“If I don’t pass this test, I will become a stripper.”

“If gas doesn’t go down, I am going to start and OnlyFans.”

Nobody else is telling you, so I will – your view on OnlyFans is stigmatizing. This stigma is one reason why Sex Workers are discriminated against.

The Mainstream Culture: What Shifted?

Prior to 2020, sex work (the umbrella term for dancers, OF/Fansly creators, cam models, and – yes – escorts) was seen as something only “failures” and “loose women” did because they had no other skills or prospects. Though called “the world’s oldest profession” it wasn’t – and still isn’t – seen as “real work.”

A Brief History of Sex Work

Sex Work dates back to the Sumerian records as far back as 2400 BCE. But it isn’t what you think it is – it wasn’t all women running around. There were classes of women within a kakum in Uruk, dedicated to the goddess Ishtar/Inanna (Ishtar is a common name, but Sumerians would have known her as Inanna), the Sumerian goddess of Fertility and War. These women were: the first class (who were only allowed to perform sexual rituals in the temple), the second class (who catered to the temple grounds and visitors), and the third class (who would be allowed access to customers on the street).

However, this was not unique to Sumer and Babylon. In Canaan, many temple sex workers were male. This practice was seen across the Middle East and Mediterranean area. That is until Constantine destroyed the temples and brought Christianity to the area in roughly 320 AD.

It wasn’t just this area that had legal practices of sex work either, it was commonplace ranging from biblical references. It wasn’t referred to as “evil” until the Book of Revelation – and mainly referring to “the Whore of Babylon,” though this is based on a word such as πόρνη, which can be directly translated to “idolatress.”

Fast forward, like, 1200 years, and we are in “the Dark Ages” where the Catholics are selling indulgences, and Rodrigo Borgia is on the Papal Throne. Sex work was commonly found in cities, though any sexual activity outside of marital relations was considered “sinful,” but at the time, they thought The Plague was caused by pollution, not bacteria on fleas. The only reason sex work was tolerated was because it would hinder the people from partaking in other evils – like masturbating.

So, what happened? In 1494 – again during the Borgia Papacy – a syphilis outbreak happened in Naples, Italy. It would then make its way across Europe along with other venereal diseases and these diseases were then associated with plague, sex workers, and general displeasure conditions. Thus, in the 16th century, brothels and sex work began getting outlawed. Though with this stigma, it only strengthened the propaganda of the Roman Catholic Church – using famed “reformed” sex worker Mary Magdalene as an example as she repented her sins. Protestantism further pushed for the total eradication of sex work. But as we know, just because something is banned, does not mean it is completely gone. Sex workers would use ways to signify who they were: short hair, no hair, veils in societies that did not have them, etc.

Another 400 years later, North America saw sex work as a “necessary evil” to help men obtain sex their wives did not desire. Brothels were not illegal. With the rise of the police forces in several cities, common sex workers were at risk of being arrested – those brothel raids were uncommon. 1870, St. Louis legalized sex work and regulated it – requiring sex workers to be licensed by health officials and required to test for STDs weekly (similar to Nevada’s current statutes)

1875: The Page Act

US Congress outlaws sex work. This was brought to fruition thanks to the Protestant middle class leading the charge.

The 20th Century Changes Minds

During the two World Wars (particularly WWII), soldiers forced women of the lands they were in to partake in sex work (called “forced prostitution).

This would lead to sex tourism (tourism undertaken by generally wealthier tourists to partake in sex). As this was the case, Scandinavian countries developed the Swedish model (more commonly known as “the Nordic model” or the “End Demand” model). This model of sex work is meant to end the demand for sex work by criminalizing the client – as opposed to the sex worker. This is a poor model to implement as it conflates sex trafficking to sex work, which is misleading at best and outright dangerous.

It was the Women’s Christian Temperance Union would helped push for an end to sex work in the US – they were also the proponents of Prohibition and banning of drug use.

It wasn’t until the 1980s that the states increased the criminality of sex work – especially for sex workers who were HIV-positive. These laws require sex workers to be required for testing of HIV, a positive test for HIV will lead to a felony instead of a misdemeanor arrest if they are arrested again.

While the punishment for felony prostitution varies by state, maximum sentences can range between 10-15 years in prison. This is odd, considering the United States Sentencing Commission states that “abusive sexual contact” (rape) offenders had an average sentence of 27 months (just over 2 years), “convicted of rape” had an average sentence of roughly 145 months (12 years) without mandatory minimum and anything having to do with child porn had an average of 89 (7 years) months without a mandatory minimum (Citation here). I say “odd” because it makes no sense that a consensual act of sex would be sentenced longer than a non-consensual sex act.

What Does This Have to Do With OnlyFans?

