A dominatrix explains how she whips and teases her clients over video during the pandemic

• Mistress Amandara is a Berlin-based dominatrix.
• She used to make €250 an hour to whip, tease, and belittle her clients, but she now relies on government assistance to pay her bills because of the pandemic.
• “Domination is not about jerking off looking to a woman’s body,” Amandara said.
• Business Insider Today spoke with Mistress Amandara to learn just how hard it is to make money doing online sex work.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

With strip clubs, brothels, and bars closed, some sex workers like Berlin-based dominatrix Mistress Amandara are taking their practice online.

Domination falls under BDSM (bondage-discipline, dominance-submission, and sadism-masochism) — a consensual sexual dynamic in which people play with power through different sexual acts. Many times toys like whips, handcuffs​, and masks are involved.

Source: Insider

Amandara is having to relearn how to dominate someone through a screen. One area she’s found some success in is using toys like dildos and paddles.

Source: Business Insider Today

Amandara’s submissive will buy their own dildos and paddles to use on themselves as she verbally humiliates them. She says the humiliation is her favorite part.

Source: Business Insider Today

Because of the lack of physical touch, Amandara's clients are unwilling to pay her typical hourly fee.

"I can't pay my bills with it - with my sex work online," Amandara said.

Source: Business Insider Today

Amandara used to make €250 an hour when she dominated clients in person. Now, she is having to rely on emergency assistance from the German government to pay her bills.

Source: Business Insider Today

Because most kinds of sex work are legal in Germany, Amandara is able to receive​ government assistance during the pandemic.

Sources: Business Insider Today

In the US, sex workers are scrambling to find alternative work after being left out of a major COVID-19 relief package. This is because of the legal grey area sex work exists in the US.

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Globally, sex workers who can't meet with clients in person are turning to subscription platforms like OnlyFans and IsMyGirl.

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But online domination has its limitations.

"Domination is not about jerking off looking to a woman's body," Amandara said.

Source: Business Insider Today

Amandara said this is, in part, because domination is such a physical act.

"It's very hard to do domination online. You cannot expect to spank someone online, for example."

Sources: Business Insider Today, Insider

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