Oof.
Suicide Girls was definitely in a lull in 2008.
What makes this site go?
Members.
Members pay the bills.
It ain’t a charity.
What makes people become (and continue to be) members?
Great photo sets.
Hot photos that can’t be found anywhere else.
What makes great photo sets?
Great models.
Great photographers.
Great concepts (ideas).
Then there is, of course, the stuff behind the scenes.
If the website is operating like shite (looking at you, live streams), members leave.
Generally (minus live streams [which I rarely look at anymore]), the site operates pretty fucking well.
Also behind the scenes are the people who keep the BUSINESS operating and THRIVING.
Let’s recap (not necessarily in order of importance):
-members (yay!)
-models (hell yeah!)
-photographers (don’t underestimate)
-intellectual property (this makes sets CREATIVE)
-tech workers (thank you!)
-administrators (indispensable to preventing chaotic, low-quality material)
Once again:
-members
-models
-photographers
-ideas
-eggheads
-ball busters
To say a set is “good” or “bad” is entirely subjective.
But SG has attracted a membership base.
So trends can be noticed.
The metrics are:
-likes
-tips
-followers
[I am probably leaving some out]
Those are the most basic metrics (as far as I can tell).
Members only make sets great insofar as RECOGNIZING greatness.
A “lull” (to which I alluded earlier) would be indicated by:
A. canceled memberships
B. declining new memberships
Models are the most important elements of great sets.
Not all models are created equally.
We don’t all look the same.
There are reasons that some models have 50,000 followers.
There are reasons why some models have 1,000 followers.
Followers are (mostly) members.
Be nice to the members.
You never know who might tip you.
Follow a brotha back.
Ain’t no reason to front by failing to follow 99% of your followers.
Follow your fellow models.
Follow HOPEFULS.
Didn’t you start as a Hopeful???
Ok.
So some models are “conventionally” attractive.
But this is not a conventional site.
Everyone has a chance here.
Let’s talk about photographers.
Normally, your budget is going to dictate the quality of the photographer you end up with.
Unless you are extraordinarily-lucky.
Equipment is important.
Don’t forget about LIGHTING.
AND DON’T OVERLOOK THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCATION.
Location location location.
As it’s been said.
And this brings us to IDEAS.
Models have ideas.
Photographers have ideas.
Hell, PEOPLE have ideas.
WHAT is a photo set?
It is a form of visual expression.
A model may or may not have a good idea for their next set.
A photographer may or may not have a good idea for a model’s next set.
And don’t discount this possibility: there may be an “idea person” in your midst whom you are overlooking.
Hell, they might work for free!
Hypothetical situation:
1. model is hot
2. photographer is very capable
3. concept of set is boring
What kind of set is it?
Mediocre?
What was overlooked?
Have an idea.
Flesh out your idea (no pun intended).
Tap into your inspirations.
Focus on VISUAL formats.
Who’s your favorite artist?
What can their art teach you about INTERESTING images?
What’s your favorite movie?
Who directed it?
How can their moving pictures teach you about INTERESTING images?
Even hot people need to be interesting (eventually).
And interesting people need not necessarily be smokin’ hot.
Have a confidant.
Someone who is gonna be HONEST.
Are my tits my best physical feature?
Is my ass my money maker?
Is my face extraordinarily-pretty?
Am I in shape?
WHAT SHOULD BE THE FOCUS OF MY SET?
WHY?
Nothing more depressing than a gal with great tits who features her mediocre ass in every shot.
And vice versa.
A gal with an epic ass should not waste shots on her lackluster boobs.
A girl with a face to launch a thousand ships shouldn’t belabor a viewer with photos of her pedestrian body.
Focus on that fucking face!
Ideas…
You just gonna get naked?
On the couch in your living room?
[yawn]
Look at your sets.
REALLY LOOK AT THEM.
Ask yourself: am I pretty much doing the same fucking thing in every set?
