#person choosing this does so in the face of scrutiny and stigma.

[serpentface]

Are braids culturally expected for women in wardi?

It's a cultural expectation throughout most of Imperial Wardin in the sense that it's a very longstanding conventional feminine beauty standard, and will be understood as a signifier of good grooming and status. This region is also quite culturally diverse so nothing here should be taken as an absolute universal for people within the Imperial Wardi cultural sphere, but rather a description of broad trends and/or hegemonic social convention.

It functions first and foremost as a visual signifier of good grooming and ideal feminine beauty- ie you can take the time to neatly do up your hair every day before you enter the public sphere. It can specifically function as a status symbol as well, with particularly elaborate and complicated styles (especially those impossible to form without help, which generally implies access to servants) coming in and out of vogue among the upper classes.

This style exists mainly for the public eye, with hair being done up at the beginning of each day and undone upon returning home for the evening (or once out of the public eye, if guests are visiting the home), though braids may have protective components and be worn semi-permanently depending on the hair type.

Women who do not braid (or otherwise put hair into protective and beautified styles) will often be seen as excessively masculinized or slovenly. The social consequences are Generally not anything more dire than peer judgment, though with a few exceptions. There's parts of the region (mostly the northwestern cities) in which sex workers are specifically forbidden to braid their hair (as a visual marker of their status). This is not ubiquitous enough for direct 'unbraided hair in public=prostitute' associations to be universal, but impactful enough for it to develop additional connotations of wantonness or an oversexed nature. (Sex workers face very severe social stigma throughout the region; one does Not want to be mistaken for a sex worker, especially upper class women).

Unbraided hair might be used as a rhetorical device (ie an attack on a woman's character might include describing her as/comparing her to 'a girl with unkempt hair, worn loose and blown horribly about her face with each gust of wind' or etc as additional ammunition to the main argument) which will be automatically understood by the audience as describing a slovenly, lazy, oversexed, or unduly masculine nature (depending on the context). By a similar metric, praises of 'well-braided hair' in speech or verse would function as a shorthand to communicate the beauty, social esteem, and desirable femininity of the subject.

The fact that braided hair exists mostly for the public eye and will often be undone each evening within the home (and also direct associations with sex workers in some parts) can also lend an intimate or erotic component to depictions of unbraided hair. Imagery of a woman in the process of undoing her braids is common in erotic art and verse, and outright pornography will usually depict hair unbraided (or partially undone, as if the process were interrupted). This does not translate to unbraided hair IN OF ITSELF being seen as sexy, rather this view of a woman in the intimate domestic sphere has voyeuristic elements that contribute to the sense of eroticism.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Adam Watches the 92nd Academy Awards

The 92nd Academy Awards have come and gone. As always, there’s plenty to be happy about and plenty that’ll make you wonder what the heck the voters were thinking. I watched the ceremony and while I may say that I don’t care… I do. Those awards are a big deal. Legions of people who would’ve otherwise dismissed Parasite as some movie that requires them to read subtitles saw it because it was nominated. One of those golden statues can make a career and let’s face it, you like to hear your love for something validated by people who have even the semblance of authority on the subject.

But here’s what you may not know: most of the voters really don’t know what they’re doing. While cinematographers NOMINATE what films are up for that Best Cinematography Award, EVERYONE in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gets to vote for the winner and there’s no guarantee they’ve actually seen every nominee, know what the technical terms mean or are voting because what they saw is what they actually believe was “the best”. Once you take into account the dollars required to produce a nomination campaign, the stigma many genre films face, the prejudices against certain types of roles and/or actors, and how popularity influences votes, a win hardly means more than a bunch of people you don’t know saying they liked a movie.

If you want a better idea of which of 2019’s films were “the best”, you’re better off asking someone you know and trust, someone who can prove they’ve done their homework and aren’t just voting for their friends, the one they’ve heard is good from their kid, or got a special gift basket from. I may not be a paid professional, but I have put in the time and effort to see EVERYTHING nominated (with a few exceptions I’ll detail below). Reviews for some of these (The Irishman, Judy) are coming to the blog in a couple of days. If it were up to me the list of nominees would be different but we’ll get to that later. Without further ado, here’s who SHOULD’VE won. 

Best Visual Effects

1917 – Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler, and Dominic Tuohy The best special effects are the kind you don’t even notice. I couldn’t tell you where the explosions, sets, and actors in 1917 begin, and where the computer-generated imagery takes over. It’s seamless.

