The Fallacy of OnlyFans Empowerment
Within the context of modern media, the lines between the sexual liberation and sexual objectification of women are becoming blurrier every day. Fun pop songs like Kim Petras’ ‘Treat Me Like A Slut’ are embodiments of both the cultural and societal shift away from female sexuality as taboo. Women can be open about their sexuality - we can be sluts! But, at what point does this liberation transcend feminist ideals? What differentiates a sexually empowered woman from a sexually objectified woman?
Understanding how sexualised media has become so normalised helps to answer these questions. Scroll on most online platforms, and it won't take long to find some form of a sexualised woman... From TikTok’s explicit dance trends to half-naked swimwear models on Instagram. We are so used to this type of content online that it’s no longer shocking. Add to this the fact that children are being exposed to social media at a younger age. Watching a 5-year-old teach her friend to twerk in the school playground where I worked alarmed me... Yet I wasn’t shocked. Okay, this type of explicit dancing was around when I was that age. Shoutout Lady Marmalade. But, the current accessibility and constant generation of such content are unsettling.
OnlyFans is one of the most notorious platforms for distributing sexual content of women. Many women use the site to post sexually explicit photos, videos, and live streams to a mainly male audience. During lockdown, OnlyFans was a space for sex workers to continue making money despite COVID restrictions. The platform has been heralded for revolutionising the sex work industry. Increasing both the safety and anonymity of its workers, which are prominent issues in traditional forms of sex work.
Because of this ‘revolutionary’ status, OnlyFans is now branded as empowering. But... I find this problematic. This narrative is only accentuated by the idea that feminist issues are, for the most part, solved. Goodbye feminism, hello post-feminism... Now, women do have access to the public sphere at a much higher rate, yes. But, systemic gender inequalities are still rife across different countries and cultures. By ignoring the persistence of gender disparity and advocating for sex work to be wholly viewed as empowering, we completely overlook the harmful effects of the industry. In a way, these post-feminist views are undoing some of the important work feminists did. Thus, we cannot ignore these things. Equality is impossible when women’s bodies are, at such high rates, sold as sexual commodities.
Some liberal feminists' over-simplification of the meaning of choice also accentuates the idea of sex work being wholly empowering. For these feminists, if a woman has chosen to enter the line of sex work, she should be able to do so free of judgement. Because not only is she breaking down sexual taboos, but she is also making a lot of money - which is empowering, right? But, this neglects the fact that many women become OnlyFans creators out of financial hardship and the need to make quick money... Yet, other commercial forms of sex work (e.g., stripping and prostitution) face stigmatisation due to that exact thing. Would all these women still post OnlyFans content if money wasn’t an issue? It may be alarming, but the answer would often be no.
OnlyFans influencer’s lavish lifestyles are also a form of encouragement for young girls to join the site. Anna Paul (a popular OnlyFans influencer) is always posting TikToks from a new country or accidentally buying the same $30k handbag twice... This lifestyle is, of course, appealing to almost anyone. But young girls are now eager to turn 18 so they can join OnlyFans and make as much money as their favourite influencers. Yet, in reality, this isn’t the case for most small content creators on the platform. Yes, Bella Thorne was able to make $1M in a day without even posting. But she already had a large following (which is creepy enough, as she is a former child actress).
The projection of the 'empowered OnlyFans sex worker' has resulted in the normalisation of consuming sexually explicit content of women, without any moral concern. The argument that OnlyFans and other forms of online sex work are empowering falls short for me. Women entering a dehumanising and objectifying industry, usually due to financial hardship, doesn’t scream female liberation... So, while women can be sexually empowered without being sexually objectified... I struggle to see how both can be true at the same time on a platform such as OnlyFans.
All in all, sexual empowerment is so important for women. I love being able to chat with friends about our sexual experiences, crazy as they may be - it's healthy! I am not trying to push the idea that women shouldn't be free to express themselves sexually. But, it's a shame when this sexuality gets co-opted for profit and/or leaves women as sexual objects. Being cat-called on the street or getting weird stares on the bus is scary and unsettling... So, there needs to be a clearer divide between sexual empowerment and pure sexual objectification.
