Seriously? 🙈 Little rant about brand collaborations

Behind the scenes story I thought I'd share for a change. 😉
Sometimes people say to me: "But with your view numbers and subscribers you'll surely get things for free. And/or receive money!"
Then I'm shaking my head and reply: "It's not the right scene. Normal brands don't like shady fetish models". 😅
Not that I'd call myself seriously "shady", in fact I try to be the opposite of that, but it's still how fetish fashion is perceived.

Let me tell you a story about these tiresome communications with brands. It happened again just this week. And it really annoys me. 😝

I saw some really nice PVC lingerie sets at the Hunkemöller web store. And thinking that they would be a good fit for my channel and my audience, aka you (as it is PVC and not some lace with frills), I applied for a collaboration via the official ambassador page. With a friendly hi, facts about me and my pages, links and whatnot.
Of course I received a refusal. Normally I'm used to it. But it was particularry irksome this time, due to a few reasons:
- the salutation said "Hi xx", they didn't even bother to copy my name into it
- they justified the rejection with the reason "does not meet our criteria (e.g. follower base)"
- the signature said that it was answered by an intern, so it appears that someone is just doing the dumb work of sending out a "no" without being even in the position to decide it or depending on the level of work experience not being suited for making these decisions (of course there are great interns in a lot of companies but I work in marketing and was an intern at some point in my life as well so I know a bit about it...). Maybe a supervisor of her would have given me a "yes" because it's important to reach various and different custom audiences. I don't know if they decide these things together or if just one person is responsible.
So I answered, saying that I don't understand this criteria since my follower base is way above micro influencer status (and they claim to work with them, too), asking if she could clarify them. And that it's a bit sad that she can't even copy my name into the text.

Plus point: I received and answer. And she inserted my name this time, yay! 🥳😒 Again, the rest was very dissappointing though.
I quote: "There are several factors we look at in terms for our ambassadors. Follower base is just one example, as we also look if the feed fits in well with ours. This could be clean backgrounds with a white touch and feel, no filters, good lightning, and naturel pose." 🤔
Mh, ok, let's have a closer look at the new criteria:
- "if the feed fits in well with ours" - of course that is a matter of opinion but then she lists the check points for fulfilling this fit
- "clean backgrounds with a white touch and feel" - check?!
- "no filters" - check?!
- "good lightning" - check?!
- "naturel pose" - again, matter of opinion. My hair colour is definitely not natural, sorry not sorry. Although every pose is first and foremost a pose and every picture and video is posed. The dreamy sitting-on-a-windowsill-in-lingerie-with-a-cup-of-tea-and-staring-out-the-window pictures as well. Yes, I'm not the girly picture all-soft-light-and-beige-tones channel. But I was applying for some PVC lingerie - not the most natural fabrics per se either.

So ok, all in all I probably am too fetishy for pink and soft Hunkemöller.
But why can't she just say so? I feel fobbed off with these obviously superficial criteria, especially since they do fit my content concerning the hard facts. An being told that I could re-apply in the future is like patting a small child on the head - because I know it won't change. (Maybe I will re-apply in some months, hoping that she's not working there as an intern anymore haha.)
I doubt it'll do any good though. In the end, she's just an intern and I'm just a fetish model. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Rant over.
Sorry, I just had to let off some steam. 😅 Enjoy at least the selfie of me in the one Hunkemöller lingerie set I do own. 😉