Best Film Editing

Parasite – Yang Jin-mo Got to hand it to Parasite for its amazing use of montage and the way it stitched its footage together. Some shots I initially thought initially were one take I realized under carefully scrutiny - and by that I mean frame-by-frame examination - were actually two melded together. The scenes showing how the Kim family infiltrate the Park’s household should be shown in film class to demonstrate how the art of montage is at its best should be done to maximum effect.

Best Costume Design

Little Women – Jacqueline Durran Funny how every single film nominated at the 92nd Academy Awards was a period piece. My vote goes to Little Women not because it was necessarily the most accurate (I couldn’t tell you what people wore in 1868) but because of the way the costumes were used. You can tell a lot about the characters from the multiple outfits they wear throughout the film - check out that purple bonnet adorned by Aunt Marsh (Meryl Streep).

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Bombshell – Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan, and Vivian Baker I called it when I reviewed the film. The makeup used to transform John Lithgow was nothing short of incredible. It was an easy pick.

Best Cinematography

1917 – Roger Deakins I’m glad to see The Lighthouse on this list but I have to hand it to 1917. The one-shot motif adds so much to the story. Then, there are the individual shots I remember so vividly. The quiet meadow just outside of No Man’s Land, the raging inferno Schofield sees when he wakes up, the trench he must run in front of to reach the Colonel are all shots that permanently imprint themselves into your memory.

Best Production Design

1917 – Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales Tempted to hand it to Parasite for the house they constructed for the movie but I’m give it to 1917. The trenches, the blasted landscape of No Man’s Land still haunt me. When you see the craters, it’s jarring. Then, as your eyes become adjusted, you notice the rats. Then, the chunks of bone and charred meat that have now become part of the landscape. It’s horrific.

Best Sound Mixing

Ford v Ferrari – Paul Massey, David Giammarco, and Steven A. Morrow What you remember most from Ford v Ferrari is that big race at the end. The climax wouldn’t have been the same without the sounds we heard. The roar of the engines, the clacking and grinding as the pedals are pushed and gears are switched… the air rushing by. Out of the nominees, it’s the one whose sounds I most remember.

Best Sound Editing

Ford v Ferrari – Donald Sylvester This year, the Best Sound Editing award goes hand-in-hand with the sound mixing. Obviously, the actors were never moving at the kind of speeds depicted in Ford v Ferrari but you wouldn’t be able to tell because of the foley and sound design.

Best Original Song

Stand Up from Harriet – Music and Lyrics by Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo Stand Up plays during the end credits of Harriet and it perfectly caps the film. Whenever I hear its lyrics, I’m transported back to that moment. It’s the most memorable and emotional song on this list.

Best Original Score

Joker – Hildur Guðnadóttir I chose the best song for its ability to stand out. In this category, Joker wins because its music doesn’t stand out… at least not at first. While you’re watching, those notes don’t draw attention to themselves. They subconsciously build the mood, augmenting the performance by Joaquin Phoenix, the visuals, and the story. You don’t notice how much of an effect it has on you until you see isolated clips. When you do, it’s shocking.

Best Animated Short Film

Abstaining (I’ve only seen Hair Love)

Best Live Action Short Film

Abstaining

Best Documentary Short Subject

Abstaining

Best Documentary Feature

Abstaining

Best International Feature Film

Abstaining, as I’ve only seen 2 films (Pain and Glory and Parasite)

Best Animated Feature Film

I Lost My Body – Jérémy Clapin and Marc du Pontavice I Lost My Body is the most audacious and inspired of the animated films nominated. The only movie among these to be aimed at adults, it often tells its story through visuals alone but when you get to the end, you realize it’s about more than just what was on-screen.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Little Women – Greta Gerwig based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott Greta Gerwig does more than merely adapt the classic novel, she breathes new life into it, makes it her own, makes it feel wholly new and modern. This version of the film surpasses all others we’ve seen before because of the changes she’s made to the story’s structure. 

Best Original Screenplay

Knives Out – Rian Johnson What a ride Knives Out was. It’s got so many twists and turns, so many delightful characters you want to re-watch it the second it’s over so that you are no longer distracted by its central mystery and can simply step back and admire the handiwork by Rian Johnson. A sequel’s been announced and I can’t wait to see it.

Best Supporting Actress

Laura Dern – Marriage Story as Nora Fanshaw Laura Dern was also in Little Women and her two roles couldn’t be more different. Here, she’s loathsome and captivating. As soon as I saw Nora take off her shoes before she kneeled down on the couch to console Nicole, I knew there was a whole lot more to her character than what we were told. The more you see her, the more you want.

