Words of the trade
The Glossary
24 words you will meet in profiles, price menus and messages, explained the way we would explain them to a friend.
A
- Aftercare (of feet)
- The routine that keeps feet camera-ready: washing, moisturizing, filing rough skin and looking after the nails. Creators treat it as part of the job.
- Arches
- The curved middle of the foot between heel and ball. A high, defined arch is one of the most requested features, and many poses exist only to show it.
B
- Boundaries
- The list of things a creator will and will not do. Good creators decide it before the first sale and state it on their profile, so nobody has to argue about it in messages.
- Bundle
- Several pictures or sets sold together for one price, usually a little cheaper than buying each one alone.
C
- Chargeback
- When a buyer asks their bank or card company to reverse a payment after they already have the content. It is one reason creators prefer platforms that handle payment disputes for them.
- Custom request
- A picture or clip made to one buyer’s brief: a certain pose, polish color or setting. Often shortened to "a custom". It costs more than ready-made work because it takes more time.
E
- Exclusive
- Content sold to one buyer only, with a promise that it will not be sold again. Creators charge extra for it, since the picture can earn only once.
F
- Faceless
- Working without ever showing the face. The usual way of working in this niche, and the first rule of staying private.
- Foot model
- Someone whose feet are photographed for money. The term covers mainstream work for shoe and skincare adverts as well as independent creators who sell direct to fans.
M
- Metadata
- Hidden details saved inside a photo file, such as the phone model, the date and sometimes the exact location. Creators remove it before sending a file anywhere.
P
- Pedicure set
- A group of pictures built around freshly done nails: one polish color or nail design shown from several angles.
- Pose guide
- A reference sheet of common foot poses with their nicknames, for example "the pose" (soles up, lying face down) or a top-down view. Buyers use the names when they ask for something.
- PPV (pay per view)
- A single locked picture or message that a buyer pays to open, as opposed to content included in a subscription.
S
- Screening
- Checking a new buyer before doing any work: reading how they write, looking at their account history and taking payment first. It is how creators filter out time-wasters.
- Set
- A small group of related pictures, usually five to twenty, taken in one session with one look or theme. Sets are the basic unit of sale in this niche.
- Soles
- The underside of the foot. Sole shots are a category of their own, and buyers often ask for them by description: clean, wrinkled, or pressed against glass.
- Stage name
- The invented name a creator works under. It is used for the profile, the email address and every message, so the real name never appears.
- Subscription
- A monthly payment that gives a fan ongoing access to a creator’s page. It rewards regular posting more than one-off sales do.
T
- Time-waster
- Someone who chats at length, asks for free samples or haggles forever and never buys. Every creator meets them, and learning to end the chat politely is a core skill.
- Tip
- Extra money a buyer adds on top of the price to say thank you. Nice to receive, never owed.
- Tribute
- A payment sent as a gift or a sign of appreciation, without a specific item in return. Some buyers send one before they start a conversation, to show they are serious.
W
- Watermark
- A faint stage name or logo placed over a picture. It makes stolen previews less useful and shows where a picture came from if it is reposted.
- Worn items
- Socks, tights or shoes sold after being worn. It is a separate trade with its own rules for posting and hygiene, and not every platform allows it.