Why don't more figure skaters do cameo?

[LolaSkatesInJapan]

It's supply and demand.
As said above, a contract between agreeing parties.
And those who feel like judging from the outside must be those people who enjoy telling others how they should spend their money.

 

[TallyT]

It's supply and demand.
As said above, a contract between agreeing parties.
And those who feel like judging from the outside must be those people who enjoy telling others how they should spend their money.

No, how they should make their money. Which to be fair, a a lot of people do judge (I do myself sometimes, but not in this case).

We seem to have gotten off the actual topic of why more skaters don't.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

I wonder - is this yet another example of the cultural differences on either side of the Atlantic Ocean? Because asking for money for things like autographs or photos is seriously frowned upon over here. It is seen as the person exploiting their fame to be greedy, and is considered a major faux pas. Unless the money is going to charity, in which case it is acceptable.

I'm in the UK, and I've never heard of paid meet-and-greets or photo ops being frowned upon - they're a standard for conventions, and also pretty common "VIP ticket" extras at concerts for larger bands. However, these work as kind of an appointment basis, and it isn't always possible for a very well-known actor to stand around at a con signing anything and everything - they'd be swamped and, depending on just how famous they are, it could even be a safety hazard - so a limited access session is a way to offer autographs while making some extra money, with most of it actually going to the con organiser and the celeb typically charging a flat fee for their time since they have to set aside time in advance for the session. Of course, this is nothing like charging for an autograph somebody asked for in a hallway where they just happened to bump into a celebrity, and I think most people realise this. Similarly, there is no way that a celebrity could record a personalised message for everyone who asks for one, but Cameo does allow them to offer this for a limited/controlled number while making some money, either for themselves or charity.

For what it's worth, I am not a fan of Cameo as a concept - I find parasocial relationships creepy, and frankly I feel they contribute a lot to much of the toxicity found in fan culture and are just unhealthy for all involved, and I feel like Cameo encourages that. This said, while I might judge, I can't tell you what to do with your money, and I won't tell people how to earn their money if there isn't some better evidence that it's directly harming someone than just my own personal feelings, so to each their own.

As for the question in the title about why there aren't more skaters on Cameo, I honestly don't know how much they could really make. Skating is a pretty niche sport in much of the world, and the places where it's more mainstream don't tend to have English as the primary language. The skaters who are famous enough that they could make good money on Cameo are likely making good money from ice shows and the like anyway, so don't really need it.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

I'm in the UK, and I've never heard of paid meet-and-greets or photo ops being frowned upon - they're a standard for conventions, and also pretty common "VIP ticket" extras at concerts for larger bands. However, these work as kind of an appointment basis, and it isn't always possible for a very well-known actor to stand around at a con signing anything and everything - they'd be swamped and, depending on just how famous they are, it could even be a safety hazard - so a limited access session is a way to offer autographs while making some extra money, with most of it actually going to the con organiser and the celeb typically charging a flat fee for their time since they have to set aside time in advance for the session. Of course, this is nothing like charging for an autograph somebody asked for in a hallway where they just happened to bump into a celebrity, and I think most people realise this. Similarly, there is no way that a celebrity could record a personalised message for everyone who asks for one, but Cameo does allow them to offer this for a limited/controlled number while making some money, either for themselves or charity.

For what it's worth, I am not a fan of Cameo as a concept - I find parasocial relationships creepy, and frankly I feel they contribute a lot to much of the toxicity found in fan culture and are just unhealthy for all involved, and I feel like Cameo encourages that. This said, while I might judge, I can't tell you what to do with your money, and I won't tell people how to earn their money if there isn't some better evidence that it's directly harming someone than just my own personal feelings, so to each their own.

As for the question in the title about why there aren't more skaters on Cameo, I honestly don't know how much they could really make. Skating is a pretty niche sport in much of the world, and the places where it's more mainstream don't tend to have English as the primary language. The skaters who are famous enough that they could make good money on Cameo are likely making good money from ice shows and the like anyway, so don't really need it.

Ah, it must just be an NI attitude then. Because paying for things like that is definitely something that doesn't go down well here. But, that is hardly surprising, given the complaints that there are whenever it is proposed that spectators should pay to attend motorbike races. As it is, if you don't buy a programme, you get a day of action for free. And, as a result, the organising clubs are skint and can't afford to run their races any more. (I should add, we always do buy a programme. And I for one strongly believe that it should be admittance by programme only).

Thank you for the reply. It was a very interesting read.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[FlossieH]

Ah, it must just be an NI attitude then. Because paying for things like that is definitely something that doesn't go down well here. But, that is hardly surprising, given the complaints that there are whenever it is proposed that spectators should pay to attend motorbike races. As it is, if you don't buy a programme, you get a day of action for free. And, as a result, the organising clubs are skint and can't afford to run their races any more. (I should add, we always do buy a programme. And I for one strongly believe that it should be admittance by programme only).

Thank you for the reply. It was a very interesting read.

CaroLiza_fan

I don't think it's just an NI thing. I would have said that it is the same here. Perhaps it's regional? London and the South are culturally very different to here.

 

[el henry]

The Manchester ComicCon is selling tickets for a meet and greets, and purchased photo opportunities and autographs, for their special guests.