If so, this may be a problem.
It’s always tempting for creative types to try and cater to their audience.
You had a set that did well (perhaps).
So you repeatedly try and RECREATE the magic of that set.
What you (probably) end up doing is churning out a nonstop flow of formulaic shit.
Sure, that one set was great!
But…
Ok, you get the point.
Try something different.
SG is a PUNK site.
DIY.
Do it yourself.
It’s also (now) a very professional and legit site.
But the ETHOS which started the whole think was ROCK AND ROLL.
Roll the dice!
Try something different.
If you care too much about the money aspect (How much will I make off this set?), you may be setting yourself up to create a set that DOESN’T MAKE MONEY.
You wanna grow your following, right?
You want members to also join your OnlyFans, right?
All aspects of your operation (sets, OF content, etc.) need to be UNDENIABLE.
This includes COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR FUCKING FANS.
All those people following you—they are your fans.
You’re not following them back because you wanna project the image that you are a “star”.
But think how much it might mean to them if you followed them back?
Do you message people who tip you?
Making a living as a Suicide Girl IS A FULL-TIME JOB.
Part of the job is SECURING YOUR FANBASE.
How do you do that?
You must offer something of undeniable value.
Go the extra mile.
Your fellow models are gonna tap out when John Smith starts talking about his sick grandmother.
Don’t be like your lazier fellow models.
Take pains.
Be perfect…
…IN EFFORT.
You will be rewarded.
YOU are a business.
You are your own business.
You are investing in YOURSELF.
You are investing in your FUTURE.
Yes, there are other ways to make money.
Be sure that being an AMAZING Suicide Girl is what you really want.
It has to be your passion.
Like any business, you won’t make a cent (net) for years.
Most likely.
It’s not a quick-money game.
To quote the Equalizer, “progress, not perfection”.
Be proud of any gains.
Gained a new follower?
Good job!
New set got more likes/tips than previous set?
Good job!
Don’t necessarily compete against your fellow models.
Compete against YOURSELF.
Dig deep.
What can you do better?
Ok.
The eggheads don’t make sets great or sucky.
They just keep said sets online.
But you need the eggheads to run a great site.
Sites can always improve.
Listen to the eggheads.
They are smart.
Ball busters have a tremendous impact on sets.
How does a modeling site such as this one have great modeling?
RECRUITING.
A business cannot expect to solely rely upon haphazard, word-of-mouth recruiting.
That could be dicey.
Ball busters must play an active role in recruiting.
And let’s not forget: ball busters allocate resources (money).
Why do SG sets usually look more “professional” than Hopeful sets?
Money.
When you’re a Hopeful, you gotta prove your worth.
A COMPANY is not going to INVEST in you unless they think you are a good INVESTMENT.
Hopefuls have to prove themselves.
In myriad ways.
Once you’re Pink, the race doesn’t end there (if you wanna make money doing this).
Always take it to a new level.
Hopefuls have DRIVE.
They have GRIT.
They WANT it.
THAT is obvious.
Suicide Girls often lose that edge.
You go Pink and then you mail it in for the rest of your SG career.
Not a formula for monetary enrichment.
Granted, not everyone is in this for money.
There are many other things to do in the pursuit of money.
But SG members have money.
They actually WANT to GIVE you their money.
But you gotta be extraordinary.
How do you regain the edge you once had?
Watch Rocky III.
Just a suggestion.
Sure, it’s a dude movie.
But it will answer (very obviously) how to regain one’s edge.
Ok, onto the snoozer-of-a-month that was September 2008.
Was it as bad as the previous month?
Maybe not.
But the two back-to-back indicate something was conspiring against great sets being made.
I, however, am only going to focus on:
-notable
-great
-perfect
sets.
Those are the three categories.
Bronze (notable), silver (great), and gold (perfect).
Let’s get into it.
First we got @erny with Workin Out .
This is a hot set.
Nothing like some sweaty vagina to get things warmed up!
