Camming is a form of digital sex work where performers livestream themselves—often engaging in erotic or sexual acts—for viewers who can interact and tip in real time. It blends elements of performance, intimacy, and entrepreneurship, with workers operating largely on their own terms but within platform-driven systems shaped by visibility algorithms and audience demand. As camming culture becomes more mainstream, more Black women are choosing to participate — not just as performers, but as entrepreneurs reclaiming agency over their labor and visibility.

But what does this choice really cost for Black women? Research has shown that performers may find pleasure and connection in camming, but risks—including harassment, emotional labor, racialized scripts, and mental health strain—are significant. For example, models of color, especially Black women, consistently register lower camscores—a platform metric tied to earnings—relative to white counterparts. This disparity reflects entrenched racialized labor inequalities

In this episode, we sit down with sociologist and cultural critic Dr. Angela Jones to unpack the multiple dimensions of camming culture Black women must negotiate. Dr. Jones is Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Stony Brook University, State University of New York. Their research interests include African American political thought and protest, sex work, race, gender, sexuality, Black feminisms, and Black feminist and queer methodologies. Jones is the author of eleven books and countless articles published in academic journals and mainstream press.

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