Best Supporting Actor

Al Pacino – The Irishman as Jimmy Hoffa Al Pacino has the advantage of getting A LOT of screen time as Jimmy Hoffa. The Irishman clocks in at over 3,5 hours and he isn’t in the whole movie but when he is, the seasoned performer gives us so much. At different periods of the story, you’ll feel differently about him. There’s no point comparing him to the real-life person. He takes the meaty role and makes it his own. His voice, his mannerisms, I can’t think of anyone who could’ve done it better.

Best Actress

Renée Zellweger – Judy as Judy Garland Judy was the very last movie on my list to watch, having missed it when it came to theatres. When I think back to Zellweger’s performance, I don’t see her. All I see is her character, a rich, complex person you sometimes hate, sometimes love and feel sorry for. The movie is not going to be on my “Best of” list but she is.

Best Actor

Joaquin Phoenix – Joker as Arthur Fleck / Joker To me, there was no question Joaquin Phoenix would take this one. I saw Joker three times and each time, I found something new in his performance.

Best Director

Sam Mendes – 1917 With this award, I’m awarding Sam Mendes for the craft he displayed in 1917. It’s such a visceral experience that when people asked me how it compared to Dunkirk, it felt weird to lump both together. This is coming from someone who gave both pictures a 5-star review, who put both on their respective “best of the year” lists. It’s a movie I’m going to go back to and wondering “how did they do that?!

Best Picture

Little Women – Amy Pascal It’s a tough call for me this year, partially because I loved Parasite, 1917, Joker, and others so much. I’m planning on adding those three films to my collection so I can pop them into my Blu-ray player any times I feel like it. That said, I would’ve given the Best Picture Award to Little Women. You’re so emotionally invested in this little story that telling you why with merely words is impossible. You fall in love over and over. It made me cry and every time I think back to that scene at Christmas, I tear up again. I’m choosing it because of all the things it does differently from the other films. At the end of the day, it isn’t a big story. It isn’t about people with guns, corruption, war, a turning point in history or even necessarily the biggest event in the lives of the characters but it feels like it is. That’s exactly why it’s so good. 

Disagree with my choices? I don’t blame you. What kind of idiot finds a way to leave out Marriage Story from their list? You let me know where it should’ve gone. Hopefully, commenting keep you warm until MY Best of 2019 list gets posted in the next few days.

[nothingman]

AP/Evan Agostin/Jae C. Hong

Sex workers learned Senator Bernie Sanders voted in favor of FOSTA-SESTA, two laws signed by President Trump last week to curb sex trafficking — and then praised Cardi B, a rapper who first attracted attention for being open about her career as a stripper on social media — and now they are upset.

Both bills — the House version known as FOSTA, which stands for Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, and its Senate companion, Stop Enabling Sex-Trafficking Act (SESTA) — were met with bipartisan support in Congress. On February 27, the House passed FOSTA with a final vote of 388-25. The Senate followed by passing SESTA by an overwhelming 97-2 margin.

In spite of the bipartisan support, the anti-trafficking legislation has received strong pushback from sex workers, whom advocates of the bill purport to be protecting, for its destabilizing and demoralizing effect.

Most recently, Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders has borne the brunt of that criticism, after he voted in favor of the measure.

Ginger Banks, a 27-year-old sex worker, decided to make a video to alert Sanders to the dangers the anti-trafficking bills are creating for the sex work industry.

Making a video for @SenSanders asking him to think about the dangers SESTA/FOSTA are creating for the sex work industry. If you would like to contribute a message to him record something and send it to gingerbanks3@gmail.com 💕 — Ginger Banks (@gingerbanks1) April 18, 2018

Banks, who told Salon that she was a "huge" Sanders supporter, and even canvassed for his 2016 presidential campaign, said she was surprised to learn that he voted in favor of FOSTA-SESTA. Speaking over the phone, Banks said she hopes the video will "reach [Sanders] and ask him to possibly add the rights of sex workers to the list of things that he's willing to fight for."

Despite her upset, Banks said the Vermont senator is "someone that I still believe in." She said that she was inspired to create the video after Sanders tweeted Cardi B this week. On Wednesday, Sanders invoked the rapper in a tweet, writing, "Cardi B is right. If we are really going to make America great we need to strengthen Social Security so that seniors are able to retire with the dignity they deserve."

Cardi B is right. If we are really going to make America great we need to strengthen Social Security so that seniors are able to retire with the dignity they deserve. https://t.co/B8cOkoOdLc

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 18, 2018

The Senator's tweet was met with criticism from sex workers, who wondered why he couldn't come to their defense and oppose the draconian legislation.

