Pitfall Feminism
Doing OnlyFans is anti-feminist
Here are the reasons why OF annoys the hell out of me, in case you relate to them
I’ve been wondering for a long time: Why does it trigger me that many women are doing OnlyFans nowadays? It dawned on me this morning: it’s their quitting that pisses me off. It’s the fact that so many women have chosen to make money with their bodies rather than their brains, which bolsters the patriarchal argument that women have been striving to change for the past century: That women should just sit and look pretty. But beauty on its own holds no power.
Fact #1: Sex workers always exuded a tinge of glamour
I’m a bit of a hypocrite. The lifestyle of an escort always seemed glamorous to me. I’m not the only one. As I came to learn in a BBC documentary a few days ago, oirans, the Japanese prostitutes of the 18th century, used to set the trend in fashion. Prostitutes have always been some of the few women who afforded the freedom and the money to dress however they pleased — so they did.
And you know what? They still do today. Alongside Hollywood stars and fashion models, there are the women who we know build themselves a life by using their sexuality one way or another. See Kim Kardashian and her fellowship. They’re among those who set the trend on social media.
We’re all a bit jealous but at the same time we don’t want to be like them.
Fact #2: Many of us considered it before we rejected it from the bottom of our hearts
For the sake of keeping this monologue honest, let me make a few points clear:
- Have I ever considered becoming a prostitute? Yes, I have.
- Have I ever considered becoming a sugar baby? Yes, I have.
- Have I ever considered doing OnlyFans? Yes, I have, like many women.
All of the above represent sex work though. Anonymity is only an illusion; you’ve got to show your face if you want the cash, that’s what a friend told me. Most women going down this path are signing out of any high-profile career they might want to pursue. I couldn’t bear that stigma for a lifetime, props to those who can.
Fact #3: There are many ways to pseudo-justify it
Doing OnlyFans helps women from disadvantaged backgrounds become financially independent without having anyone touch their bodies.
…While perpetuating the very issue that caused the income discrepancy in the first place. Take a poor woman, ask her to take naked pictures of herself for a rich man in exchange for a fraction of his money. But she won’t ever be able to build a real career that would pay her the same amount of money. If she wants to maintain a lavish lifestyle she’ll have to keep on giving the rich man what he wants.
It is an act of independence and power, a statement of the confidence they hold in their bodies and sexualities.
Bullshit, if that’s what they wanted to do, they’d do it for free like Madonna has in her Sex book. And they wouldn’t take custom requests — which proves their reliance on the payer. I agree to being confident about your body. Asking someone to pay to see it isn’t confidence though. And it’s not art either.
Fact #4: It pretends to satisfy a need that most people don’t know how to fulfil anymore
Why do men even pay for OnlyFans when there’s so much free porn out there?
That question has, of course, been asked multiple times on Reddit. The gist of it: they’re seeking some connection.
If every argument I listed so far made me angry, this one breaks my heart. I pity all the women who strive to build and keep that connection alive in their relationships and fail due to lack of investment from their partners. I lament all the relationships that die because the partners have grown apart. I grieve for all the women who’ve dated endlessly only to find men who ran away from commitment. I lied. I weep for the men who seek connection on OnlyFans too, because they’re settling for a fraction of what real-life connection feels like. No — they’re settling for an illusion while giving up on the real thing. And that is fucking sad.
Fact #5: It’s here to stay
Porn used to be the evil (back in the 2000s when the internet started to pick up). Watching it is now a commonplace leisure activity for both men and women; we’ve grown used to it and even welcomed it into our lives, gradually, tentatively, (undercoveredly). I reckon the same will happen with the likes of OnlyFans. It triggers me today but it’s going to be everyday business tomorrow. Because that’s how the world rolls. Not long ‘till something new comes ‘round to trigger me.
