we are young and hot, should we star in porn videos and post nude photos on the Internet?
My girlfriend and are personal trainers and we’re young and frankly, totally hot so we’re thinking of making some videos. In order to promote business, my girlfriend thinks we should post some semi-nude photos of ourselves on a new website to show off our bodies. And she thinks we should star in some amateur videos and make some extra cash. It seems like everyone is doing it, why not us? Do you think this is a good idea?
Tony’s Take: You want to be in porn videos and post nude photos? My answer starts as follows: Exactly who are we trying to attract here? If it is customers for your training, all you need to do is show off your flat stomach and wear shorts and you’re done. Semi-nude is not attracting training clients, it’s attracting 15 year old boys and guys who are so far gone physically that they’ll have to have gastric bypass before you will be able to train them.
As for the semi amateur porn business, go look at the real economics of this industry. As an amateur, you will make nothing, and your content will be ripped off. If you contract with a company that does “amateur videos” on a professional basis, your girlfriend will make a scene fee of $750 and assuming that you can get it up on cue, and perform naturally while being photographed, you’ll make all of $250 (*these are 2010 going rates).
So, how does this affect your current business? If you are in any other state but California, you will probably lose many of your clients, because you have introduced the question of whether it is physical training or other forms of physical exercise you are offering.
So let’s review: In New York $250 is 5 hours worth of training. $750 is 15 hours of training. It is unlikely that either of these endeavors is going to make up for the amount of money you have just lost by not training clients. And, you are now permanently branded as someone of questionable moral value.
Just FYI: Think before you post pictures — no pictures, ever1 If you post pictures on the internet, they are permanent. They can take loving moments and ruin your life forever, or take a fun romp and turn it into a forever horror. Even if you control the pictures (videos, films, whatever), people snoop and people steal, just ask any of the Hollywood starlets whose personal sex tapes have been taken. And once they are out there, there is no getting them back, even with a good, expensive lawyer. If you think you have been videoed without your consent, tell the police. NEVER under any circumstances sign ANYTHING. If you are forced to sign something use the wrong middle name (in fact choose one and practice writing it in advance), it invalidates the contract. Understand even being masked or cleverly edited does not help. People wear favorite jewelry, or have tattoos. If that jewelry is in a picture you can never wear it again or else you will be recognized.
Alison’s Take: In researching an answer to this, I was shocked to discover how many people (especially husbands) want to post nude photos of their wives on the Internet, and how many of those wives and girlfriends are truly horrified at the thought! But the truth is, a lot of people like to show off their bodies online, and they’re not all that worried about the consequences. I think they should be, but the Internet allows a certain amount of freedom, damn the consequences.
My grandmother used to say: “when you spit, you can’t pick it up.” She was referring to the fact that something you say in a moment without thought, can stay in someone else’s mind forever, and you can’t erase it. But the same can be said for posting photos of yourself. Once they’re “up” it is difficult to get rid of them and in fact, you may lose control of what happens to them as well. Posting anything on the net without thinking is silly. The responsibility and the consequences, can be grave, and they’re all yours to deal with.
As to your question about personal training, as Tony suggested, it depends upon what kind of clientele you’re going after, and if you plan to use your bodies in the sex industry as well. I can’t imagine that the general public looking to tone up is going to want to hire a personal trainer who posts seni-nude photos. What kind of professional message would those send? Posting photos of yourselves in body building competitions, or showing off your bodies in photos that show how fit you are, are appropriate of course. But showing that you are young and hot has nothing to do with being a professional trainer. It is pure, foolish vanity. Consider: would you go to a doctor who posted semi-nude photos? Or a lawyer? How about your child’s nanny, or anyone else who provides a service to you or your family?
And speaking of family, how will you feel if your parents, or friends and loved ones see these photos? What about if you have children. You may be good looking, but could these photos be an embarassment for them in the future? And if you ever go for a job or change professions, could the photos hurt your chances to get hired in the future?
Of course, if you plan to train porn stars, and perhaps star in videos yourselves, then you’ll be branding yourselves into that industry, and that reinforce your image in that area. But if you do this, you’ll be limiting your clients. And just remember that one you put photos out on the internet, they are there forever. Some people like Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian managed to turn their sex tapes into big buisiness, but for every Paris or Kim, there are many more unsuspecting people who “put it all out there” and then regretted it and couldn’t take it back, with grave consequences. So think seriously about the “why” before you leap.
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