Ri0_entmt is one of our favourite cam performers on CAM4 at the moment. He is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet and his sense of humor is legendary. After having Ri0_entmt as a guest on the CAM4 Happy Hour multiple times, it was about time we got to learn more about this handsome man. And what he had to say made a lot of sense… it seems that behind that pretty face and the hysterically funny banter there is a very thoughtful and beautiful person who has some very interesting insights to share with us…
Tell us about yourself – who is Ri0? And why did u get into making porn and became a webcam model?
I am from the north east of England – i have always been a people person. I love making new connections. I think it’s important to say that i wasn’t in a place mentally where i was proud and loved my body and who i was as a person. I’ve struggled with self hate for years, looking at guys online thinking “If only I could be or look like him”. I have had issues with mental health and fought bulimia and anorexia to try be what in my head was attractive. Then after fighting cancer, my body was left covered in scars… i was in a darker space, I hated myself more than ever.. There is a reason my social media doesn’t date longer then the last year and a half to 2 years. I erased myself off, I didn’t want people seeing me.
There seems to be an image of a seedy world as an adult performer, but what is being offered is companionship.
I’m past that now and I have had great support from charities. Mind you, I am one of the lucky ones, there is lots of mental health issues for men that are ignored and then add being a gay man to that is a whole different minefield of mental health issues. And a lot of these issues we create as gay men against other gay men. So yeah, if someone wants to pay to spend an evening with me, or i have a webcam room full of people that have come to see me, I’m not ashamed. These people are attracted to me and there is something they feel i can give them to complete them. There seems to be an image of a seedy world as an adult performer, but what is being offered is companionship.
What got me into webcam work was the covid pandemic, My services have been a lifeline to people that for months have been home alone with no interactions and a one hour webcam show playing games and having a laugh has been a difference in their own mental health. If they want to tip they can, but at a time like this companionship for our most vulnerable members of the community should have been in everyones mind. That is what got me into this line of work.
Do you think that notions of ‘masculinity’ still limit men in the bedroom?
To a certain extent the concept of masculinity does have an affect on our choices in the bedroom, but I wouldn’t say this just applies to men. The ingrained prudish nature of our society means that no matter what pronoun you use, there is almost always some degree of condemnation on pushing barriers. There has been some progress over recent years; for example, in present day heterosexuality female dominatrixes are widely accepted. There are bigger, more prominent fetish markets.
Meanwhile, in gay culture the idea that if you’re no Vin Diesel then you must be the more feminine person in your relationship is changing. In our modern, liberal world it’s crazy to think that you can’t always be open without being criticised or facing unfair stereotypes. Things are changing for the better, but many of us are still affected by labels and notions like masculinity and femininity – we all face pressures to fit into a certain box. Fortunately, we can overcome these by surrounding ourselves with open-minded people. Hopefully progress will continue to create powerful change.
In our modern, liberal world it’s crazy to think that you can’t always be open without being criticised or facing unfair stereotypes.
Do you feel that as part of the LGBTQ community you’re pressured to look a certain way?
Bobby Norris from The Only Way Is Essex has undergone a transformation after feeling lost for years. He’s now built muscle to look bigger for example. The LGBT community has fought and struggled for decades for equality opportunities/ rights, but is one of its own biggest enemies when it comes to acceptance- dating is a minefield in any situation, but there are the pressures from within the community itself – you have middle aged to older guys that want young guys and twinks – you then have younger guys that class the big 30 as old and will focus on their own age brackets.
One thing i noticed is the change on how gay men present themselves. We have gone from a community that had to hide aspects of itself, to one that can be open that doesn’t want to be labelled- but yet label ourselves. We have a generation of LGBT that have to wear or present themselves in a way that identifies them as gay. For example in 2003 it would be rare you would walk down the street to see a guy with drawn-on eyebrows and fake tan – unless you happen to be drinking in Geordie land haha. But push the clock forward to 2015 and it is almost the accepted way the majority of younger gay men have to appear to be gay or proud of who they are. Walking down the street wearing labels like twink or I’m gay, the same labels older generations struggled to loosen themselves from.
We have gone from a community that had to hide aspects of itself, to one that can be open that doesn’t want to be labelled- but yet label ourselves.
Also as a man that has suffered from poor self esteem for years battling boulimia and anorexia, it takes a lot to put yourself out there. I have learned to be myself and to be proud of that, so i put my best self out there. If i don’t conform to someones ideal image of what i should be, then that is a person that still needs to grow and isn’t the type of person that I personally can make that connection with.
And when we look at this in relation to the adult industry – and this is prevalent mainly within the UK – we have porn studios that focus and glorify how great it is to be young and a twink. If you don’t look like a twink or happen to be over the age of 25, studios ignore you . This is why i prefer to work with a CAM4 that supports and works with its performers of all ages and body types. It is refreshing to find a company that embraces body positivity, not just for its LGBTQ+ community, but also with my heterosexual peers.
In what ways do you feel lockdown has helped you to better understand your gender identity?
To be honest i don’t, i have always been very secure of my gender identity. And to be honest unlike many other people, i havent really felt much pain from the lockdown as i have been busy and worked all the way through. What i feel is -it has helped me better understand the importance of my mental wellbeing/health and as a cis man this is something i think all sex workers should be more conscious and understanding off, regardless of what gender we identify.
You talked about porn. What type of content do you do make?
Simply put – pure unadulterated filth – lol but i also like to create educational instruction vids also.
What advice would you have for new performers?
Have fun ! Even if you are in a room by yourself or no one is giving you tips carry on- remember just because a user in your room and doesn’t have tokens right now, doesn’t mean they won’t purchase some if they have made a connection. I also suggest not blocking these users from being able to chat, why treat these people different just because they do not have tokens now?
What should people expect from your shows on Cam4?
I cam a lot when i am in the shower which is always fun!! But i do a weekly show called rio’s virtual peep show where i play games – have a dance do a striptease or two – but you should come check it out!
Hobbies tell us about your hobbies!
I’m a great cook so i love to do that – i also am an avid gamer, so can be found playing games or watching movies. I also spend a lot of time creating new content for my channels as well as making channel art for other content creators.
Find RiO on CAM4 here and check out his Twitter @Ri0_Entmt