So if you want a photo/autograph with quite a few actors that I'm not that familiar with, still time to buy the tickets. That is, exchange money for access. . Some of the names, like Tessa Peake-Jones, sound very British to me, but I don't know them.

So I guess some folks in the Northern UK don't have problems with paying for such exchanges

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Or some people in Belfast, who will also be paying for access come September:

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COMIC CON NORTHERN IRELAND 2023, Northern Ireland's largest comic book and film fan convention with the biggest celebrity guest exclusives is taking place in Eikon Centre Belfast on 9th and 10th September 2023! Get your tickets now!

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[TallyT]

For what it's worth, I am not a fan of Cameo as a concept - I find parasocial relationships creepy, and frankly I feel they contribute a lot to much of the toxicity found in fan culture and are just unhealthy for all involved,

Studies have found that the vast majority of parasocial relationships, both with real and for that matter fictional characters, are actually harmless or even healthy though, and to be honest, they have been going on for centuries, in one form or another, they are absolutely normal. It's just we never thought of them that way. The toxic part of fandom (which, do remember, is a small fraction of any fandom, it just seems that bigger when the fandom itself is bigger, and these days some fandoms, sporting, music, film or whatever, are huge) may be partly built on parasocial feelings among fans, but there are a lot of other factors that are problematic imo.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

So I guess some folks in the Northern UK don't have problems with paying for such exchanges

Well, I'm reluctant to call my part of the country the North, but for people who don't acknowledge the Midlands as a thing that exists, we certainly would be considered more North than South. But yeah, there is always going to be a regional divide, and it's always interesting to see that in action - round here, you tend to see a lot of the attitude that if something is free, is mustn't be worth going to, although this again various across towns, age groups and economic backgrounds.

Studies have found that the vast majority of parasocial relationships, both with real and for that matter fictional characters, are actually harmless or even healthy though, and to be honest, they have been going on for centuries, in one form or another, they are absolutely normal. It's just we never thought of them that way. The toxic part of fandom (which, do remember, is a small fraction of any fandom, it just seems that bigger when the fandom itself is bigger, and these days some fandoms, sporting, music, film or whatever, are huge) may be partly built on parasocial feelings among fans, but there are a lot of other factors that are problematic imo.

I mean, the majority of alcohol consumption is harmless, as is the majority of gambling. I don't doubt that the majority of parasocial relationships are similarly harmless, but the percentage of it that isn't is a real problem, and I do worry that something like Cameo specifically encourages the unhealthy kind of parasocial relationship. I do wonder if the unhealthy type of parasocial relationship impacts brain chemistry in the same way that alcohol or gambling addiction does, but I'm certainly not going to be the one researching that.
And while there certainly are other factors in play with toxic fandoms, I do feel that you are underpaying the rold of parasocial relationships in this. Nobody is going to, for example, going to bully a Korean pop singer to suicide unless they have some sort of deep personal investment, nor would they go so far as to identify where an athlete gets the bus to their training base and then wait for them there without some kind of personal stake, as once happened with Hanyu. Yes, these actions require more than just a parasocial relationship, but they also don't happen without one. And, as an aside, I would really worry with some skaters of they did do something with Cameo, could that be used to effectively stalk them? I've been on the Internet for too long; I've seen non-famous people get doxed from as little as a single photograph before.

 

[TallyT]

I agree that there is a dark side (as there is to every sort of human relationship bar none) but I don't see that Cameo and meet and greets and convention photos etc are that much more dark than many other commercial avenues and connections that we accept as a given because we are used to them. For instance, celebrity advertising on TV has been going on forever and has relied so heavily on parasocial attraction and the human urge to be connected and also feel the other person would approve of us (for buying the damn product even if we don't need it). There was an Aussie cricketer in the 90s who must have signed up for at least 40 or 50 products until we got sick of the sight of him. At the height of Kardashian mania she would demand and get big bucks to turn up at a function and meet rich folk who paid for the privilege of saying hello. And it doesn't even have to be direct ads: ELLE and AERA, Gucci and other firms that pay for photoshoots of Yuzuru (and probably k-and-jpop stars and cdrama actors) know that fans will and do hunt down the originals of the clothes and accessories in the shots and videos and yes, they can and do promptly sell big (and Gucci isn't cheap, folks).

And yes, Yuzu especially has had to deal with the dark side, he's had death threats and stalkers (hence the bodyguards sometimes) and gawkers and fans and not-fans crowding him since 2013... and until he went pro he wasn't even on social media. (Twitter is the Big Parasocial bad, imo, though yes, I am on it too... for now). The famous and the media have been working on creating that personal connection, for good or ill, even since the silent movies and before, and the public/fans hounding is also nothing new, as more than a few historical true crime cases show.

My point is that dark side or no, it's normal, it's human, it's not new and not going to go away, this latest manifestation really isn't in itself any better or worse than the celebrity ads, social media self-spruiking, show merchandise, convention activities, some of the fan art I have seen (and own) etc etc. I'm not saying you or someone else can't find it distasteful, we all have own line in the fandom sand and I have friends who happily cross what is a line for me.

These people are trying to make a little money in a celebrity-saturated time when the opportunities are shrinking. I wouldn't buy one. But it's not my place to judge someone who buys... or who sells (especially since I'll keep this post to write up for my next uni assignment, thank you people!!)