If you’re an internet dweller, you might have heard about the Key Lime Pie controversy. It’s a phenomenon that sees SPAM comments pop up on random websites, seemingly about something mundane like pie (pictured), but eventually devolving into pornographic proportions of nonsense. This is the work of a spambot, but it’s hard to explain why it would be doing such a strange thing.
I spoke to the girl in question, Melody, a virtual Youtuber (VTuber) who goes by the name keylimepie. She’s active on Chaturbate, the adult chat site. Her room is a ‘virtual Little Tokyo’ and she says her hobbies include playing the drums, eating Japanese food, and taking care of herself.
She’s not a VTuber for the money, she says. She’s been doing the job for over a decade and she does it for fun. But she does talk about the negative aspects of sex work online.
She raises valid points about personal safety and the marginalization of cam girls, but I think she’s overstating the problem a bit. It’s not just cam girls who are hurt by the way people treat sex workers in general. It’s everyone who does this kind of work. I’m sure you can all think of someone in your life who could use a few extra bucks, to help fund that party you want to go to this weekend or to buy that dress.