Former child actress Bella Thorne joined OnlyFans this week, made a quick couple of million dollars and quickly threw a wrench in things for the sex work community who rely on the platform to make an income, especially during coronavirus.
We’ve already detailed why sex workers were upset with Bella Thorne joining the platform and seemingly exploiting the industry for her own personal gain, but now it appears that her “success” has sparked some major changes for the platform as a whole.
Just days after Thorne made millions on the platform, users are reporting new features like a $50 PPV (pay-per-view) message limit, a $100 tip limit and a 30 day payout period, all of which will have disastrous impacts for those who rely on the platform as their primary source of income.
Obviously, it’s important to note that OnlyFans has not confirmed or denied that these are a direct result of the Bella Thorne saga, but the timing has sex workers feeling punished for a celebrity’s actions.
Please tell me Onlyfans didn’t decrease their tip limit to $100…
— Angelina (@GoddessAngeIina) August 27, 2020
https://twitter.com/taylorxquinn/status/1299159863944044544
Bella lied to subscribers selling a $200 lingerie photo saying it was a nude. Now onlyfans put a $50 limit on PPV messages and a $100 limit on tips. Really throws a wrench in things doesn’t it
— Wes Fox (@WesleyFoxxx) August 27, 2020
The change comes after reports that Thorne allegedly lied about selling lingerie photo, claiming it was a full nude, for $200.
Obviously, sex workers are already ostracised by society and have a hard enough time convincing much of the world that what they do is, in fact, real work and should be respected like any other career. But the new changes are particularly dire for those in the industry amid the coronavirus pandemic, where face-to-face sex work isn’t a safe option.
For starters, the new changes mean that some models now have to wait an entire month for their payouts, which used to only be held for one week for processing purposes. Obviously, this is frustrating at the best of times, but in the middle of a global pandemic, the extra three weeks could potentially put vulnerable people in really dire situations.
Additionally, the new limits have massively restricted the amount of money sex workers can actually make on the platform. Considering many sex workers invest time and money into PPV photoshoots that they’d usually sell for upwards of $500, this new change is expected to hit the community hard.
Virtual sex work isn’t just as simple as taking a cheeky booty pic in the mirror. These people invest thousands of dollars into camera equipment, lingerie, toys and other costs to produce their content, so the high price tag isn’t just pure profit.
And let’s just be clear here, a vast majority of sex workers are making a modest income. For most people, this isn’t a matter of taking away some extra play money at the end of the month, it is literally the difference between being able to pay rent or not.
Just yesterday, we shed light on exactly why sex workers were so upset by Bella Thorne joining the platform, and now it seems like their worst fears have come to fruition. If our coverage yesterday still had you thinking that *maybe* sex workers were just being salty that Bella Thorne made bank on the platform, hopefully this clears it up for you.
OnlyFans is yet to comment on the situation or the change in policy, so there’s no way to prove that this is in direct response to Thorne’s alleged misuse of the platform. It’s currently unclear if the limits are a temporary or permanent measure, or if they are in fact a response to Bella Thorne’s account. We’ve reached out to OnlyFans for comment and will update this story accordingly.
UPDATE: An OnlyFans representative told us:
“Transaction limits are set to help prevent overspending and to allow our users to continue to use the site safely.”
“We value all of the feedback received since this change was implemented and we will continue to review these limits.Our objective remains to provide the best platform possible for the OnlyFans community.We can confirm that any changes to transaction limits are not based on any one user.”
