“Screw it! I’m downloading OnlyFans!” I turn around and see the girl behind me laughing with her friend in the lecture.They continue to think of different ways they can pay for their expensive utility bill.OnlyFans is an online platform where creators sell exclusive content to users .Users pay a fee, usually between five and ten dollars a month, to sign up for a creator’s account (Jarvey, 2020).Although OnlyFans does not advertise sex work, OnlyFans is primarily associated with one thing: porn (Safaee , 2021).OnlyFans has become exponentially more mainstream and COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the company’s success. The restrictions imposed by COVID-19 have created a demand for digital sex work and digital intimacy, and the goal of OnlyFans was almost perfect.In the first year of the pandemic, global subscriptions increased from 20 million to 120 million (Nilsson, 2021).
This blog explores the pros and cons of creating sexually explicit material (SEM) on OnlyFans with a focus on sexual well-being, and will assess whether the mentality of, “Screw it! Downloading OnlyFans!” has any value.
OnlyFans = Empowered Sex God?
Katrin Tiidenberg (2014) studied exotic bloggers and selfie shooters on Tumblr, a social networking site. OnlyFans is similar to Tumblr and can exhibit similar effects on sexuality. Like Tumblr, OnlyFans works like a social network: creators post photos and videos to their account. However, the key difference is that OnlyFans users must register to access the content (Jarvey, 2020).
SEM blogging directly challenges a theory called the “shame regime,” where many sexual practices cannot be openly expressed, causing enormous anxiety and resentment (Tiidenberg, 2014). Tiidenberg (2014) found that creators on Tumblr had increased sexual desires and sexual openness. This finding was attributed to two unique characteristics of sexual self-inflicted and blogging. First, creators on Tumblr were often exposed to sexual scenarios that were different from their own, and the site was seen as a safe community to discuss sexual desires. Further, Tiidenberg (2014) notes that self-portrait SEM has been shown to be an empowering form of exhibitionism. Feeling in control of the process of receiving and editing sexual content, combined with the support of subscribers, turns one’s blog into a sensual “lighthouse” and can improve sexual self-esteem.
Give Me Some Sexual Agency
OnlyFans can give women some of that sex action they’ve been craving. OnlyFans is recognized for personal power and control over sexual decisions, especially in the adult entertainment industry. Marylin Corsianos assessed whether mainstream pornography could promote women’s sexual agency in 2007 (before OnlyFans). Most of Corsianos’ (2007) work emphasized that SEMs are entrenched in a patriarchal and heterosexist landscape. For example, in mainstream pornography, women are expected to perform a sexual script that emphasizes satisfying men for their own pleasure and are bound to a hyper-feminine role. Corsianos (2007) concluded that new pornography needs to be diverse/self-defined and more accessible to creators to improve women’s sexual agency. OnlyFans is an example of the rise of personalized sex work where sex work is conducted, managed and advertised in an isolated environment (Jones, 2015). It appears that the OnlyFans framework allows women to gain the sexual agency Corsianos described. OnlyFans might just make women their own boss and ultimately allow them to capitalize on their sexuality without entering the historically sexist mainstream porn industry.
No such easy $
SEM selling comes with risks. Many individuals struggle with the stigma and social implications associated with this type of work. This begs the question, why have OnlyFans made exotic work more attractive to those who previously would never have considered this type of work? In short, money. OnlyFans captivates its users by promising quick and easy money with the added bonus of being your own boss (Safaee, 2021). People who sell SEM reported that money was the main motivation for joining the industry and maintaining participation (Griffith et al. 2010). However, there are misconceptions about OnlyFans and its profit that are crucial to be aware of. First, the distribution of income on OnlyFans is extremely skewed. An analysis found that the top 1% of creators make 33% of the profits on the site (Perry, 2020). Additionally, the average female creator on OnlyFans only secures 30 subscribers. Additionally, the analysis notes that creators’ income may not pay off when measuring both time spent creating content and interacting with subscribers (Perry, 2020).
Goodbye Privacy.
OnlyFans might seem private — I mean, people have to pay to see the content, right? Angela Jones (2015) explored the role of sex work in the digital age. They note that sexuality scholars see the Internet as a positive adaptation to the sex work industry, creating more economic possibilities in physical safety and improving the incentive for SEM producers. However, Jones (2015) reminds us that the Internet is not as safe as you think. SEM workers like Camgirls often fall victim to throttling and testing, two risks that one should be aware of when looking at OnlyFans. Restriction is when consumers share a creator’s SEM on other platforms without consent or compensation. Doxing is when viewers find personal information such as your address, birth name, etc. and share them with other users to harass the SEM producer. Indeed, creators on OnlyFans were upset by the lack of security in their account. Safaee (2021) interviewed six creators on OnlyFans and found that a common concern reported was the emotional stress of their shared content. Many creators had not disclosed their account to family or friends. Many creators felt that they would be humiliated if those in their social circle noticed their account. As previously mentioned, shame around sexual behaviors can cause tremendous anxiety and dysfunction in one’s sexuality (Tiidenberg, 2014).
Does OnlyFans Really Matter?
Why do these issues matter if OnlyFans is “worth it” to the average creator? SEM has grown exponentially in recent decades and is increasingly consumed due to accessibility from the Internet (Pukall, 2020). Much emphasis is placed on the effects of SEM consumption, while the effects of SEM production have been ignored. This is problematic, as platforms such as OnlyFans have increased participation in this form of sex work. For many, OnlyFans is appealing since personalized love work entails more sexual action and empowerment. However, this article addressed two main costs associated with creating content on OnlyFans. First, that OnlyFans has a false reputation of providing an impressive income to its users, which undermines the popular incentive to produce SEM. Second, creators on OnlyFans experience tremendous emotional distress due to the lack of privacy and are at risk of sexual shaming and harassment. Indeed, it appears that Internet SEM is here to stay, so it may be time to consider the health and well-being of its creators, especially as this workforce grows in size and becomes more mainstream.
Chelsea Roberts, Psychology (Honours) – BAH / 3rd year, Queen’s University.
bibliographical references
Angela Jones. (2015). Sex work in a digital age. Compass of Sociology, 9(7), 558–570. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12282
Aryana Safaee. (2021). Sex, Love, and OnlyFans: How the Gig Economy is Transforming Online Sex Work. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Griffith, Hayworth, M., Adams, LT, Mitchell, S., & Hart, C. (2012). Characteristics of pornographic film actors: Self-report versus perceptions of college students. Sexual Behavior Files, 42(4), 637–647. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-0033-5
Katrin Tiidenberg. (2014). Bringing back the sexy: Reclaiming body aesthetics through self-views. Cyberpsychology, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2014-1-3
Louise Perry. (2020). Taking advantage of the loneliness, OnlyFans became the big winner of the lockdown in the porn industry. But at what cost? New Statesman (1996), 149(5545).
Marilyn Corsianos. (2007). Mainstream Pornography and “Women”: Challenging Sexual Agency. Critical Sociology, 33(5-6), 863-885. https://doi.org/10.1163/156916307X230359
Natalie Jarvey. (2020). OnlyFans: Hollywood’s Risque Pandemic Side Hustle. Hollywood Reporter, 42632–33.
Patricia Neilson. (2021). OnlyFans is blurring the lines as lockdown demand drives success. FT.com.
Pukall. (2020). Human Sexuality: A Contemporary Introduction (Third edition.). Oxford University Press.
