LOS ANGELES—Lux Neon tells AVN her camming and clip-producing career has forever changed her perspective on sex work.
“I’ve never had a problem with sex work outright,” Neon says. “I did have a lot of internalized shame surrounding sexuality though. I struggled to find meaning and value in my work because it’s so heavily stigmatized. Then I started reading books by and about sex work(ers).”
The leader of the Luxaholics on MyFreeCams—who is now seven years into her cam modeling journey—says it was Jiz Lee’s “Coming Out Like a Porn Star” that started her collection of books about people who work in adult.
“Over the years I went from being on edge about what I was doing to being proud of my job,” Neon continues. “Now I realize that not only does sex work have value but it’s important. We all have different experiences, but for me sex workers enable people to release the shame they carry. Sex workers offer validation many people never receive otherwise about their most intimate feelings.”
She adds, “Our society uses shame as a weapon regardless of its destruction. I want to live life shamelessly and I hope that encourages others to do the same. Despite the stigma and hatred, sex workers are accepting people as they are and bringing them joy. That shouldn’t be a radical act but it is.”
In this exclusive Q&A for CAMStar accompanied by 12 pages of photography by Keith Ryan, the Detroit native talks about her degree in Organizational Communication, her MFC Share game, binge-watching cartoons, her parody of CharlesBot and much more.
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For bonus questions, see below:
CS: How did you like growing up in the Midwest?
LN: I lived for the hot summers camping in northern Michigan. Besides that, I lived in a place everyone dreamed of leaving. I did, too. The Midwest always felt so behind. I didn’t want to be normal. I wanted a life more exciting than I saw in my neighborhood. I had a lucky childhood though. I grew up safely because my mom was and is fierce.
Regarding your previous jobs before cam, what kind of theater were you working at? Which fast food restaurant were you working at? What did you take away from doing those jobs?
I’ve worked in both kinds of theaters, stage, and movie. Which was wonderful for me because I got to see all of the shows for free! Steak and Shake was my last ‘summer job’ and it constantly made me feel terrible. I remember being scheduled for 10-hour shifts and thinking “this is going to take up my whole day and I won’t even make $100.” Breaks were often ignored, I was getting harassed by customers daily and my manager usually asked me to stay late. The first time they scheduled me for a night shift I quit. After that, I started searching for different ways to make money. The rest is history.
On Day 1 on cam, were you using the stage name Lux Neon?
I was not. I tried out a few names in the beginning. One of them was Lucyfer Rising or something like that. “Call me Lucy,” I said. I had no idea what I was doing. It wasn’t long before I wanted to try something else. Lux is the name of my favorite character in this online game called “League of Legends.” It’s also the unit of measurement for illuminance. Neon sounded nice next to it and made sense so I stuck with it.
How did you build your community on MFC?
It helps that I’ve been camming for years! Really though, I’ve known a lot of my regulars for a long time. I think what’s important in building a long-term community is to keep traditions that work but always think of ways to make things fresh! Even simple shows like oil I try to reinvent or add to even though I’ve been doing them for years. I’ve also tried to remain consistent with camming. Though it may change I keep a schedule. While simple, it’s so important when building a community. I think what’s helped, too, is remaining drama free and not reacting with jealousy if my regulars frequent other models’ rooms. I don’t bring personal cam-girl problems into my cam room and I ask that my members do the same.
What kind of non-fiction books are you drawn to? What’s one of the recent ones that you’ve read?
I love self-growth books or educational ones on history, human sexuality and porn. I’m about to finish “Sex at Dawn” by Cacilda Jetha and Christopher Ryan, which I’ve been devouring. It’s all about the prehistoric origins of modern sexuality and how our idea of what is ‘natural’ to human nature has been skewed throughout history. Most of my library is full of books by and about sex workers. “The Feminist Porn Book” and “Coming Out Like a Porn Star” are some of my favorites. One of my goals is to write reviews for these books and the rest in my sex-worker library on my blog.
