Things have been getting steadily worse for sex workers around the globe since the passage of SESTA/FOSTA in 2018, and this week, that downward slope got a little steeper. After debuting on OnlyFans (the now-ubiquitous subscription platform that allows adults to post and sell their self-made explicit content) earlier this month, former Disney Channel star Bella Thorne raked in over $2 million in her first week, but the consequences were swift and severe. While Thorne claimed to be posting exclusive but non-nude content for $20 a month, criticism that her feed was identical to her Instagram mounted quickly, building to a head when Thorne sent out a $200 pay-to-view message promising fully nude photos — which the pictures weren’t.
Immediately afterward, OnlyFans silently rolled out major changes to the financial end of the site, capping the amount users could tip at one time to $100 and preventing creators from charging more than $50 for a pay-to-view message, as well as extending the wait time for cashing out from seven days to 21 for creators in some countries, including Mexico, India, and the Dominican Republic (changes the company claims were “not based on any one user.”) Social media backlash from sex workers was swift, and Thorne’s apology — explaining that her intention was to “remove the stigma behind sex [and] sex work” — met with derision on arrival.
The Thorne debacle has highlighted the continued marginalization of sex workers and the devaluation of their skills, even on websites and platforms which depend on those workers’ labor to remain profitable. Despite popular belief, sex workers who sell content on OnlyFans aren’t generally swimming in cash; according to the metrics on my own OnlyFans, which I started in November of last year, my monthly take of a little less than $200 (after their 20% middleman cut) still puts me in the top 30% of earners across the platform.
To understand more about the stratification of sex work, digital competition, and how “influencers” like the Thornes directly cause harm, them. spoke with four queer and/or trans-identified sex workers about their experiences and what needs to change in the industry.
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