got fined $240,000 for pirating X-art's content (did a search of the name behind all this, turns out X-art is one of the biggest litigators behind copyright infringement) is potentially paying half of that alone!

It's a pathetic campaign.

 

[SexySteph]

Scam or not, its jumping on the bandwagon of money for nothing... literally. Why should it be the consumer's responsibility - they've probably paid for the content. What's next, a campaign to pay for their cleaners so they can live in better conditions and therefore spend more time making movies/photos?

As it is, the person who got fined $240,000 for pirating X-art's content (did a search of the name behind all this, turns out X-art is one of the biggest litigators behind copyright infringement) is potentially paying half of that alone!

It's a pathetic campaign.

Not saying this campaign is good but that $240k isn't going to the stars. lol

And I looked into the campaign more. It's being run by Colette who is an X-Art star. So the company isn't asking for money for the girls. It'd essentially be like a know it all camgirl doing a campaign so she can set up retirement funds for her cam-model friends.

 

[PunkInDrublic]

Wait, I'm confused. Why are they calling them models? They're pornstars, it's X-Art girls. (Not that porn is somehow less, it just seems misleading.)

Camgirls call themselves models too when they aren't really models, doesn't seem that misleading to me.

 

[SexySteph]

Wait, I'm confused. Why are they calling them models? They're pornstars, it's X-Art girls. (Not that porn is somehow less, it just seems misleading.)

Camgirls call themselves models too when they aren't really models, doesn't seem that misleading to me.

Well, the technical term is cammodel. And I don't think I'd ever use the term model referring to myself outside of an area where it's known that I'm meaning cammodel. I've just never heard anyone call pornstars models. I just feel like it was a little confusing (and if she was straightforward that it was for pornstars it might get more attention.)

 

[JickyJuly]

This is pretty dreadful and shameless, imo. Uncertainty is part of a commission based job. These are grown ass women not helpless puppies in need of homes. The idea that a woman's beauty ends abruptly on some specified date is pretty disgusting. A woman can work in porn as long as she wants. She might not like her options or the face she sees on the screen, but that's her choice. Even camming and being a mom, I plan to make time to go back to school so that I can do something else when I feel the time is right. Sex work has a lot of freedoms. There are not that many jobs that people really age out of other than sports (where the pay is surely enough that they can plan to go back to school or retire) or maybe armed forces. Lots of servicemen and women end up on the street underpaid, underinsured and broken by their career path. I'd be far more inclined to donate to them. How the people involved in this aren't embarrassed... just so grody.

 

[Sevrin]

As it is, the person who got fined $240,000 for pirating X-art's content (did a search of the name behind all this, turns out X-art is one of the biggest litigators behind copyright infringement) is potentially paying half of that alone!

You say that like protecting your intellectual property is a bad thing.

 

[HiGirlsRHot]

Some random thoughts. I wonder if we've reached the saturation point on crowdfunding. I mean this is like one step up from potato salad or maybe not even. Looking at the gallery, it sure doesn't look like some of those models are old enough to drink much less over 30.. I obviously could be wrong on that.

Now something important.
Financially literacy is something that has been important to me for a quite sometime. So I like the concept of helping models learning about investing and money. Sadly more often than not helping people invest or save is just another scam like this seems to be.

I have heard on this forum and others that schools do a horrible job about teaching money matters like taxes (a rude awakening to many camgirls), credit scores, investing, IRA, 401K and the whole alphabet soup of acronyms. I can say that it wasn't that you didn't go to college, or you majored in the wrong subject. My MBA was pretty much useless on the subject of personal money management.

One of the really great things about camming is many girls can make a good deal of money at young. The trick is to keep the money. Saving early enable you to have financial independence which for some of you means you can retire early, but for most means giving you the opportunity to work at job you like or at least tolerate, because you started saving early instead of being in debt.

I recently came across a 16 page e-book, from one of my favorite financial author, written for young people.
If you can: How Millenials Can Get Rich Slowly
It is available for $.99 on Amazon as a Kindle book
or a PDF for free here https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/290 ... %20Can.pdf.

The good news is you can read it in about 1/2 hour. The better news is that he gives reading and other exercise, that I guarantee if you do them will give more knowledge about money than 90%of the population and more than most stock brokers and so called financial planners. Your CPA will still know more than you about your taxes, but you'll be able to ask him or her better questions.

Feel free to PM if you have any questions.

 

[IsabellaSnow]

That's just a gift for pledging a certain amount. X-Art is a well known porn site. I'm not sure what service you're suggesting?

Not like a prostitution service... That definitely wasn't what I was suggesting!

No it just sounded like it could be a "donate and get to meet your favourite pornstars" type of thing rather than a charity. Kind of like camgirls do date raffle's so members get a chance to meet them in real life outside the cam persona. Sites like "myfreeimplants", "mygirlfund" and "extralunchmoney" have set it up to sound like the members are donating to the girl's "fund" when in reality they're just purchasing videos/camshows. It's just a marketing strategy.

 

[JimsX]

That's just a gift for pledging a certain amount. X-Art is a well known porn site. I'm not sure what service you're suggesting?

Not like a prostitution service... That definitely wasn't what I was suggesting!

No it just sounded like it could be a "donate and get to meet your favourite pornstars" type of thing rather than a charity. Kind of like camgirls do date raffle's so members get a chance to meet them in real life outside the cam persona. Sites like "myfreeimplants", "mygirlfund" and "extralunchmoney" have set it up to sound like the members are donating to the girl's "fund" when in reality they're just purchasing videos/camshows. It's just a marketing strategy.

"myfreeimplants"

I googled that. I was sure you made it up.

I was wrong :lol:

 

[Zoomer]

And I looked into the campaign more. It's being run by Colette who is an X-Art star. So the company isn't asking for money for the girls. It'd essentially be like a know it all camgirl doing a campaign so she can set up retirement funds for her cam-model friends.

Colette Pelissier is Colette Pelissier Field.

Co-founder of X-Art.com

So... you draw conclusions about whether it's a model seeking to help other models, or the boss of a company which generates profits.

You say that like protecting your intellectual property is a bad thing.

That's not remotely what I said, but whatever...
If you spend perhaps 20 minutes reading upon how the litigation proceeds, you'd be aware there's a chance innocent people are being extorted.

In the UK there was a particularly nasty law group which got barred from the legal profession for very similar tactics. I think the difference was that they also publicly named them.
So the option was pay £700 because they claim you seeded/shared their movies, or be named and taken to court. There were thousands of letters sent out.

Unsurprisingly this was deemed to be similar to blackmail.

If it was cast iron guaranteed then fair do's, litigate away. However, back to the original post - I wouldn't feel this is quite what it seems. Perhaps she should be using the money extracted from "illegal sharers" to provide this fund? Would certainly seem more appropriate in my eyes.