Onlyfans is one of the many platforms that almost everyone knows. Especially when it comes to platforms that allow you to earn from your photos and videos. In fact, it’s already pushed its way into pop culture with people referencing it in daily conversation.
We all know that OnlyFans is a platform that celebrates and supports self-expression. However, their recent statement turns everything upside down. As stated, starting October 1, 2021, they will be banning explicit content from their platform.
This created a huge buzz all over the internet with so many content creators voicing their concerns. A lot of people have lost their main source of income because of the global pandemic. Companies are laying off more and more employees. Businesses are closing down and barely holding. This results in people turning to OnlyFans as an alternative means of generating income. The news about them banning explicit content left people wondering where will they go from here?
OnlyFans is the most known content creator platform. However, it is not the only option for your adult content. In response to OnlyFans controversial statement, many of the platform’s competitors have released a statement saying they are welcoming adult content on their platform.
Why did they do it?
While OnlyFans doesn’t necessarily advertise the adult content on their platform, it’s widely known that most of their 2 million content creators deal with that type of content. So why would they knowingly ban the majority of content hosted on their platform?
Let’s take a step back and look at the root of the issue. The reason behind all the commotion has very little to do with what OnlyFans wants and more to do with their partners. In their statement, they explained that the changes they are making are to comply with the requests of their banking partners and payout providers.
While further details have yet to be given by the company, this does bring to light the dependency of these types of platforms to other service providers. So when third-party providers and even investors decide that they don’t support sex work, a platform such as OnlyFans, will inevitably be put in a tight spot.
Read more: OnlyFans Takes Back Its Ban
History just repeats itself
Before OnlyFans, there was Tumblr. Known as a blog for all sorts of things—from fan art, personal essays, to raunchy selfies, to actual pornography—the site saw a rise in content that’s more of the explicit nature with sex workers using it as a way to earn money. However, this came to a stop in 2018 when the platform decided to ban adult content. Sounds familiar?
As expected, there was much discourse around erasure and censorship at the time. This was then, the void that OnlyFans filled, giving a safe space for sex workers to conduct their business and for others to simply express their sexuality while earning on the side.
Now in 2021, the celebrated OnlyFans seemingly turned its back on the many users that catapulted it to popularity by following the steps of Tumblr. But with the extra pressure of the pandemic, there is a bit more urgency for sex workers and content creators to find a space that can let them just do their thing safely and without any uncertainty.
And just like with Tumblr, many OnlyFans alternatives stepped up to fill the void left by the platform. With the ban looming closer and closer every day, many platforms such as JustForFans, Alua, and Fansly saw a spike in sign-ups—to the point of crashing down their servers.
Sex work is still work
While we’ve come far from extreme conservatism wherein we view anything sexual as taboo, what happened with OnlyFans is still indicative that some institutions are very much rooted in a somewhat traditional mindset. A lot of people advocate for sex positivity and normalizing it as a legitimate job. It only shows that content creators will lose their means of earning some income.
Many clamors for OnlyFans to reverse their decision. The ball is in their court. All we can do now is wait if they’re going to push through with it or not. But whatever happens, there will always be another OnlyFans to fill the void.
