Onlyfans - good or bad for feminism?

[JustGraduated]

Hi all - I’m new here so not sure if this is the right topic for this forum. Sorry if it isn’t but would love to hear your opinions! Also sorry for how long this is!!!

I recently graduated from uni & one of my housemates (and best friends) had an onlyfans page. It was the cause of disagreement between her and our other housemate (and friend) who is a really strong feminist.

She is stunning and loved doing it, so regularly posted on it & did really well (like insane well). She made enough to cover tuition fees, rent, bills & a whole lot more beside. And don’t get me wrong she works hard on it.

Our other housemate was strongly against it. Saying that it was demeaning her as a female & that she should stop it if she respected herself.

The three of us all get on really well and besides a few little arguments between the two of them it never caused anything serious.

I just want to know what you guys think. Can you be a feminist and on Onlyfans? I often play with the idea of starting my own, especially when I look at my student loan debt and how well my friend did!

I don't think it would go down well if you had applied for a job working with children, for example.

Being 'legal' isn't enough to stop something impacting on your employability.

Eg if you applied to work as a church administrator, and were fond of posting (legal) satanic content online, if that cane to light I doubt you'd get the job! And they wouldn't have to tell you - anyone can make up a 'reason' why they didn't give you a job.

Same thing applies here. You're deluded if you think OF footage wouldn't impact your chances of getting a job in a school, etc. You can argue that it shouldn't, but it would.

I'm on the side where I am pleased that women have a. Choice to do Sex work it isn't at the hands of pimps and I also know people In that industry who enjoy it and have made a good living out of it

I hate that some women are judging other women's choices. That is not feminism

Only fans as a company, as an industry, is bad for women. Just because we hear anecdotally about happy empowered women making and owning their own content on the platform doesn’t make up for the thousands of trafficked and abused women who are bought and sold every day by men who own their bodies and their content.

When you freely choose to be an OF model you are participating in, normalising, and finding an industry that abuses women. You are complicit.

I agree with many of the posters above that it is not a feminist statement to be on OF.
I wanted to add, would anyone that is pro OF be comfortable if your daughter was on it? Or your husband was using it? And if not why not, if it is empowering?

Bad for women as a sex class. Bad for feminism.

@Lizardonachair if my daughter was comfortable with what she was posting, if her self esteem wasn't linked to her fans or subscribers, if she used her money wisely, if there was no boyfriend involved and used strategies to avoid being identified (stalkers are a real threat to these women) then no I don't foresee I would have a problem with her doing onlyfans. Surely the more women in charge of their sexuality and content, the less market there is for those who are coerced and trafficked? Some men will only watch women owned porn.

So your daughter would be allowed to be in charge of her own sexuality, until a boyfriend was involved. Then it's his call, right?
Gotcha.

@BobaFeta no I meant so long as there was no one involved to change the nature of the work she was involved in, or make her do it if she didn't want to anymore, or take her money! That's why I said involved not dating, learn some comprehension skills.

Sex work is neither work nor sex. It's buying consent. As somebody said earlier, just because a woman does something doesn't make it a feminist choice.

Yeah, pages of why consent can't be bought and I'm the one lacking comprehension skills. Sure.

That’s an awful lot of ‘ifs.’

Sorry, posted too soon.
Do you think that all the females on Only Fans follow those ifs? I doubt it’s even the majority of them, let alone all.

All Only Fans does is teach men that women can be bought, and it’s really not a good thing.

@pleasedontoutmeguys are you ok about your husband/partner using the content? And before you met?

@Lizardonachair I don't have one. But it's not cheating in my book. There's no difference between wanking over Rihanna in a music video and wanking over Rita from Hull is there? If Rita isn't being controlled. We don't know that famous provocative celebrities aren't being coerced to produce content a la Britney?

It's like drug dealing.

Yes, individually some people can freely choose it and make money.

That doesn't mean it's not harmful and exploitative.

@BobaFeta consent for what? Consent to film a sexual act? So if I filmed myself masturbating for my own pleasure would that be ok? When does it become something that I lack the consent for? When I upload it? Or when someone watches it? When they pay money? It's a bit like the tree in the forest for me. What is the consent aspect? What are women on OF not consenting to?

@pastatriangles that's different because the product and it's manufacture are what cause harm. Unless you have a small scale opium farm and produce and deal it yourself? With OF you are the product so if you sell the product and market the product yourself, who else is getting hurt?

There is an argument to say that all women will be seen as more 'liberal' if there are more and more boundaries being pushed to get subscriptions etc. I understand that argument and to some extent agree. But that is more a condition of social media one upmanship. There will never be a time where there isn't some sort of wank fodder.
Before OF it was vhs porn, magazines and before that there was illustrated magazines.
The idea that getting rid of OF making men all act like upstanding gentleman with no kinks or odd desires is just not reality. We need to teach women to uphold boundaries and say what doesn't work for them, or better still shun dating men altogether.

If you have to ask

and I am not even a feminist

it’s very simple if it’s not a job you would be happy your own child doing them no one’s child should be doing it

their are very few jobs I would be upset if my son did

this is not one of those jobs

And for all the progressives and those in the back

it’s not progressive to have a cucumber shoved in your anus for money

it’s not progressive to have sex that is not meaningful for sad men who smell and live at home with their mum

you should have the right to do it but if this is progressive I am glad I am not a feminist

I remember this thread from the first time round. It seems to have been revived by a bot or a goady incel and it's just as depressing six months on.

@Thatgirl1981 I think your comment about what you would like your son to do and not do is pointless, because everyone is different. Some on MN wouldn't like their children to be cleaners or carers or SAHM's, does that mean no one should do it?

It's digital prostitution under a more acceptable heading. Personally I think it's revolting- One whiff of it in our house and my H is out.

@Maddy70 sorry Mandy that's life-it's digital prostitution so people will always judge.

I have also seen posts where young woman have had this suggested by boyfriends, in order to make lots of cash for them- a total lack of respect and love in my opinion. we are going to end up with some very fucked up 30 and 40 somethings.