But soon we chanced upon perfection:
Bohemian Summer featuring @moxi .
I tipped this set earlier today.
If you are into bunker-buster jugs, give this one a gander.
Epic!!!
If you’re on SG, you probably dig gals with tats and piercings.
I adore the tatted ladies.
Tattoos are a way to express your personality.
Piercings don’t do much for me.
But there is one exception: dimple piercings.
Dimples are like rainbows.
Or blue eyes.
Or red hair.
Not everyone has dimples.
And to pierce them seems naughty as fuck.
If you’re into that, check out @kittiecat in The Crazy Kitchen! .
Coming on with a title that sounds like a Bill Evans record was @glitch with The Many Shades of .
This set has STYLE.
Jet-black hair.
Bright-white sunglasses.
CONTRAST.
Interesting (unique) poses.
Innovative camera angles.
Close-ups.
Adventurous photographery.
Good stuff!
Ok, now for a double-shot of perfect.
First we have @rrron in Cooking, Cakes & Bedrooms .
A Hopeful who never went Pink…smack-dab in a dreadful month.
Which pisses me off!
For her sake.
And for ours.
I would have tipped her today, but I can’t.
Partially because she never went Pink, and partially because she gave up.
If she really wanted it, she would still be making sets…15 years later.
I bet she still looks hot as fuck.
Anyhow.
She had the breasts of an angel.
This whole set is divine.
And it’s gotten 100 likes…in 15 years.
Yeah, hard to stay motivated when that’s the audience response.
But again, it comes down to how much you want it.
I don’t see her still making sets.
Which is to say, it wasn’t her passion.
To have a long, successful SG career, you have to love making photo sets…for the sheer joy of making the sets.
YOU HAVE TO LOVE PIN-UP PHOTOGRAPHY.
It has to be the form of artistic expression in which you feel most comfortable.
If it’s not, it’s probably not gonna be a long, successful (monetarily-enriching) career.
Successful, maybe.
But long, no.
You have to love it to keep doing it.
You have to ride it out.
No matter what circumstances are thrown at you.
What Would Bettie Page Do?
[elastic wristbands…@missy]
I was able to (and did!) tip the next perfect set.
And that set is Sunkissed by @carmelita .
Carmelita dropped two perfect sets on Sep 5, 2008, but Sunkissed is the masterpiece.
I think the difference is (probably) the photographer: @brooklyn .
At any rate, the POSES are much better in Sunkissed than in the other one.
You gotta find a photographer you can trust.
A model and photographer are working together to create something neither one of them could create on their own.
The lighting in Sunkissed is exquisite.
Using natural sunlight is one thing.
But wielding it as an effective artistic device is another thing entirely.
So mad kudos to Brooklyn for capturing Carmelita’s MAGICAL tan lines—her honeyed skin and her salmon areolas.
Truly awe-inspiring!!!
There is another perfect set that I didn’t fully appreciate until now (as I dig into my warmed-over dinner of Alpo and Purina).
If I wasn’t a starving-artist musician, I would go back and tip this set right this instant.
But I am tapped out.
So you guys…PLEASE go tip Pine Beach by @derby .
These breasts sneak up on you.
You think they are just ordinary appendages.
Notable, but not all that.
But look closer.
These are the powdered wares of a VIXEN.
God damn!
I went through this set too fast.
It is phenomenal!!!
Ok.
You need a pretty face.
You need art.
You need contrast.
You need @annika in Obsession .
Svelte beauty.
Cat-like.
Bold.
YELLOW.
The black hair of an assassin.
Skin to make a hetero man weep.
Haha.
It’s true.
If a strange turn of phrase.
She has great skin.
A luminous complexion.
Wow!
Ok, let’s kick it up a notch.
Get your rocks off with @silvia in Hot and Wet Bubble Jet .
This gal is dreamy.
This set puts the fun in fun bags!!
Now for more perfection.
