So, what is OnlyFans?
OnlyFans was created in 2016 in which the online platform allows customers to purchase content (videos, photos, or live streams) through a monthly membership. For the creators (age 18+) of those contents, it is a way for them to earn money. And that means… A LOT of money. It is a well-known fact that a huge variety of creators are female in which majority of the purchasers are male. To gain access to the content, “an individual must pay a monthly subscription fee that ranges anywhere between $4.99 and $49.99.” OnlyFans keeps 20% of the revenue and they pay 80% of the creator much of the content that is sold is in the form of videos and images. Majority of creators on this social media platform offer in simpler terms… explicit content. OnlyFans states, “Your earning forecast really depends on the quality and quantity of the content you upload […] The more you post, the more incentive there is for your fans to subscribe (and remain subscribed) to your profile.”
Who is it used by?
Majority of the creators are influencers that convince their social media followers to also join the app. A lot of celebrities use OnlyFans too such as: Bella Thorne- subscription fee $9/99, earning $11 million; Cardi B- subscription fee $4.99, earning $9.43 million and Mia Khalifa (became popular through Pornhub)- subscription fee $12, earning $6.42 million. In a survey that took place in 2021, highest paid celebrity creator, Blac Chyna had a subscription fee of $19.99 in which she was earning $20 million.
OnlyFans became increasingly popular and highly used through the COVID-19 period. A high number of females were struggling which resulted in a lot of females placing sexual power back in their hands. Adult creator of X-rated pornography, Monica Huldt stated that she was “struggling to make ends meet.” A lot of females used OnlyFans as a way to get themselves back on their feet and to enable themselves to earn a living- Monica additionally stated, “OnlyFans keeps a lot of girls off the street and out of trouble and out of issues that we would normally have to deal with.” For females the sexual power is put by their confident boost- their increase in viewers allows them to release more content and make much more money than men would.
Is OnlyFans truly giving sexual power to females?
This platform is used by creators for their own personal reasons. Some would be for those who want to earn additional money, some would be due to sexual desire and addiction or just to boost their confidence through male validation.
The mission of OnlyFans is to profit by exploring the loneliness of many men who have been rejected by women or introverted men who struggle to approach women. This perspective initiates power in women, it gives them a strong hold of control over these types of people. The positivity through this could be that these female creators are compensated and own the rights to their content. This is much better than being abused and taken advantage of in the Porn industry.
The rise of female creators in the OnlyFans platform has become more beneficial for them rather than being in a studio creating sex videos. OnlyFans has empowered women because it is less exploitive. Selling sex videos or pictures is in the hands of the creators themselves, rather than being in a studio filled with additional directors and cameras. When making their content, the viewers are paying them completely rather than getting advertised to by corporations. Through this platform, a lot of creators earn money but haven’t released any content. This is because a lot of them simply chat to men.
On the other hand, OnlyFans may been seen as exploiting and not powerful for women. One side of individuals would state that women are exploited and harmed as it is an example of men trying to buy and sell women to control them whereas on the other side stating to stop the stigma that is empowering to women as it offers financial freedom and a flexible work environment. I would say that OnlyFans exploits women and encourages unhelpful relationship patterns in men. Not only this, but it can also put the creators in deep danger. There can be scammers or stalkers who are staying close to the creators by purchasing their content. Recently a 4-terabyte stack of videos and images was leaked online, primarily of women who use the site to share pornographic images. Rather than a hack, the leak seemed to be from OF customers accessing photos and videos individually, then sharing them with others and compiling them into a large file for free. A woman was sexually harassed by a subscriber after she rejected his pleas to meet up in real life. ‘He ended up tracking down my real name and mobile number,’ she told me, ‘and put up a fake advert… on a porn site.’ The young woman was soon deluged with dozens of calls and messages from men before she was forced to change her number.