Originally Posted by
ivybunny
I can help a little with this. I'm pansexual but much much more interested in the ladies. I'm also genderfluid/queer, but thus far have been presenting as extremely femme on cam, so I had to deal with gender presentation long before sexual orientation presentation on cam.
There is something so attractive about being totally honest about who you are (as a person, not circumstance like where you live, age, etc) on cam, right? Fuck the haters and all that - and that is absolutely how I conduct myself IRL and am so much happier for it. But when it came down to being on camera, I realized that the fantasy I was selling is just that - a fantasy. It could be the truth or a lie, but for the customers, as long as you sell it well, they don't care. It comes down to is how profitable your image (which, in large part, is how well you can sell this image) vs. how happy are you with yourself fibbing about these things? If it makes you unhappy to change your image, present yourself as a fantasy you don't identify with, then stick with what you are, stop giving any fucks, and focus on the wording of making your honest image sexier by smaller and smaller fibs (e.g, "Well yeah, I've always thought I was gay but I'm here because I'm curious to see if there's a REAL MAN that can change my mind. Maybe that's you? ;) I guess you can say I'm straight-curious. ) If you're fine with lying about who, fundamentally, you are, then see what you can sell as your image. No one is going to buy a show from the hottest fantasy if YOU seem uncomfortable acting as that fantasy.
Think about what selling your fantasy will entail. Longer more feminine hair. Makeup, possibly. Investing a lot of time figuring out how to apply makeup just right so that you seem just the right balance of gay - a challenge to "turn" but not so pussy-loving that it's impossible. More feminine camming area. A script to hook a client at the culmination of a private to make the most of your role. PRACTICING this script to make it seem as genuine and believable as possible. Being a fabricated fantasy is a LOT more work than just being a trumped up version of yourself. But it can also be a lot more profitable.
In my personal opinion - and feel free to disagree with me - I find that you can sell your own personality and all the previously difficult things to market (being gayer than a rainbow unicorn in drag, being a feminist, etc) will set you apart and help your image... when you have a larger following. Freeloaders tend to spend more time cruising rooms of girls with lower traffic because they're willing to invest time trying to get better deals, freebies, etc. On the otherhand, more quality guys, on average, spend less time trying to find lower traffic girls because they don't have to - there are plenty of awesome girls on the top page, top row. So it may make sense to wait to be more honest about the fundamentals until you have awesome traffic.
Personally, I'm way more picky about my clients than most people are. I try a little harder some days when I have more energy, but generally I like my regulars who respect my job, my body, my intellect, and the fact that my personal and work life are two different things. They give me little grief and I am always GENUINELY glad to see them, which they can see and keeps them coming back. I decided that I can present as femme on cam, while when I feel the need, I can always present as more masculine IRL. I never LIE about my sexual preferences but I OMIT the fact that it can be *work* to be sexually aroused by men without having something else like kink in play. I often omit the fact that I'm a submissive leaning switch, that I'm poly, that the bruises on my body are from my rope sessions, that I'm a feminist... because it's a boner killer.