Does OnlyFans break or build women? Creators speak out
OnlyFans stars are not just increasing their payday, but also increasing their confidence.
Tahlia Pritchard
Updated Fri, 8 March 2024 at 11:15 am GMT+8
au.lifestyle.yahoo.com
Women who work in the adult industry have long been subjects of concern, ridicule, judgement and even jealousy, from family members, media, and online followers and trolls who perhaps don't fully understand their line of work.
However, most visible OnlyFans creators report enhanced body confidence, self-esteem and greater financial freedom, with many women now earning a significant amount of money on platforms like OnlyFans.
Annie Knight, a high-profile OnlyFans star from the Gold Coast received international media exposure for achieving over 300 spicy encounters last year and aiming for even more this year.
“Being in the sex industry has highlighted to me the amount of judgement that women receive, just for living their lives and having a sexual appetite. I literally behave the same way as most of my friends, and like a lot of men out there in the world - but I'm judged for it because I monetise what I do," she said.
Annie receives criticism every day on social media, but won’t let it influence the person she is and doesn't use a stage persona for her workload.
“My work persona is literally just me. I put it all out there! It's less exhausting that way, I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not," she said.
Regardless of whether the creator performs as themselves or under a stage name, today’s most successful OnlyFans stars report increased body confidence and sense of self.
Nova Hawthorne, voted Australia’s best porn newcomer in 2023, said she had a lot of body concerns before she started, and never liked the way she looked.
“Now with OnlyFans, I have people telling me each day all the things they love about me and it really did change my perception of myself. I now like the way I look, and take a greater pride in how I present myself," she shared.
“I believe my confidence as a woman has grown immensely. I feel in control of my destiny and have the ability to run a successful business and give support to people around me in my personal life."
Lora Carmichael is a Sydney-based plus-size model, creator and artist. She chose to keep her persona as more of an extension of herself.
“Personally, I don't really feel the need to separate them much at all. I’m not trying to be perfect or sexy all the time as Lora. I like to show my clumsy, awkward, silly side as I think it only adds to the sexiness of things," she said.
Lucy Banks is a single mum from Perth, ex-OnlyFans star and founder of Million Billion Media, Australia’s first adult-industry-friendly Public Relations and Talent Management agency. Lucy preferred the method of having a stage name to separate her career from her personal life.
“Having a stage/work name has been huge for me. I keep my personal life extremely private. My work persona is definitely based on who I am as a person. I love being able to be loud and energetic online, and then put my phone down and go read a book with my kids. No one in my house calls me Lucy, which means that when I'm at home with my family, I'm so relaxed and I'm in personal mode," she said.
Despite her different approach to identity, Lucy’s experience as a woman on OnlyFans has been overly positive.
“For me, sex work had a very positive affect on my personal life. I became so much more confident; I fell in love with my own skin and my body. As women, we're always put in a position where we are compared to other women. There is so much pressure to look a certain way, be a certain size,” she said.
“When you put yourself out there, you will attract people who love your look and who shower you with compliments. It really made me realise that even though I may not look like other girls, I'm no less beautiful. Just different.”
