Bender Cain Interview’s Melrose

Bender Cain Interview’s Melrose in her first sit down interview with CamLife Magazine.

Before we start I want to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to sit down with us here at CamLife Magazine and answer some questions for our readers.

This is such a cool opportunity, I appreciate you honoring me with your cover!

Bender – So Melrose tell us what did you before becoming a live webcam performer?

Before I got into webcam modeling I was a college student working 2 jobs while simultaneously juggling a full roster of business and marketing courses. I was working in a data entry position for a banking chain in the Chicagoland area, and then on the weekends, I was gogo dancing in swimsuit-type attire at night clubs downtown for some extra money. It’s funny really because the girls I met gogo dancing are the ones who indirectly introduced me to webcamming. The world is such a funny place haha!

Bender – How long have you been Camming?

I’ve been webcamming since October 3, 2011! So a little over 8 years now!

Do You have anyone special in your life?

I do! Yes. I have a husband and a girlfriend. It sounds complicated but it’s not… Honesty is key!

Bender – What platform do broadcast on?

So, I live stream on webcam on MyFreeCams. I’ve been there all 8 years of my webcam career although I have tried other platforms. Right now I’m primarily focused on growing my premium snapchat with Fancentro and selling subscriptions to my Fancentro Feed, where everyone can see all my content for a low monthly subscription. They recently launched paid direct messaging as well, so I find their platform to be best because it allows me to have everything for my fans in one single place.

Bender – How do your friends and family feel about your decision to become a live webcam performer?

When I decided I was going to do this back in 2011, the first thing I did was sit down with my boyfriend (at that time) and my mom. We discussed what being in this line of work would mean, what my boundaries were, and what the upsides and downsides would look like. Everyone was more than supportive. My mom even picked out my original webcam name! (Although now I just go by my real name haha.) My outlook on this was always, “Those who matter won’t mind, and those who mind, won’t matter.” And I believe that’s been a guiding truth for me over the last 8 years. I’ve never really been one to care about what everyone else thinks of me in all honesty… I’ve worked hard at knowing and listening to my opinion of myself and working to better that version that I know to be true.

Bender – What do you like the most about being a live webcam performer?

I think the best part of being a live webcam and snapchat performer is how well you get to know yourself, and the confidence you gain in your skin. I struggled with a lot of body image issues before getting into live streaming and if you’d have asked me in 2010 if I’d be willing to get naked in front of strangers online, I’d tell you you’re crazy. But when you’re alone with yourself, in the comfort and safety of your own home, revealing how much, or how little of yourself you want the world to know, you are 100% in control. Women don’t get that level of control in their lives in today’s modern society. I’ve heard it said many times, many places, that women in this industry are broken, or struggling, or mentally ill. It’s such a misrepresentation of people in sexwork. Especially in the webcam or premium snapchat sector. There is no one holding us under duress. No boss is micromanaging us and no producer or studio forcing us into doing scenes we aren’t comfortable with. WE, the talent are in control. We’re in control of what we do when we do it, what we charge for it, what our brand will represent, and what directions our careers will go in. For me, and everyone I know within this industry, it has been the single – most empowering experience of my lifetime.

What is a typical day like for you on Cam?

My chatroom has become this incredible online community. Where my friends from all over the world log on and spend time together. Not only with me, either. My viewers have formed bonds with other viewers in chat, even meeting each other in person on occasion. On a typical cam day we play games, talk, hang out, dance, and sometimes, I do a live show for the chat room. Webcam has become this space where time is frozen and my fans get unparalleled access to me. However, that access has a time and location restraint, for when I’m home and available to log online. My career has grown and changed a lot over the last 8 years and right now I travel almost every month for one thing or another. This is why selling a premium snapchat has been such a great transition for this time in my career. Snapchat (which I view as a more modern-day version of webcamming) is a little different experience. Every day you get to watch my daily life unfold. Me with my real friends, holiday time with my family, or me demoing and building my house for example. Then at night, I do snapchat shows every single night for my fans who pay a monthly subscription to me via Fancentro. On snapchat, you get to see my more naughty/wild side, as well as speak to me privately through chat messages. It’s a great way to watch my daily ‘real’ life unfold when I’m not able to be home and sitting in front of my laptop. I feel snapchat gives my fans a fuller perspective on who I am since they get to see my real life, outside of webcam, combined with my naughty side every night. It’s been the perfect combination for who I currently am and the things I’m currently doing.

What is a typical day like for you when you are not on Cam?

Well, there are no days off in my world, literally. Not only do I webcam, and do premium snapchat, but I also run a marketing company, write, edit and produce my podcast, and star in, film, and produce all my content. I also do freelance social marketing for a global company at the moment so I’m extremely busy right now. There are some other things I’m working on but I’m a firm believer you don’t tell the world anything until you have a finished product to show them so you’ll just have to keep tabs on me to see what else is coming next!

Bender – What do you like the least about being a live webcam performer?