Sydney Leathers, a 25-year-old adult film actress and Anthony Weiner's former sexting partner, tweeted, "Hey Bernie: Cardi is a former stripper. You voted for SESTA which endangers sex workers. Please don't try to use her for clout. We know how you really feel."

Hey Bernie: Cardi is a former stripper. You voted for SESTA which endangers sex workers. Please don’t try to use her for clout. We know how you really feel. https://t.co/9xRkJ6fCRs

— Sydney Leathers (@sydneyelainexo) April 18, 2018

Leathers point was amplified as other sex workers blasted the senator's interaction with Cardi B.

"I love when Bernie tries to make relevant tie ins with his campaign but forgets he's quoting a former sex worker who would have definitely been harmed by his decision to vote yes on SESTA/FOSTA," a sex worker named Brooke tweeted.

Other women in the sex work also expressed their disapproval.

Why did you vote in favor of #FOSTA #SESTA? This bill will lead to the deaths of consensual sex workers like me. I did everything I could to support you in the primaries and I feel like you have thrown me under the bus. Did you even read the bill? #LetUsSurvive

— ☠ Goddess Lysistrata ☠ (@MissLysiNyc) April 3, 2018

  With FOSTA-SESTA, many sex workers fear for their future and are worried they'll be forced to go back on the street.

The bill, which was introduced by Missouri Republican Rep. Ann Wagner, makes it a federal crime — punishable by up to 10 years in prison — to operate “an interactive computer service” with “the intent to promote or facilitate the prostitution of another person.” That means online publishers, like the recently shuttered Backpage.com, would be responsible if third parties are found to be posting ads for sex work — including consensual sex work — on their platforms.

Banks, who has been a sex worker for nine years, condemned the legislation's failure to differentiate between illegal and consensual sex work, calling it dangerous. Banks said it has made her reconsider some of the services she offers out of fear. She plans to address this problem in her video to Bernie Sanders.

"Conflating sex trafficking with consensual adult sex work does so much more harm than good," she explained. "Decriminalizing sex work is what I believe is the answer to protecting not only people who choose to do sex work but those who are forced into it."

Banks says the bills' failure to differentiate between trafficking and consensual work further highlights the stigma surrounding sex work. In addition to calling out Sanders for his support of the legislation, Banks wants her video "to focus on the social acceptance of sex work."

"One of the basis of our argument is bodily autonomy and our right to choose what we want to do with our body," she explained. "And when we want to choose as adults to do legal sex work then we should have that right. Making that illegal is immoral because it tells me what I can't do with my body."

"Sex work is just like like any other work," Banks continued. "Sex work has given me the ability to see clearly what I want to do with my body. And it's given me an extra sense of value. ... I have met some of the most open-minded, strong-willed and independent people in the sex work industry."

The legislation has already begun to chill free speech online.

Survivors Against SESTA has been tracking the dozens of websites that have shut down or updated their services while the law was being written, preemptively self-censoring in preparation of the bills' enactment.

In response to the bills, Assembly Four, the organization that developed Switter  — a website with more than 49,000 members and is considered one of the last online spaces friendly to sex workers — announced that its website, hosted by Cloudflare, had been removed and blocked. As of Thursday afternoon, Switter was back up and running.

You guys, the Cloudflare thing is BAD and worth noting, but https://t.co/C0sbA3EViJ is NOT completely doomed nor down right now. I'd say keep using it. They went back up quickly, I see them being up for the foreseeable future. Cloudflare was a US company, there are others.

— Liara Roux (@LiaraRoux) April 19, 2018

Geezus — @Cloudflare bans Mastadon’s new “Switter” platform for sex workers just as it was getting off the ground https://t.co/UW3f06nGZD

— Elizabeth Nolan Brown (@ENBrown) April 19, 2018

The brief removal of Switter follows Craigslist's axe of its personal ads section, which has been around since 1995. The site's personal ads had garnered a negative reputation for stories of murders, rape, and most recently, fathers trying to sell their children for sex. In 2010, the site shut down the section of its sites that carried sex-related advertising after it faced pressure from state attorneys general and groups fighting sex crimes.

Despite the lasting stigma, Banks is hopeful for change. She pointed to the LGBTQ movement as model sex workers could emulate. "I look back at how the view of homosexuality has changed in this country. And I try to learn a lot from that movement and do as much as I can to help sex work become more socially accepted," she said.

Banks pointed to Sanders' 50-year-history of standing up for civil and minority rights, explaining that to be one reason why many sex workers like her rallied behind the Democratic presidential candidate in 2016.

