Sex Work Isn’t For Everyone!
Sexwork is not for everyone! Some days I love my job and some days I hate it. While this is like any other job, the highs and lows are drastically different than anyone sitting behind a desk could ever experience. While the highs can have you rolling in cash or flying around the world, the lows can land you in a jail cell or a hospital bed. Not all sex work is online, infact most isn’t but let me focus this article on the most recent phenomenon.
When quarantine hit and, what we call “vanilla girls” (non-sexworkers) started making OnlyFans left and right, it baffled me. This is SEX WORK; and I feel a lot of girls don’t grasp that and they may not know the depths of danger they can get themselves into. Predators can easily sniff out new blood and take advantage of you in a snap. Even seasoned sex workers can be taken for a ride if they aren’t carful.
If you don’t want people in your life finding out, point blank: don't do this. I am very lucky to have a supportive mother and a very open minded brother. My extended family (the ones who know) are very laid back about it and I have no qualms about sharing my reality with them. If this is not the case for you, not only can people try to blackmail you into quitting, paying, or giving free content by threatening to out you to people you know, but if this is something you are only planning on doing temporarily, it could also destroy your career outside of this industry. For me, I plan on doing this full time and even if that changed I know I would be an entrepreneurial girl without a boss worried about brand image.
I think people forget that being behind a screen is a lot safer than it really is. YES. They can find where you work. YES. They can find where you live. YES. They can find your family. ANYTHING that is online, can be found and you would be surprised how vindictive strangers can be. You have to know that with this work comes a label with a huge stigma attached and most people are not going to be ok with it. It’s not just that your family or community may find out and disapprove, but this can be a very mentally straining business and it's imperative to have loving support around you, not just from other girls online but also from close friends and family. I could not imagine doing this without the encouragement of my family behind me.
There are also a lot more “mild” dangers like being ripped off. There are countless ways people can scam girls into giving them free services, etc. Because there's so many ways to do this, like I said, even seasoned sw’s can be taken advantage of. There is a huge learning curve and that’s why I find it so rash that these “vanilla” girls think it's appropriate to jump right into something they really know nothing about. OnlyFans isn’t “sexy instagram”. There are actual consequences that can be quite severe. You need to ask yourself, if this is simply a side job, are you really willing to risk it when there are other options for money out there.
PS. There can be legal consequences too. Copyright lawsuits under film and music and arrests if you don’t know the law across borders. ETC
What to take away: educate yourself about the industry and then make an educated decision about being part of it.
EmpressxAllison / April 2021