I don’t believe there’s a downside to live camming in a general sense. You have to know yourself and be aware of what this career can mean before choosing it. The only downside I could see to webcamming is that the money is very unpredictable. You never know if it’s a $1,000 day or a $1 day, and they both happen. To all of us. I think that’s why moving into Premium Snapchat on Fancentro has been so helpful though, monthly subscriptions have provided a much more stable source of income for me, which in turn- has allowed me to grow my marketing company, build my home, and take on riskier investments as a whole.

Bender – What advice would you give to a new model to Camming?

The best advice I could give would be to know yourself, set your boundaries, and don’t let any amount of money move that line you have in your head of where your boundaries lie. You have to maintain control because it is YOURS in this industry. If you hand it over to a fan for a couple of thousand dollars, or a mainstream porn studio that pressures you into scenes you wouldn’t have chosen for yourself, you may never get it back. Stick to your guns, above all else.

Bender – Can you tell us about your YouTube channel?

I started my youtube channel originally in 2016 when I was selling real estate back in Illinois as a marketing tool. Then it slowly morphed into this vlog style channel. I haven’t really had time to commit to it lately, so for the moment all my podcast episodes go up there in addition to the normal streaming platforms. I do plan to get back into vlogging though, my life has been pretty interesting as of late so I think sharing it with the world could be a really cool experience.

What sets your cam show apart from other performers?

I really don’t believe there’s a downside to live camming in a general sense. You have to know yourself and be aware of what this career can mean before choosing it. The only downside I could see to webcamming is that the money is very unpredictable. You never know if it’s a $1,000 day or a $1 day, and they both happen. To all of us. I think that’s why moving into Premium Snapchat on Fancentro has been so helpful though, monthly subscriptions have provided a much more stable source of income for me, which in turn- has allowed me to grow my marketing company, build my home, and take on riskier investments as a whole.

Bender – What advice would you give to a new model to Camming?

The best advice I could give would be to know yourself, set your boundaries, and don’t let any amount of money move that line you have in your head of where your boundaries lie. You have to maintain control because it is YOURS in this industry. If you hand it over to a fan for a couple of thousand dollars, or a mainstream porn studio that pressures you into scenes you wouldn’t have chosen for yourself, you may never get it back. Stick to your guns, above all else.

Bender – Can you tell us about your YouTube channel?

I started my youtube channel originally in 2016 when I was selling real estate back in Illinois as a marketing tool. Then it slowly morphed into this vlog style channel. I haven’t really had time to commit to it lately, so for the moment all my podcast episodes go up there in addition to the normal streaming platforms. I do plan to get back into vlogging though, my life has been pretty interesting as of late so I think sharing it with the world could be a really cool experience.

What sets your cam show apart from other performers?

I don’t really know honestly.. I mean the redhead thing always stands out haha, but I really believe there is someone for everyone when it comes to adult entertainment. I’m a fairly ‘wholesome’ type of performer in all seriousness. I don’t produce any boy/girl content or anything super extreme. I stick to what I genuinely enjoy doing in my own bedroom, so for the people looking for that harder core type of stuff I may not be for them. But for my fans who have been here, and continued to support me, I try and create exciting, fun new things that they haven’t seen me do elsewhere over the 8 years I’ve been working at this. I’m also really involved in the production of my content, so I try to create visually beautiful works within my videos. I only put out shows and content that I am happy with and feel is beautiful and represents me and my brand. I don’t know if that sets me apart at all, but I don’t know that I consciously ‘work’ at being some ‘stand out top performer’ either. I just kind of stay true to who I am and what I want and if that ends up with me becoming notable that’s great.. and unexpected. But that’s not why I do what I do.

What keeps your viewer’s coming back to your room?

I think my fans like that I walk this line of ‘adorable’ and ‘sexy’. I am witty and silly and I like to have everyone laughing and enjoying themselves. I can be sexy and sultry too but that’s only one narrow piece of who I am as a person. I try to show my fans more than just that aspect of me online. In fact, my podcast has really helped with that as well. It’s given my fans a much deeper look at who I am and how I became the person they watch on various screens throughout their week. When they leave my chatroom I want them to have had an interaction with me feeling like they’ve made a friend they can trust, wondering if they’ve laughed that hard another time this week, and how soon they can sneak off and watch that video they purchased of me in private.

What is your favorite sex toy?

Men. Just kidding haha. If I had to pick one it’d be my Hitachi because it gets the job done in .03 seconds. Runner up would be my lush because it’s discreet and interactive!

We here at CamLife Magazine believe that the live webcam industry is more than a multi-billion dollar industry we believe its a community of performers and entrepreneurs that truly want each other to do well?

I would 70% agree. The majority of my experience over the last 8 years has been reflective of that statement. However, some performers, I would argue mainly newer performers, lose sight of the fact that there are enough fans and money to go around and can get a little competitive. It’s not really necessary though, in my opinion, I run all my businesses with the notion in mind that you “catch more flies with honey, then you do with vinegar”. Kindness and lifting each other upbuilds strong relationships and every business, in my opinion, is a “relationship business”. Being likable in the sense that you’ve shown good character and carry a good reputation is important. The best way to maintain that is to always be kind, and supportive of the community that feeds you and fosters your future undertakings. You never know if the next person you meet or the last person you worked with could be the one the universe hands a life-changing opportunity for you.

