The subscription-based platform OnlyFans continues to grow at an unprecedented rate. Of course, it makes sense that the growth really picked up in 2020 during the start of these unprecedented times we live in. But the growth has only continued since then, with the site receiving over a billion monthly visitors.
But why are so many people turning to this subscription-based service when they could access studio pron for free on sites like YouPorn or PornHub? It’s a great question, and one that a Reddit user posed recently.
Some of the comments were short and to the point.
“I never thought studio porn was really attractive. In the end, I’d choose written erotica over either of them.”
“I’m on team OF but only because I haven’t really seen studio content in a long time. I’m sure there’s some good stuff but I want to say most of the stuff I’ve seen that has been homemade has been on OF.”
But others offered more careful consideration — even if that wasn’t their intention. One such user shared: “I prefer the days of pre-OF when you could see actual homemade content. Granted, you couldn’t know if everyone was aware and approved of it being on a Hub site, but I was willingly ignorant. I follow a couple of OF creators…Studio porn does the kinds of positions that look very uncomfortable for too long that doesn’t look like it’s getting either partner off, despite the moaning.”
Setting aside the idea that studio porn is too fancy or complicated, the user made an excellent point about consent. While amateur porn like you find on OnlyFans isn’t a new phenomenon, the attention to verifying consent, age, and identity is. Many of the free websites where you can find thousands of amateur porn videos do absolutely nothing to ensure all particpants are consenting.
OnlyFans not only requires it, they will remove any video that does not meet their requirements for all users. And that includes some of their top-grossing stars like Bonnie Blue. Blue, whose real name is Tia Bellinger, recorded herself bedding 1,057 men in less than twelve hours. And though she was initially allowed to share the video on the platform, it was later removed by OnlyFans with a statement: “To keep our community safe, OnlyFans also verifies the age, identity, and consent of all parties featured in explicit content on OnlyFans. We do not allow a large number of non-OnlyFans creators to be featured on an account even where release forms have been provided.”
This hard stance is protecting those who want to be creating content and those who do not. But this isn’t the only way the platform is protecting their creators and users.
Another comment on that Reddit thread observed how important OnlyFans is to sex workers.
“I believe in workers owning the means of their production, so for that reason I appreciate OF. In terms of content that gets me off, it’s a mixed bag. I patronize a few OF accounts when I have it in my budget. The downsides are the issues with parasocial relationships – it’s more pronounced with something like OF but there are some studios that do some work I like.”
OnlyFans has given sex workers a safe place to share and monetize their content. Not only that, but these men and women are able to set their own prices, control the timing of when they create content, and set whatever boundaries they choose.
While what people prefer to watch to get off is their preference, these comments show that OnlyFans is a much needed platform that many people prefer.