Amateur Appeal: Amateurs Take On The Pros
By Josielyn Chase
 We were having
a slumber party at my girlfriends house. Lounging in our pajamas having
late night ice cream (Sorry boys, no pillow fight!). The girl talk
eventually turned to business. What was the topic? The appeal of Amateur
Web sites. I was wondering aloud, which Web design makes the most
visitors convert? Their answer was the answer of many other model
professionals I know. Amateur Web design!
I've heard this in the halls of Glamourcon, I've read this in the
Model forums, "The cheesier the site looks, and the simpler you make
it, the more money comes in!" Why? This concept was confusing to me
because I've always been very partial to artistic expression, world-class
photography, and flashy Web design. Adult star Mika Tan (www.mikatan.com)
explains, "Amateur Web design works so well because when people are
your fans they feel that they are supporting YOU and not some large
company." She adds, "The more distracting and showy the design - the
more flawless the look - the less personal it feels to the visitor.
It's sometimes perceived as barriers between them, and the model that
they are trying to get to know."
What is the definition of an amateur model?
It's a question I've been asked a lot. I can't really define what
an amateur model is without explaining what a professional model is.
Ask the booking directors of legitimate modeling agencies. The answer
is universally the same, with few exceptions. A professional model
is under contract to a legitimate modeling agency, not necessarily
exclusive to the city where the agency is based. The individual obtains
modeling assignments using the tools of the trade, i.e. resume', comp
cards, portfolio, etc. For the booking, the individual uses a talent
voucher, signs a model release and there is an agreement to a form
of compensation.
A professional model that works freelance utilizes all of the above,
except that the model is not under contract, and the model release
can also serve as a talent voucher. Either way, professional models
in all categories (e.g. fitness, lifestyle, Playboy, art nudes, Internet,
commercials, high-fashion, glamour, fetish, adult, etc.) always formalize
the agreement on paper.
Webster's Dictionary defines a model as a person who poses as a subject
for an artist or photographer. They define an amateur as a "non-professional."
Most people are of the opinion that a model pro derives the main source
of income as a subject for photographs and artists. But I've heard
many different viewpoints on the subject. There are attractive strippers
in Las Vegas who claim to be professional models because they appeared
on some promotional flyers. I've known girls who worked as extras
on several TV shows who tell the guys they meet at the bars that they
model professionally. The question "what is a professional model"
can be nearly as subjective as "what is beautiful?" It depends on
who you ask...
Below, I have compiled two lists of generalities I came across, illustrating
the distinctions between amateur and professional model sites:
Professional
Model Sites
- Professional web design
- More likely to have showy flash graphics
- Models meet industry beauty standard
- Hair/make-up professionally done
- Elaborate wardrobe
- Crisp high-quality images
- Photoshop to perfect all photosets
- Selling beauty - or selling beauty & sex
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Amateur Model Sites
- Appears done by a beginner
- Simple, direct design
- Models look like everyday people
- Ordinary hair/make-up
- Every day clothes
- Less than perfect photography
- Photoshop only on the main photos
- Selling sex
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Okay, this is no marketing secret. Sex sells big time. Why else do
they put a picture of a babe in the bikini on the packaging of golf
clubs? What do voluptuous models have to do with car tires?
Have you seen my latest ad for Falken Tires - I'm wearing a tight
denim jumpsuit unzipped nearly to my waist. I'm smiling and my boobs
are trying valiantly to pop out. My sister was with me at the shoot.
She was laughing and asking everyone, "What does this have to do with
selling tires?!" The photographer quipped, "I'd buy any tires SHE
was standing next to!" This is the world we live in.
Yes, sex sells. Especially, when it comes to amateur sites. However,
I can't overemphasize enough how important it is that the feel of
the site be personal. A successful model friend of mine who rakes
in big cash and can afford the most expensive corporate webmaster
out there, "will purposely misspell some words, or have a few dead
links here and there, and some minor grammar mistakes." They e-mail
her sometimes to let her know a link is dead, or she misspelled something.
She thanks them for pointing out her typos, corrects it, and her fans
love the interaction when they see that she responds to her membership
e-mails, which helps to cement the addiction they have to her. She's
not afraid to show her more personal side. Photos of her with her
dog, a picture of her on a bad hair day, more photos of her, doing
ordinary things, like cooking, or reading. One model told me that
a lot of her fans enjoy photos of her without makeup, napping on the
sofa. Many webmasters would be surprised to hear how much fans love
the "blooper" pictures. Selling the sex appeal is very important.
But it's her charm, her approachability, realism, and personality
that inspire and create the emotional involvement.
As one loyal fan put it, "I can imagine her in a sexy nightgown, working
on her home computer making Web pages. She personally answers her
e-mails, and some "webmaster dude" doesn't write her diary. Her pictures
are not photo-shop masterpieces. She looks exactly like her photos.
Her Bio is not a work of fiction. She has sexual passions for which
her Web site provides an outlet. She could be the secretary down the
hall, the neighbor's nanny, the nurse at the hospital. The appeal
is that she is REAL. The member believes she made this Web site for
the love of it. The money is just a "side benefit."
Thus, the appeal of amateur model Web sites.
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