Social media with exposed influencers. What is too sexy and forbidden on other platforms is welcome on Onlyfans – as long as the price is right. Experts see feminist potential in this, but also risks for insecure users.
Celebrities and influencers strip for their followers. How much bare skin they show also depends on the wishes of the fans and how much they are willing to pay. What is reminiscent of porn or prostitution is everyday life on the Onlyfans social platform. Singer Cardi B and singer Aaron Carter share nude photos and videos with their fans. In Germany, for example, Youtuber Jodie Calussi and reality TV celebrity Georgina Fleur use the platform. Fleur has been active on Onlyfans since June 2020 – she shows pictures of her feet, but also lacquer and leather fetish, as she says.
Onlyfans works in a similar way to Instagram or Facebook. People share content on a profile that users can follow. There is also the option to send messages privately. The big difference: you have to pay to see more of the content. The first costs are partly incurred when subscribing. According to the website, around five to 50 dollars (about 43 euros) can be asked for a monthly subscription.
And then the game with the money starts. A lot costs – depending on what the user wants or wants to see. "All my messages are free," writes the influencer Mars, for example, on her account. "But if you want priority and want me to reply faster … messages with tips are my top priority."
Fans fulfill costly wishes
The fans can also grant wishes. Some "creators", as the platform calls those users with their own profile, publish wish lists, for example of products from the online department store Amazon. Jodie Calussi, for example, wants Gucci sunglasses or various books from her fans. According to the website, influencers are allowed to keep 80 percent of the income on the platform.
The creators do not earn badly at all. The model Reno Gold said in an interview with the magazine "Attitude" that he had cracked the mark of 100,000 US dollars (about 85,345 euros) per month. "I've achieved a lot since Covid because people no longer interact face-to-face. In the first month after Covid, it was insane how much money people, and not just me, were making." But how far do the influencers go with the navel gazing? In an interview with the youth format of the Bavarian broadcasting company "Puls-Reportage", the onlyfans "Creator" Suzie Grime revealed: "You can see almost everything on me, except the pussy." That could change, however, depending on how much a follower is willing to pay. "
Georgina Fleur, too, likes to base her content on the wishes and requests of her fans. In a chat, she sends photos with the signature: "In Corona times, I'm your hot nurse." She feels safe on this platform when she shares content: "The content that I post here is protected from unauthorized downloading. Onlyfans offers protection from hostility and shitstorms." She can also talk and chat live with fans – but only for money. A monthly subscription to Fleur costs almost $ 30. The influencer then offers a five percent discount for three months.
Age, weight or origin play a subordinate role
For Georgina Fleur, the special thing is very clear: "OnlyFans gives everyone the opportunity to earn money with their content. In the past, models needed an agency / management and had to conform to a certain ideal of beauty," says the reality TV participant. "Every model can market their own content and build a fan base. Regardless of age, weight, gender or origin." Suzie Grime and Onlyfans user Yma Louisa Nowak see similar advantages. "For me this is modern feminism," Nowak said in an interview with "Spiegel" in March of this year. "There is nothing wrong with sexuality, whatever it is."
Madita Oeming, a scientist at the University of Paderborn who deals with porn among other things, also sees feminist potential in Onlyfans. "Because women and queer people there have the opportunity to determine and control their own bodies," she says in an interview on YouTube with "Puls-Reportage". "You have a lot of control over what you do there." The risk lies especially with young and insecure people that they could put the requests and wishes of the fans under pressure. "The question of what am I worth and what is my naked body worth is of course a very complex one."
However, Onlyfans serve as digital money-making for everyone, not just for pornographic content and "it is also open to all other content." According to "Spiegel" research, around 4,000 people from Germany had a payment account on Onlyfans until recently. The platform has a total of 24 million registered users. Around 500,000 of them would post content themselves. The company did not provide more recent figures on request. The platform itself has been around since 2016.
. (tagsToTranslate) Economy (t) Instagram (t) Social Media