How did you develop your camming routine?
Like most things in camming it was just trying different things and seeing what worked. I think it helps to be honest with yourself about your own work patterns and flow. There are so many expectations for how much to work and how to do things in this industry. Finding what works for you is what’s going to make you most efficient. My routine changes as needed, too. Either way, I keep my camming schedule updated on MFC Share.
What were you doing on cam when Luxoholics gave you your highest tip of all time - 59,702 tokens? And when was that tip?
It was a couple of years ago and I know it’s nuts but I wasn’t even on cam when it happened! It was during a cam-girl gathering and the tip was to win a high-tip competition amongst all the models. Hours before the end I was dealing with a personal emergency and couldn’t log on. So the Luxoholics had one member tip this offline! So many members came together to contribute to this tip I truly could not believe it was real life. I remember crying and all caps tweeting trying to express how amazing and overwhelmed I felt. Even thinking back on it I get swelled up with that nostalgic excitement.
When did you start making explicit clips? About how many have you made? What do you like about creating clips?
I didn’t make cum videos for my first six years of camming. I experimented in the beginning but it didn’t fit me. As time went on I grew and changed and so did my attitudes about shame and sex. I held a lot of fear around my sexuality when I started. Over the years I started to unpack that both personally and through my work. As much as camming can be chaotic for me it helped me gain a sense of control. I never had to do anything I didn’t want to do. My members have been endlessly accepting like no other group in my life. Having that kind of support and their enthusiasm helped me decide one day to take some videos further! It just felt right. I’ve made six explicit videos so far and a few are just now being made available to everyone. These videos are my special projects but I still try and make them accessible for as many people to enjoy as possible. I love love love making clips! I have over 200 on MFC Share. It’s become one of my main art forms. I’ve always loved acting and being the center of attention so once I got the hang of filming I was hooked.
How long did it take for you to enjoy making JOI clips? What is something most people don’t know about JOI clips?
The first JOI clip I ever filmed was a custom video request and it’s still one of my bestsellers years later. I always assumed it would feel awkward but my words flowed and felt natural. I should have known then what a fitting category it was for me but it took me a few more years before I really dived into it. Now it’s one of my top genres. I think what most people don’t know about JOI clips is that it’s not automatically a femdom thing. JOI can feasibly be attached to almost any video. That’s what I love about it. I can be a brat, boss, professor, girlfriend, co-worker, nurse whatever and make it JOI. Mean or nice, people are hooked on JOI. I think the directness and interactive side to this genre is what keeps people coming again and again and again and you get the point.
What inspired your porn parody of CharlesBot?
It was always a joke in my room that maybe if you sucked CharlesBot’s dick he’d let you win token keno. The idea of a sex tape with CharlesBot popped in my head, but I wrote it off thinking I couldn’t pull it off being a softcore model. I actually gave the idea away multiple times in the hopes someone would do it! Well, one day I said screw it and did it myself, with robot voice interaction and a full storyline. A lot of other models recognized me after that video trailer dropped. If I go down in cam history as the CharlesBot porn parody girl then I’ve done my job right!
What advice would you give a new cam model trying to establish herself? What would you tell a younger version of yourself today if you could?
Do it. That idea that seems too complicated, or you’re not ready or prepared or don’t have enough resources? Do it. Refuse your own excuses. Use what you already have. Don’t take anything anybody does or says to you personally. Any time someone projects negativity or hatred it is a reflection of THEM, not you. Pushing yourself is OK in moderation but never do something you’re not into because you think it will make you money. It will drain you and burn you out so it’s not worth it. Self-care (and not just the easy kind) is the most important part of your business. Research marketing because it’s way more of your job than you think. Diversify sales. Safety first always.
What piqued your interest about your college major, Organizational Communication, and your minor, Women’s Studies?