Say 你好吗 to @mao in Think Pink .
Who’s gonna go Pink?
You are.
Who’s gonna go Pink?
You are!
That’s the spirit.
Mao has some heavy hangers to leave any breast man like myself in complete awe
I tipped this set earlier today.
And it was a complete pleasure to do so.
What a goddess!!!
More good stuff ahead.
First is an enigmatic Hopeful named @mashel .
Strawberry-blonde hair and pale-blue eyes.
Jesus Christ!
What an absolute UNICORN!!
Have a gander at her Saoirse Ronan-like looks in Dreamer .
Perhaps she was ahead of her time?
Another great set was Softly Dangerous by @temptation .
These poetic areolæ make me think of song “Spill the Wine”.
Yes, please!!
Who doesn’t like super-cute and crafty once in awhile?
Ok, all of the macho, macho men.
Agreed.
But me, I’m like a cat.
And I love a good yarn (or two).
Affix the gaze ‘neath your knitted brow upon @lynx in Coming Undone .
It’s as awesome as Weezer’s “Sweater Song” (the only tune by them I can stomach).
Which is to say, pretty fucking awesome!
Something about soft blonde against bold black is positively naughty-as-fuck.
If you liked Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides, get an eyeful of @vesta in Buttercream Dream .
Kinda like Lux Lisbon with a particularly well-chosen leg tat.
Hawt as fug!
And looking like a New York doll was @liu in Personality Crisis .
I love the marshmallow in the mouth!
…and the suggestive finger in the penultimate shot.
Ok.
Keeping the quality level high (as always) was @sash with Lovely Loser .
If you love big, natural breasts like I do, you will want to check out this exceptional set!!
Alright.
Two more.
First, we have @roane in Gentle Green .
This set I am highlighting because of its remarkable lighting.
Check out shots 22 and 24 from the end.
It looks like she is sweating.
Maybe she is.
It looks like somebody rubbed her down with oil.
Maybe they did.
But it is SO SUBTLE.
What’s not so subtle is that this girl was FIT AS FUCK.
God damn!
Ok, we end on a high note.
I usually skip multi-girl sets like the plague.
That’s right.
I don’t like ‘em.
I find the multis to normally be an excuse for otherwise-fine models to be lazy and creatively “mail it in”.
But nothing could be further from the truth in Battle Royale which features a cast of thousands (not necessarily in the frame at all times [a big mistake to overload a shot with gals…it’s just absurd and trite]).
But this isn’t just any “cast of thousands”.
Yes, leave it to the French to capture ARTSTIC MOVING IMAGES.
“But they’re still-photos, right?”
Sort of.
This set is cinematic through-and-through.
Whoever photographed this set was not brought up on shitty CGI superhero movies.
And the models DON’T JUST DO THE SAME OLD SHIT.
This set is special.
So it bears mentioning those whom we can recognize as contributing to its timelessness: @dwam , @fixmer , @valium , @sweety , @sinnah , @sysca , @opale , @noemi , @raia , and @frankie .
A pencil in the throat.
Like a Bruce Lee movie.
Mud wrestling.
Girl fights.
Hand in face.
Smiles.
Roughhousing.
Hair pulling.
Smothered in the grass.
Pain…all in good fun.
These rambunctious Frenchies know how to populate a set with INTERESTING ACTIVITY.
Throw in some tits and you have a masterpiece.
“But wait, there’s more…”
Running…
Chasing skirts.
Blown in the wind.
Gore.
Fake blood tube squeezed right in the mouth?!?
Sure!
This is Suicide Girls, for fuck’s sake!!
AND THIS IS THE SPIRIT OF SG!!!
That ethos from the site’s inception (seven years prior).
Most companies don’t last seven years.
And very few last 22 years.
Recognize excellence where you see it.
This set kept the site going.
In a sea of shite, it was a lighthouse—beckoning the ship back to PURE FIRE.
—Pauly Deathwish
