My Case Against OnlyFans
By: Z Neutral
Tags: Sex Work, Divine Feminine, Male Gaze, Feminism, Onlyfans

OnlyFans logo via Wikimedia Commons

In case you don’t know, OnlyFans is a platform for creators to share content to paying subscribers. It has grown in popularity recently due to the influx of young women creating OnlyFans accounts to distribute nude content in exchange for monthly pay that generally ranges from $5-$20 per month from each subscriber.

At first, it seemed like an ideal option for sex workers who are already established in the porn industry. They already have a dedicated fanbase and can smoothly take control of their content, distributing it exclusively to their devoted fans in exchange for a monthly rate from each subscriber.

The beginning of quarantine is when I started to notice how casually it was being used. With so many people getting laid off and being forced to stay at home, selling nude content online seems like a viable option for women who are young, hot, and don’t take their sexuality too seriously.

There are layers of appeal to this route. There’s the money, of course. There’s convenience — you can do it from the comfort of your bed. Then, there’s the appeal of being so desired by so many men just because of the way you look. If we dig deeper, there’s also the power dynamic of controlling what you share with men who are so desperate to even have a glimpse of your body.

But nothing in life is free.

The Price of the Female Body

The female body is the only tangible thing that is truly priceless. This is why men go to strip clubs and literally throw money at naked dancing women. There is nothing else on Earth that is so truly priceless that people throw money at. Even diamonds have a price tag.

Beauty Fades

Feminine beauty is a mystical element because it is a short-lived wave of immense power over the people around you. You benefit from things like the “Halo Effect” where people automatically project good qualities onto you outside of your looks, such as intelligence and humor. You have people want to talk to you and treat you well. You can now essentially get paid for being attractive through apps like Instagram and OnlyFans.

But this privilege has a peak of about 5–10 years. Beauty fades, looks decline, and you become invisible as younger women enter their prime and push you out of the spotlight. All the attention you were receiving in your prime trickles off into the very occasional compliment, if even that.

Dopamine Addiction

A common archetype in literature is the evil old witch. She has many distinct characteristics, and one of the most consistent ones is her old age. Her old age is associated with bitterness and jealousy of youthful women.

This theme being written over and over again throughout history reflects the common experience of pain that women go through as they age and their beauty fades. This is significant because it shows that even before social media gave us dopamine addictions, it’s always been common for aging and losing attention to be difficult.

Now that the loss of attention has a monetary value attached to it, the process of aging can be exponentially more painful.

The World Wide Web

When you put something on the internet, it is out of your hands forever. Once a photo is uploaded, there is potential for every person on earth for the rest of the technological era to have access to it. This means your future children, your future employers, your future in-laws, your family. The true cost of a short period of extra cash is the eternal potential of your content resurfacing where it’s not supposed to. The fear associated with the possibility of exclusive content resurfacing shows that engaging in cyber sex work should not be considered a low-key side hustle. There is nothing low-key about it.

Supply and Demand

Low supply + high demand = high value.

What happens when you meet a guy you want to settle down with but all the homeless guys on his street saw you naked when you were selling yourself on the internet during that one 50% off promo?

We hate to put value on male opinions of women because we want to live for ourselves. It’s good to be independent and be yourself regardless of what men think but considering that in order to have a successful marriage that takes up more than half your life, your ability to attract and select a high quality man has to be immaculate. You can’t attract and select a high quality man without at least considering why men find what they find attractive, attractive.

This doesn’t mean molding yourself around male standards.

This means considering male preferences, validating them through evolution, and analyzing whether they align with your personal goals.

Men prefer to have women to themselves. This stems from the evolutionary desire to reproduce, and therefore want as much confirmation as possible that her offspring belongs to him.

Now, consider your personal goals. Do you plan to enjoy the finer things in life with little effort? Do you plan to raise a strong family unit? Do you plan to focus on advancing in a career?

Your goals will determine how much value you place on appealing to this particular male preference.

So what are you really selling through OnlyFans?

You’re selling your ability to be employed after your hotness subsides. You’re building yourself up for an immense dopamine addiction that will never ever ever be able to be fulfilled the same when your wave of OnlyFans clout passes. How can you maintain dignity when you’ve sold something that could be so priceless for $10 a month? You’re filtering high quality men out of your dating pool.

This is not slut shaming.

This is not misogyny.

This is love.

No man in the world is worthy of seeing your body for pocket change.

Your femininity is already so valuable that you deserve to receive something equally priceless in exchange. Evolution suggests life-long security.

Have a blessed day.