My minor just lined up naturally. I had already taken a bunch of classes in that area out of personal interest. Choosing Organizational Communication was more intentional but I picked it because it was the everything major. I used to joke that I can do everything and nothing with it. Now, I’m glad I chose it because I use it every day. Communication is always going to be an important skill in most fields and in life.
How challenging was it to get your college degree? How gratifying was it to achieve that?
It was not easy starting out. Besides my high school teachers, I didn’t know anyone who had gone to college. My best subject was English in high school. I remember getting my first paper back in college and I had gotten a D. I was stunned. It hadn’t occurred to me that my poor white trash background left me completely unprepared for the university level. I hadn’t seen much of the world yet. Luckily I’ve always been a self-learner, but I stumbled more than once. It felt amazing to get my degree and graduate on the dean's list because I knew it was my mom’s dream for me. College helped me grow up in a way that prepared me to set out on my own. Camming helped me pay off all the loans!
What would be an example of a job in the field of Organizational Communication?
Before I decided the stick to camming I figured I’d try and be some sort of event planner. Maybe a wedding planner. Organizational Communication degrees can be applied to a ton of different fields though. Which is the biggest reason I chose it. I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I picked the broadest major. People with communication degrees can help companies communicate better between CEOs and employees for example. They can teach leadership skills, run workshops, be teachers. They can be social media consultants. Sky’s the limit honestly.
What is one example of a book by a sex worker that really resonated with you?
“Coming out like a Porn Star” edited by Jiz Lee and filled with articles by people throughout the adult industry. It was the first book I started my sex worker library with. I wish I had read it years earlier. We’re lucky in the fact that the porn industry is still so young that many of the people who paved the way are still alive and working. Not only did this book make me feel understood, but it also ignited my interest in learning more about the history of porn. It made me start questioning what mark I wanted to leave on this industry.
What are your hobbies or interests outside of camming?
I’m constantly cycling between physical and audiobooks. I like researching random things I’m interested in (like history and law) and personal growth books. All my physical books are on human sexuality or sex work and a lot of them are written by sex workers. I like binging adult cartoons and playing indie builder video games. I like to hit the gym at least a few times a week. I’ve been able to take classes in aerial, burlesque, dance and improv. I like trying new things, especially food. Nowadays I’m obsessed with TikTok and love making funny videos on there. Most recently I’ve gotten into puzzles and imperial Chinese TV dramas.
What’s an adult cartoon that you’ve binge watched?
“Rick and Morty” is one of my tops, especially because I cosplay a ‘Sexy Rick’ once in a while. I watch tons though. When I was a kid I used to stay up past my bedtime to watch anime and other late-night cartoons. My love for them just stuck.
What’s a recent puzzle that you solved?
It was a 500-piece puzzle with different artistic depictions of cats. My next one is alpacas in silly outfits.
When did you start your blog and how often do you write something new for it?
I started LuxNeon.Life a few months ago and it’s felt like a dream to finally put my writing out there. I plan on releasing a blog at least once a month. I’d especially like to do book reviews on all my sex-worker books because I love getting people interested in reading more on the subject. I’m excited to see it grow and work on writing as a craft long term.
Name three things that you love…
Cats, coffee, weed.
What kind of weed do you prefer…do you have a favorite strain?
If I had to pick a favorite strain I’d say Space Queen or other creative, active strains. I come up with great ideas while I’m high. I have notes full of random ideas, some of which I can’t figure out how to do yet but one day I might!
What’s the last concert you went to?
The last concert I went to was a punk band called Beartooth. Rock concerts are my favorite since they tend to be smaller and more intimate. I’d love to go to a music festival or a rave one day though!
What’s next for you—how do you see the rest of 2020 and beyond?
I feel a shift in the air; change is coming! My focus this year is on art and connection so I hope I can find ways to honor those goals in 2020. I also want to keep writing with my blog and find more ways of creative self-expression in my videos. Beyond I’d like to write a book, continue to travel and find ways to be an advocate in the sex-worker community. No signs of stopping!
Photography by Keith Ryan
