If you hadn’t heard, OnlyFans is going through some major changes.
As of October 1, the site known primarily as a platform for sex workers and adult performers will officially BAN all porn on the site! In a statement, the UK-based company said the removal of all sexually explicit material is “to comply with the requests of our banking partners and payout providers.”
Related: Pornhub Sued By 34 Women Who Say Underage & Rape Videos Were Posted Without Consent
Naturally the folks who put OnlyFans on the map in the first place had something to say. Adult content creators en masse blasted the decision, with some pointing the finger at one person in particular.
User Camila Elle lamented:
“I feel betrayed by OnlyFans, I made it my entire livelihood, and quit my dreams of becoming a doctor to pursue a full time career on the site.”
The 21-year-old, who is still in college, continued:
“Sex workers built this platform, it’s a business to us. We were the ones who promoted OnlyFans across social media. They used us to build the site and now they’re throwing us away.”
She isn’t alone.
45-year-old Nita Marie, who says she has been making $1.8 million a year from her subscribers is worried about the safety of sex workers who suddenly find themselves without a “safe and legal” say of earning money:
“OnlyFans helps reduce sex trafficking and illegal sex work as it’s down to the creators who choose to post content. Online sex work is verified, safe and legal and OnlyFans also offers an opportunity for the user to interact with the creator in a safe environment. Changing their conditions could cause huge issues for people.”
Model Ona Artist blasted the site’s business decision — and questioned their reasons, saying:
“If OnlyFans does go ahead with this it’s suicide. They might claim it’s because of payment processors rules but those companies put through porn purchases all over the web… Models will always find a way to share sexual content with those who want it.”
Sex worker Satine Doll tweeted it as bluntly as anyone:
“Seems like Onlyfans used us sex workers to get huge then tells us to f**k off when celebs got on board.”
And there it is. The elephant in the room. Celebrities.
Back in August 2020, Bella Thorne made headlines for joining the adult platform to post basically the same content she’d been putting up on Instagram for free for years — incredibly sexy shots in lingerie or bikinis, sometimes strategically covered nudes. Only now they were behind a paywall. Critics also say she used the reputation of OnlyFans, cultivated for years by sex workers, to make it seem like what she was showing was more explicit — to the point where she was even accused of fraud! But that didn’t stop the money from rolling in. The former Disney star set a record by raking in $1 million of subscriptions on her first day.
She was quickly followed by many other celebs who parlayed their IG followers, in combination with the allure of the adult platform, into big bucks. Blac Chyna, Jordyn Woods, Tyler Posey, Bhad Bhabie, Tana Mongeau, Tyga, Cardi B, Dorinda Medley, and Amber Rose are all on the platform, sharing wildly varying types of content. (Some are even really doing porn!)
It was this influx of celebs that seemed to usher in the new era for OnlyFans — which looks to leave behind all the sex workers and just become another IG, only charging money and not deleting nipples.
But Bella is getting the brunt of the blame, far more than other celebs. Here’s a sampling of responses to the news:
“this is bella thorne’s fault i just can’t prove it”
“hey where’s Bella Thorne in all this OnlyFans drama? I thought she wanted to be the big celebrity to help remove the stigma behind sex work? OH that’s right she only cares when she’s making the $$ and doesn’t have to worry about actual SWers lives and income”
“Bella Thorne started it all. She proved that Only Fans could make money millions off just thong shots. There was no reason to have sexual content on it.”
“Bella Thorne gentrified OnlyFans”
“Lol f**k OnlyFans and particularly Bella Thorne””
Why Bella? Well, there’s certainly the fact she was one of the first big mainstream celebs to move in. She certainly set herself up for that one when she declared herself the “first.”
But there’s also the controversy of her “scamming” fans with fake nudes a year ago, which led to OF changing its entire rules for payment — hurting the adult performers even then.
But is that fair? If it weren’t the Shake It Up alum, wouldn’t someone else be getting the blame? Was it always destined to go mainstream and screw over the sex workers? We’ve seen this happen before; both Tumblr and Patreon banned adult content in 2018, pushing out a big portion of their early user base. It seems this is the way of technology — sex workers, always looking for somewhere safe to make money, become early adopters, then when the platform reaches a certain level of success they’re told to get rid of the explicit stuff because… we don’t know, it makes some people feel icky?
TBH we don’t get it. Let them live their lives! If you don’t like it, don’t subscribe. But don’t keep pushing them away.
What do YOU think, Perezcious porn viewers? Is Bella Thorne to blame or not??
[Image via Bella Thorne/Ona Artist/Nita Marie/Instagram.]
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