Easy. When you are told, “Oh I sub to person on OnlyFans!” What’s the image that is conjured in your mind? Or what creators come to mind? Probably Amouranth of Twitch fame. Belle Delphine (“gamer girl bathwater”). Or even the Bella Thorne debacle.

OnlyFans became popular during the pandemic, allowing “civilian” people to sign up and begin doing sex work – so a lot of the mainstream opinion has shifted. But with civilian people being introduced to sex work comes a of issues coming to light. It reignited the “easy money” debate, where sex work is seen as easy money.

Sex work is far from “easy money” unless you have a large following to start out with – at least in my opinion. Most sex workers are their own photographers, PR people, social media managers, etc. But with the freedom of making your own hours (even though most content creation is more than a 9-5), there is a major downside to being a sex worker. Discrimination.

I am sure you remember the uproar of OnlyFans nixing the adult content on the site and many people having an exodus to other sites such as Fansly, FanCentro and other similar sites. This is because OnlyFans wanted to become more palatable to other corporations, after building their platform off the backs of sex workers.

That isn’t the only thing, though. Digital Discrimination is a very real thing that happens to sex workers. This is where websites will suspend, shadowban, or outright ban sex workers from their platforms – even if they are not advertising.

Believe it or not, this very platform I am using to spread awareness is known to ban sex workers. I am an adult content creator, so my blog is at risk of being “zucc’d.” And I know a lot of sex workers do use Facebook to advertise (along with Instagram). Both of these sites are owned by Meta (Facebook’s parent company) and they are well known for banning outright if things are a little too spicy.

One that got banned for the content they produce is popular creator Lana Bee. They posted a photo of their Hyena Harley Quinn for Anime Expo and their Instagram got deleted by the corporation. Keep in mind, that they did not have anything sexual. The clothing was sexy, sure, but all the “juicy bits” were covered – per Instagram’s policy.

I, myself, have also gotten restrictions on my Facebook account for “solicitation” with a full clothed photo. My crime? I directly linked my OnlyFans, so that was my bad. I have gotten much smarter though – put the link ON the photo and use “linktree”-like links that lead to your content.

Now, some hashtags are banned from Insta, here is just a sampling. Some of these are obvious:

• sellingcontent
• secretaccount
• toesfetish
• instafeet
• footfetish
• barefoot
• barefeet
• feets
• thicc
• freethenipples
• sugarbabys
• findom
• findomme
• femdom
• mistress
• bdsmlifestyle
• Kansas

Now, personally, I want to know what Kansas did to get banned from Instagram. But to ban “freethenipples” when that is literally the name of a movement – it is awfully odd. But this was a huge deal when Free the Nipple began, for some reason society is A-Okay with male nipples, but lady nips are not.

BDSMLifestyle being banned is also a weird one, since – for instance – there are BDSM educators that utilize Instagram. And I don’t mean Mistress Leather Mommy down at the dungeon showing off her floggers, I am referring to educators who teach safe practices to “vanilla” people. But I can imagine what may have happened to get this particular hashtag banned (if FetLife is any indication).

So, why is this stigmatizing? What does all *this* information spouted at you mean? We need to fight for discrimination to end. Not just us sex workers that you benefit from. But also the civilians who want a spot at the kitchen table, in a sense. You see celebrities (i.e. Bella Thorne, Blac Chyna, Cardi B) and e-celebs (Tana Mongeau, Nikocado Avocado, Trish Paytas) hyping up their OnlyFans and they still have their social media (I think Trisha may have lost her original Insta, but I do not believe it was sex work-related).

These people are using the average sex worker who will not know fame quite like the aforementioned people, as the average sex worker is a normal everyday person. My Twitter is filled with beautiful and handsome sex workers who are just a normal person – their job just happens to be sex workers. And their online existence is threatened.

It isn’t just an online presence either. Financial institutions also discriminate against sex workers.

A Call for Respect and Equity

Ultimately, the conversation about OnlyFans and other platforms that feature adult content is about more than just the work itself; it’s about respecting those who engage in it and recognizing that their labor is no less valuable than any other form of work. If we are to address the systemic discrimination against sex workers, we need to move beyond stigmatizing narratives and acknowledge the real economic, emotional, and societal challenges that many sex workers face. Whether they are influencers, creators on OnlyFans, or individuals working in physical spaces, their work deserves the same respect as any other job.

The key takeaway here is that sex work should be recognized as legitimate work. Just because it’s connected to sexuality or intimacy does not diminish its value. As society continues to evolve and the digital age changes the landscape of work, it’s crucial to challenge these stigmas and advocate for the fair treatment of sex workers both online and offline.

To de-stigmatize sex work, we must change our perceptions of it, address the discrimination faced by sex workers, and create a world where those involved in the industry can live and work freely without fear of legal, financial, or personal repercussions. Only then will we see a shift in how sex work is regarded—and only then will we be able to build a more equitable society for all.