How has Covid19 changed the view on the adult entertainment industry with a focus on Only Fans
In March 2020 lockdown was a matter of fact for a lot of countries after Covid19 had spread worldwide. Now people had to get used to live their lives differently as they were not able to go out and live their normal lives. Yet as some could just have online school or bring their office “back home”, others who had been dependent on customers going outside was starting to struggle. The hospitality industry has been one of the struggling ones, where the absinth of customers have resulted in employees being laid off as the owners cannot pay them. As a result people have been compelled to find other sources of income, where the content-sharing platform, Only Fans has been one of them.
When hearing the word Only Fans, what comes first to mind is most likely the more sexual part the platform. However, one can post everything from heaven to earth, all from how to meal prep to more adult related content. The platform was launched in 2016 and was arguably not very well-known for the mainstream until late 2019. By the time lockdown took place laid off people turned to the site to earn money for their living expenses. Even though the platform allows anyone to upload any kind of content, the adult industry has dominated the platform.
Realizing adult entertainment content on Only Fans has shown to be very lucrative for some, where they have even experienced earning more than they would at their previous work places. One of them is a girl named Harper, 26. She worked as a barista by day and a stripper at night, however as lockdown happened and the strip club closed down and the coffee shop put her on furlough, she had to find additional jobs in order to have enough money to live on. When she then was offered to come back to her barista work, she declined as she made more money off Only Fans.
Harpers story is just one of many, Hollywood celebrities such as the rapper Cardi B and along with many others has also joined the side hustle. The former Disney star Bella Thorne joined the platform as she argued that it was for research for a new movie. Despite it being a platform that “everyone” should have access to, it has possibly challenged the adult entertainment sector, where the celebrities are affecting it negatively. The reason behind is for example how Thorne is accused for causing Only Fans to put a limit of how much one can charge, as she “overcharged” for underwear photos.
Pornhub, Bellesa and other adult entertainment platforms, adult content has already been available on the internet for years. Yet Only Fans changes the fact that everyone have the possibility to post their content and charge for it without having someone being your boss. It is commonly known that the adult entertainment industry can be particularly tough for girls as they are prone to being mistreated. With the pandemic going on and the need to make the ends meet Only Fans have been the solution for sex workers who have earlier worked as, for instance, strippers.
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Furthermore, there are debates on how sex workers are still being treated differently than celebrities when it comes to what they are posting on social media. Sex workers have always had a stigma to them. When they have posed lightly dressed on for example Instagram and Snapchat they have experienced being kicked off the platforms, however celebrities have a bigger chance of not experiencing the same. One can hence argue that we are not fully acknowledging the fact that we still stigmatize the industry that many workers are depending on earning money of, even before the pandemic struck.
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It is understandable that with a platform where you can more easily earn money from doing hobbies with a focus on more explicit content, it is natural that it will attract the general population. Examples are the increase of students turning to the platform in order to pay their bills. Before they would have part time jobs, but the pandemic has obviously cost people their jobs. A nursing student from college in Florida, decided to become a sex worker as a part time job. Without a paycheck and bills to pay she took use of the platform successfully.
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As students are not having a stable income, because they still are in school, most celebrities do however have a good income despite the pandemic hitting them and they do most likely have a good saving already. Yet working as sex workers in the adult entertainment industry, there are many things that plays a big part in order to be able to make a living out of it. Celebrities have capitalized their work as they are still facing a stigma solely towards them which has resulted in celebrities further damaging an already stigmatized community.
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As it is an issue that celebrities do not face the same stigma as the people who already have jobs related to the adult entertainment issue. The pandemic has caused Only Fans in a small amount of time to grow and be more known to the general which have resulted in “giving” people jobs that have not been that easy before. The popularization of Only Fans can have perhaps given sex workers who have struggled under even tougher circumstances before the pandemic, to have better rights than before. As the platform only takes 20 percent charging fee, sex workers are offered much better rates compared to other sites.
In conclusion the pandemic has changed the view on the adult entertainment industry for the better and worst. As it is arguably being more and more normalized to work as a sex worker for a side hustle, it does not necessary means that the “original” sex workers are having the same experience. They are still being stigmatized and are experiencing having their work taking away from them by celebrities and others who decides to join the platform. However, the workers who have decided to join Only Fans are perhaps experiencing better pay as the platform offers better rates.
