It's not a leap to say we are living in (or entering, at least) the era of porn performer as mogul. The rise of social media and subscription sites like OnlyFans and JustforFans has revolutionized the ways sex workers are able to capture, disseminate, and (most importantly) own their content. In the spirit of that newfound agency, two porn icons have taken over queer brand Daddy Couture: Matthew Camp and Rebecca More.
Camp is someone you undoubtedly thirst follow (or fap to), and More is one of the Cock Destroyers, two cishetero porn performers who went viral last year thanks to an endlessly meme-able video about... well, destroying cock. More (and her fellow cock destroyer, Sophie Anderson) has become a gay icon for the internet age, but she's more than a meme -- she's also an incredibly savy businesswoman. Looking to capitalize on her internet fame as smartly as possible, More was cautious and selective about who she partnered with, creating a unique line of merchandise with Daddy Couture. She and Camp connected and eventually decided to take ownership of the brand, hoping to expand its reach and deepen its commitment to diversity.
Out spoke with the pair about their plans for the line's future, the business side of cock destruction, and what sets Daddy Couture apart from other queer fashion brands.
Out: Rebecca, you had this huge viral explosion and I remember being so surprised that you didn't immediately come out with merch. When you eventually did, it was with Daddy Couture. So why did you wait to do it through this brand?
Rebecca More: To be honest, I didn't want to just be selling for the sake of it. I wanted it to look good as well. I'm a firm believer of things feeling right. When we first got in touch with each other, it just felt right, it felt like the right brand. Everything about it looked good. I liked the look of the website, and it was a queer brand.
What was the thinking behind taking over Daddy Couture?
Matthew Camp: The idea of getting together and creating a brand image that wasn't so ordinary. Something that was a little more diverse and inclusive and a little bit more street, more fun.
What set Daddy Couture apart from other queer-run fashion brands that made you want to be involved?
Camp: I loved that there were so many different people that were adorning "daddy" as a logo and an identity. You think about what a daddy is typically -- it's the sort of alpha of the family, the person that takes care of everyone. I liked that there were all these people of different genders identities that were like, "I'm a daddy, too." Taking ownership of a community and people that you love and taking care of them.
Rebecca, you definitely have daddy energy.
More: I connect to the name. I love walking around with [a Daddy t-shirt on] because people ask questions. I had a woman at the airport say to me, "Are you a daddy?" And I went, "Damn right, I am." It's a bit of an opener... and it's a little bit naughty.
What kind of niche or void do you think this brand can fill in the existing LGBTQ+ fashion market?
Camp: I think there's a void in general because there's such a stark, very specific presentation of what is considered beautiful or sexy. And Daddy Couture really challenges that. It doesn't say, "Oh you're the boss, so you're not. You're not sexy." It's like you're sexy and you are sexy. Everyone's beautiful. Everyone can be a sexually empowered being with this brand.
A lot of fashion is sexy but not necessarily sex positive. Is that something that's important to you as sex workers?
More: We don't like the fact that we're sex workers to be like the thing, but we want people to be open about wearing the clothes and having a sex positive general attitude. That it's something you can talk about.
Camp: [The brand] a bit tongue in cheek, which is fun. It doesn't take itself so seriously. It takes away the power of someone being able to make fun of you or call you out for what you like because you're also in on the joke.
When you think about queer fashion, there are really two extremes: super sexy and serious or campy and extravagant. Is it important for you to combine those two things?
Camp: I think this offers something that's really accessible for all different kinds of people. It's a t-shirt. You don't have to be any specific body type to wear a t-shirt. But there's still something that's expressive about it, whether it is a sexy message or even just a message of [being a] daddy, which isn't necessarily a sexy thing. It could be a strength thing as well.
We're in this moment where porn performers and sex workers are gaining agency through sites like OnlyFans and JustforFans, do you see this as an extension of that? You get to be the ones at the top who are making the decisions.
Camp: Yeah, and it's also kind of a little game, too. It's a way to gamble with the rest of reality and the rest of the stuff that is happening. Put your foot in the water and feel the temperature of the pool before you get in.
Rebecca, it's been almost a year since the Cock Destroyers video went viral. Have you approached this fame in any specific way? So many people who have a viral moment like that burnout very quickly, but you've really kept this momentum going. So how did you in doing things like Daddy, how do you see that structuring your career?
More: This whole thing with Daddy has really happened very naturally. It doesn't feel like everything that I do. If it doesn't feel like work, then I'm on the right track. And the way I advertise it on my Instagram, it just works. So I just feel that it's going to go really, really well. There's some positives: I like to do a bit of charity, [and] our pride t-shirt went really well. I was able to give my share to a charity and that went great. So it gives me a good feeling because I like giving back to people who have given so much to me with the viral success.
Matthew, why do you think that queer people have become so obsessed with Rebecca and Sophie?
Camp: There's a couple of things. We're coming out of this #MeToo movement, the really aggressive heteronormative idea of what sexuality should be, what a woman's role should be, and what a man's role should be. We're reeling from that. [Rebecca] represents this ability to be sexual and receptive and OK with it and owning it. All different kinds of queer people, but young gay men specifically, are like, "Oh, I can be a bottom and be in control and I don't have to be ashamed of that."
What is next for both of you outside of the brand?
More: More porn films. Myself and [fellow Cock Destroyer Sophie Anderson] have merged on Driving for Dick, [inspired by] Sophie's song, "Driving for Dick, as a porno. And then we've got another branch, [maybe] a podcast. Same questions, new person in the back of the car and [we] pick them up and go drive with the dick in the back. We just ask them... lots of probing questions.
If you could Drive for Dick with anyone, who would it be?
More: Madonna. Get in the back, baby, come drive for dick.
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