(Author's Note: All images used do not reflect actual content created by the OnlyFans creators surveyed. All names have been changed to ensure anonymity.)
For strangers, OnlyFans is a subscription-based social media platform that has been labeled as a place to sell and / or buy adult content.
Launched in 2016, the website recently grew in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A spokesman for OnlyFans told Vice in April this year that new registrations had increased by 75 percent in the weeks leading up to the interview.
According to Huffpost, thousands of people turned to OnlyFans and other independent creator platforms in hopes of making up for lost wages as countries around the world closed and companies went bust.
OnlyFans content creators post videos and photos on their accounts, which are protected by a paywall.
To gain access to the content, users must pay for a monthly subscription with fees ranging from $ 4.99 to $ 49.99.
With this access, subscribers can also send direct messages and "tips" to create pictures or videos as needed.
Recently, the platform is also enjoying increasing popularity in Singapore as more Singapore-based content creators are on the platform.
Vulcan Post spoke to three OnlyFans content creators to learn more about the job and the stigma behind it.
It can be a lucrative career
Photo credit: iStock Photo
OnlyFans has often been touted for making money fast.
As with any other job, however, what you make on the platform is related to the amount of effort they put into promoting themselves and the content they put out, according to 20-year-old Jayinne.
The full-time student declined to share her earnings, but said that some creators make around S $ 500 a month while "great creators" can make up to S $ 20,000.
According to Angela, she makes an average of S $ 10,000 from posting content on OnlyFans every month.
The 27-year-old joined the platform in July this year after being spotted by the OnlyFans Asia team since 2017.
The content of their OnlyFans account is similar to that of their social media feeds – mostly bikini shots on the beach or on their trips to exotic locations.
She shared that her fans prefer authenticity over pictures being posed, so she sometimes makes selfie-style chat videos to answer questions they may have about her.
As well as posting to OnlyFans, Angela is also a content creator for Patreon, Kofi, and other fan platforms in addition to her full-time job.
Like Angela, Candice has a full-time job and treats OnlyFans as a way for her to earn extra passive income.
She signed up on the platform after coming across an Instagram influencer who managed to earn up to five digits every month with OnlyFans.
"Since I was already posing for photos in bikinis on Instagram and it was free for people to look at, I wanted to try monetizing them instead."
The 22-year-old wasn't sure she'd be able to get subscribers at all, but “it happened pretty quickly” and she realized there were people willing to pay to see her content.
Candice said OnlyFans is taking a 20 percent cut in all revenue and making an average of S $ 1,800 every month after the deduction.
While she has found that many creators have put a lot of time and effort into planning their shots, concepts, and editing the images produced, she personally does not have a professional set up for such purposes.
As a result, the content she inserts is usually “less complicated”, such as: B. Selfies. However, she does occasional photo shoots with her friends to add variety to the content.
She also stressed that she strictly does not post nude photos and that she is censored topless. While her photos consist mainly of lingerie or bikini shots, she sends more “explicit” content on a pay-per-view basis.
This means that subscribers can only see the content if they pay the price associated with it.
Likewise, Jayinne's photo shoots are usually spontaneous, but she also tries to find different sets and locations for photo shoots.
In addition to photos, it also provides explicit videos and audio clips.
Not everything is sexual just on fans
Photo credit: The Urban Wire
OnlyFans is often misunderstood as a pornographic website, but not all content on the platform is explicit in nature.
Although it has become more prominent for sexual content, the platform's privileges have started to appeal to users who create non-sexual content.
Musicians, actors, fitness enthusiasts and dancers flock to the platform. More recently, popular American rapper Cardi B even joined the platform.
Angela affirms the belief that OnlyFans is largely a platform for artists of all kinds.
“OnlyFans is ultimately a banned content site despite being associated with porn that comes from a strange PR attitude. Most users also include musicians, dancers and fitness trainers, ”she said.
Candice also said that "OnlyFans has a lot more going for it, though it only exploded because sex workers reached out to the platform during the quarantine period."
Jayinne has also met a lot of fans who don't ask for explicit content, just want a chat.
"Not everything is sexual context at OnlyFans," she said.
It's not as easy as it seems
Many may consider OnlyFans to be an easy way to make money, but being an OnlyFans content creator poses a ton of problems.
The main concern is the stigma these creators face in Singapore. Both Jayinne and Candice have hidden the fact that they post on OnlyFans from their families, who are not open enough to accept it.
Angela added that her concern for OnlyFans "is the response of Singapore's conservative society, where age-old stereotypes are still prevalent."
The silver lining, however, is that these three creators have extremely supportive friends and partners.
Candice said that her friends are very supportive of what she is doing. She also has a friend who is also 100% on board.
Similarly, Angela's husband also supports her OnlyFans business.
Another problem is dealing with demanding customers.
For example, Candice had subscribers who disregard their boundaries and asked for more explicit content. Subscribers have also threatened to release their content to the public if it didn't meet the requirements.
Apart from the minority of discerning customers, all three developers agree that their fans are generally polite and warm.
Additionally, the Singapore OnlyFans community is tightly knit and, according to Candice, they all offer each other support and advice.
Ultimately, despite the stigma and judgment, the OnlyFans developers still have complete autonomy over the content they publish and this can be seen as a means of monetizing one's online presence.
I have been viewed as a sexual object all my life as a child, teenager, wife, employee, friend, boss, client.
Now I am still sexualized, but it is my own choice and on my own terms, for my own benefit, benefit and pleasure. That is at the heart of female empowerment: choice.
Angela, OnlyFans Content Creator
Selected image source: Cosmo PH / Screenshot by OnlyFans
