September 11, 2023
By Alexis Goodman
Part 1 of 2
United Families International strives time and again to put a spotlight on the unheralded struggle’s men and boys face in society. This time though, I will be redirecting some attention to the ways in which women and girls are sorely mistreated. My analysis will not be focusing on the common themes popular media chooses to indulge in when crying out the oppression of women. Themes such as: reproductive rights are female rights or the age-old feud of man vs. woman.
No, today I want to address the hyper sexualization of the female counterpart and the entirely paradoxical belief that this is somehow empowering for her. One conduit showcasing such a fallacy currently is the increasingly popular OnlyFans social platform. If you haven’t heard of it, good for you. If you have heard of it or have even used it, my aim is to outline its destructive nature for young women and its subtle yet all too-consuming way of harnessing the very worst of society for its gain.
What is OnlyFans?
Mankind’s obsessive need to compare themselves through a superficial ranking system was once again painfully highlighted when yet another social media platform catering to such desires was made live in 2016. This app was created so “creators” could make content exclusively for those willing to pay the price of admission. Hence, the name OnlyFans.
For the less diabolical creators that work in the shadows of the platform, this app offers a way for them to showcase their skills and get paid for it, something Instagram and Facebook fails to do.
For example, should a chef decide to engage in OnlyFans, he would be able to post exclusive recipes or techniques. Then, for a price ranging most commonly between $5-20, a person can subscribe to the chef’s content and sit front row to his favorite cooking show, even being able to interact with said chef. OnlyFans prides itself on the extent to which it lends privacy measures so such content cannot be screenshotted, screen recorded, or shared in other ways. Thereby, keeping the value of the product pure.
Now, as that example was harmless enough, one can see the potential of such an app. Unfortunately like many other social media outlets, the overall image of the app has been transformed into something akin to a Las Vegas strip club. Rather than food-making chefs utilizing the app, it is ‘sex workers’ that make up the reputation of OnlyFans. In other words, Pornhub has a new competitor on the block.
Unrealistic expectations for the OnlyFans experience
Sensationalized stories have made repeated appearances in headlines, with OnlyFans ‘models’ flaunting the wealth they have accumulated since joining the interface. Celebrities such as Bella Thorne spout off things like, “OnlyFans is the first platform where I can fully control my image: without censorship, without judgment, and without being bullied online for being me,” while making a shocking one million dollars in her debut 24 hours on the app. Her content? Racy photos and videos.
Or the rapper Bhad Bhabie, who signed up for her account the day of her eighteenth birthday and made one million dollars in 6 hours. She now has a $6 million dollar home, paid for by the money generated from her x-rated material on OnlyFans.
But even women who are not well known can be making the big bucks apparently. Some women claim making $17,000 and $20,000 a month, or making enough to buy their first home at 22, or how it paid for their college costs. These stories make their rounds and send the message to young teenage girls that this is a “quick and easy way to make money, and its empowering!”
The truth?
This platform has over 210 million registered users with 2.1 million content creators. The average income per month for the creators is $180 per month. A harsh and cold reality for girls who have attempted to live up to the hype by selling themselves online. And although OnlyFans reports dishing out $5 billion dollars to its creators since the platform went live, the top 10% creators make 73% of that money.
An anonymous young woman went public with her feelings as one of these ‘models’. Posting to Business Insider, she titled her experiences, “I regret doing OnlyFans when I turned 18. People treated me like an object and the money just wasn’t worth the degradation.”
Sure, she was making $20,000 a month but as she states, “I saw other creators talking about how being an OnlyFans creator was empowering and a way to be in charge of your own life. That all sounded good to me. But the reality of what actually happened was nothing like that… I was more depressed and anxious than I’ve ever been before.”
This young woman, who joined OnlyFans at a vulnerable age, shares a perspective many other OnlyFans creators are beginning to experience as well. She states:
“It was obvious that they saw me as an object for their pleasure and not as a person. It was awful being constantly sexualized to such a dehumanizing level… I felt terrible. All the creepy attention was making me sick. Subscribers kept asking for nude photos, and offering more and more money. I found myself stepping past my own boundaries and it left me feeling suicidal.”
She is not the only one to feel this way. Diana Deets, a ‘sex worker’ on the app, killed herself earlier this year. Known for heavily photoshopping images to make herself look younger, the woman was reported having said, “I did get tired of people commenting on my looks when I was camming…It kinda bothered me.” Although no reason was given for her suicide, I’m sure her chosen career was a factor in the depression and anxiety she felt.
One could say this social media platform is one of the greatest lies being sold to our daughters—and no one cares.
Next week, in part 2 of, “OnlyFans and how it is slowly killing our daughters” I will be delving into exactly how the hyper sexualization seen on OnlyFans isn’t as empowering as we are being led to believe, and how the majority of the time, it really isn’t even a choice.
Read Part 2