If it sounds too good to be true, then it is. Despite what parts of the BBC’s report might lead some young people to think, this isn’t easy money. Although a small number of men also do what Alexia is doing, this is about women being exploited.
As the cost-of-living crisis bites and a recession looms, women are once again being fed a dangerous message: that the sex trade might be a great place to make money. In an article on the BBC website, OnlyFans has been cited as a lucrative way for attractive youngsters to top up their income.
Last year, a BBC investigation found that children as young as 14 were being exploited on the site. One teenager told a counsellor she had been on OnlyFans since she was 13.
All of this makes it baffling to think why the BBC is giving OnlyFans a platform and suggesting it might be a straightforward way for young people to make ends meet.
I’ve interviewed young women who told me how seeing pornographic footage of themselves online induced panic attacks and low self-esteem, even leading, in some cases, to self-harm. Several told me they had not realised how many punters post pornographic content on their own social media, and share it on sites such as Pornhub.
OnlyFans often gets off the hook because the women who use the site are selling images and videos of themselves rather than directly selling sex. But is there much of a difference between pornography and prostitution? I’m not convinced there is. And is it any safer? The screen between the punter and the content creator does offer some degree of separation, but it is worryingly easy for men to track down women.
It’s time to stop making excuses for OnlyFans, pretending it offers a solution to hardship. Selling images of yourself online may be a quick fix, but ultimately is of benefit only to the exploiters and profiteers. The BBC should be ashamed of itself for giving OnlyFans this platform.