If you could change anything about the cam industry what would it be?

The stigma. Sex workers are legitimate business owners operating in a billion-dollar industry. We are head of talent, HR, marketing, finance, IT, etc. We do it all and are treated as second class citizens for it. Sexwork taught me how to write code, build websites, create effective advertising campaigns, copyrighting, graphic design, cinematography, audiovisual production, social media marketing, traffic acquisition, and so much more. When I walk into a business meeting I expect to be treated with that level of respect, because in my experience I tend to be overqualified for whatever the other person is trying to sell me.

What is your favorite Aphrodisiac?

I don’t really believe eating or drinking something turns me on haha. Expect alcohol… I mean that’s never failed me haha. But what turns me on most is a kiss on the back of my shoulder of the neck. All bets are off after that.

Now a lot of people use the term sex worker to describe cam models we hear at CamLife fill this is an inaccurate description of the white webcam Community. Yes, of course, there is a sexual aspect to Camming but it is much more than that there is the aspect of building the human connection what are your thoughts on this?

Haha, I hear this debate a lot. I understand both sides, really. No, webcam models aren’t physically having sex as their work, however, they are selling erotica for the purpose of arousal. I consider myself a sex worker because I sell sex, the thought of sex, the arousal that leads to one having ‘sex’ with a partner or themselves. I’m proud to be apart of the ‘sex work’ community or ‘inaccurately considered’ within that niche. Whichever you prefer works for me. At the end of the day, what label you give me makes no difference. The label I give myself is a “businesswoman”. Every form of advertising is selling sex in some aspect or another. The hot girl in the beer commercial… The sexy girl selling ‘daddy’ web domains.. etc. I won’t be shamed by society because the ‘way’ I sell sex offends you. Everywhere we look, we’re already being sold it. The #1 instinctual purpose we all have is to procreate. It’s unavoidable and undisguisable. I think what offends people is the fact that I, as a woman, (and sex workers in general) have a strong grasp on who we are and what our worth is in today’s climate. I think what offends people is the idea that sexuality can have a price on it. But has anyone thought about that logically? We put a price on the physical strength of men, to move our furniture into new houses, is just one example. A physical attribute that is monetized for a purpose. Yet most people can not see sexuality this way. It’s outdated, unenlightened, and to be perfectly blunt, I think it’s society’s problem. Not ours as ‘sex workers’ or ‘business people’. The adult industry has always been the number one leader in innovation, not everyone we speak with on a daily basis is going to understand that concept. It’s not for them to understand. It’s for us. I say call yourself what you want, either way, you’re right.

If you had to spend a week alone on a desert island what 3 things would you bring with you?

Solar power battery, wifi hotspot, cellphone. Then I’d amazon everything else I needed and turn that place into a resort.

What was your reaction you learned you were going to be featured on the cover of CamLife Magazine?

Haha, I’ve never been on a cover before so I was freaking ECSTATIC haha. ‘Look, mom, I made it’ haha.

Now you have an amazing body how do you stay in such great shape?

Honestly because of where I come from and the body image issues I’ve had I don’t focus on my physical appearance much anymore. I eat like a child, mainly chicken tenders, grilled cheese, spaghettios, that sort of thing… I don’t deprive myself of anything anymore and try to love myself for what I have to offer, which sexwork has taught me is a lot more than my appearance. My body seems to have responded well to that. But I’m also a really active person. I like to spend the free time I can find doing things like hiking, dancing, playing tennis, riding bikes, shooting guns, or maintaining my 80-acre property. I put the emphasis on what makes me happy at the moment, if it’s french fries, then that’s what I’m ordering…

How important is it for you to have balance in your personal life and your life on Cam?

I think it’s EXTREMELY important, but I also believe I fail at this 80% of the time. I love to work, and when I’m ‘relaxing’ for even a second I think I’m being out-worked by someone else. It’s probably a sickness… Haha. But I get a lot of fulfillment from what I do on and offline, so it doesn’t ‘feel’ like work to me either. I try to remember to spend important moments with the people I love when I can, and I do work hard to stay mindful of that. But the people in my life also know me and accept me, and understand this is who I am and that working at this capacity makes me happy. I am so grateful for that..

How do you deal with cyberbullies or rude fans?

Block them and move on. I don’t even acknowledge it honestly. I have so many people tuning in to watch me on webcam or on snapchat that the fan love 1000% outweighs any hate I get. I’m there for the people who want to see me if you don’t like what you’re looking at, I’m happy to show you the way out…

What social media do you use how can your fans keep up with you and your career?

As far as social media goes, mainly I use my public snapchat: MelRose.TV , my Twitter @MelRoseTV , and my Instagram @melr0setv ! I update them all daily and it’s the single best way to stay on top of all the craziness that is my life. I plan to get back to vlogging in 2020 so you can watch for a ton of new content from my youtube channel youtube.com/melrosetv and if you really want an intimate setting

Don’t forget to Check out our Showcase featuring Melrose