Some people found new hobbies during the pandemic, like making bread or crafting. Some took the time to work on themselves, and are now sporting new clothes, piercings, tattoos, or identities. Some did some spring, winter, fall, and summer cleaning. And some made the leap into the exploding world of online sex work.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its disastrous economic impacts for many also created a perfect storm of sorts for fan sites, giving people a way to make some money amid record-high rates of unemployment. But even absent a pandemic, the platforms can be an important outlet for performers who want more control over their work.
Trip Richards, a trans man, says OnlyFans and platforms like it have allowed adult entertainers from historically excluded backgrounds in particular to thrive in the industry without being forced to endure fetishization or outright exclusion from popular studios.
“A handful of people did make fortunes in months, but it really was a mere handful,” Barrows says. “It often takes months to make a livable income, and years to make a solid one.”
“There are plenty of stories of people facing undue consequences after being outed as OnlyFans creators,” Wolf says. “I think it is important to recognize that the only thing that will help protect and value sex workers is sex-worker-positive legislation.”
In that vein, Ford says the site is staffed entirely by people either doing on-camera or behind-the-scenes work in the adult industry. He says that makes his site much friendlier and more holistic than OnlyFans, because he and his staff all have personal experience with the needs of not only performers, but also commonly forgotten but still crucial industry professionals like producers, directors, and agents.