"A lot of us realize and see the stigma and other areas of society and inequality and because of that we want to help change the world in the most positive way possible," Banks said. "I know a lot of us saw that in Bernie Sanders."

This is not the first time Sanders has come under fire for not doing enough to protect women. Last April, the Senator defended campaigning for Omaha, Neb., mayoral candidate Heath Mello, an anti-abortion rights Democrat, in an interview with NPR.

Mello has co-sponsored several bills in Nebraska's unicameral legislature that would restrict abortion rights, including a 2009 bill that would offer or require women seeking abortions to get an ultrasound.

Though Sanders came under scrutiny for supporting Mello, he pushed back on NPR, saying, "The truth is that in some conservative states there will be candidates that are popular candidates who may not agree with me on every issue. I understand it. That's what politics is about."

"If we are going to protect a woman's right to choose, at the end of the day we're going to need Democratic control over the House and the Senate, and state governments all over this nation," Sanders continued. "And we have got to appreciate where people come from, and do our best to fight for the pro-choice agenda. But I think you just can't exclude people who disagree with us on one issue."

Sen. Sanders did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

via Salon

[creativelycarley-blog]

Overall a significant fact that stood out to me was the number of individuals who viewed their physical attributes as a negative. This branched from the older girls saying negative things about the shade of there skin or their hair, to the younger children not liking a particular doll because it had a darker skin color (Colorism in Preschoolers: A Girl Like Me, 2007). I feel that this is institutional racism, not individual-level discrimination because on the outside most of society tries to see a race with a no color blinder but in the video, it showed the opposite of this. Instead of being race-neutral, we see girls who are ashamed of there physical attributes and children who prefer white dolls because there "better"  (Colorism in Preschoolers: A Girl Like Me, 2007) We can see that this social group dynamic is not equal and is a disadvantaged minority.   Children are expected to be treated the same because they are our future, but in this video, we can see a harsh reality that this is not the case. Something so simple, as a baby dolls skin tone, faces scrutiny. The examples listed in the video shows an unbalanced equation that was expected to be equal but at the moment is very biased (Colorism in Preschoolers: A Girl Like Me, 2007). Accepting Oppression is basically going along with the flow or trying to blend in with society to keep peace and make an effort to fit in with the rest of society. Resisting oppression means not conforming to societies norms that are placed upon a group. Examples of this could be genocide, peaceful rallies, or revolutions. Accepting Oppression could be a useful strategy for color-based discrimination and oppression because it could help a person fit in and navigate society. An example of this could be seen when the older teenage black girls wanted to relax there hair to help them fit in with there peer groups  (Colorism in Preschoolers: A Girl Like Me, 2007). This hair technique became a useful strategy for the girls to blend into there surroundings and keep a coexistent environment. Resisting oppression could be beneficial for people of color experiencing discrimination and oppression because it enables the individuals to make a claim saying they have had enough. With this claim, it shows others that they will not rest and that they demand change. An example of this can be seen from another hair form, and this wearing natural hair  (Colorism in Preschoolers: A Girl Like Me, 2007). Wearing kinky hair may not be a march or a revolution, but it does collectively show that the individuals choosing to partake in this will not settle with beauty standards being forced upon them. With this collective decision, a movement could be formed, and in the future, the stigma associated with kinky hair could be eliminated.

Word Count: 475

References

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking Like a Sociologist. New York, NY: W. W. Norton.

A Girl Like Me. (2007, May 2007). Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWyI77Yh1Gg

[identybeautynet]

OnlyFans courts beauty content creators

OnlyFans courts beauty content creators OnlyFans is trying to break out of its sexy box. The 5-year-old social media platform broke into the mainstream in 2020 as people sought to supplement a sudden loss of income due to Covid-19 and were driven to consume more digital entertainment. But it also gained popularity during a crucial inflection point of the creator economy and is now trying to capitalize on this rapid growth by expanding beyond what it is best known for: porn. One burgeoning area of the OnlyFans ecosystem appears to be beauty content, which has proven popular across other major social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok. Gabi Mrugala, whose username is GroovyGabs, joined OnlyFans in Nov. 2020 after a friend who makes fashion content on OnlyFans suggested it. Prior to OnlyFans, Mrugala worked behind-the-scenes in the film industry and was looking to build an audience for her self-help wellness content. She said she likes that her videos and photos on OnlyFans can be less polished than those on Instagram and still gain traction. She currently has 23,000 followers on OnlyFans but declined to share her monthly earnings. A creator can opt to charge a monthly subscription fee of up to $50 for people to follow them. They can also charge people to send direct messages to them and to see specific posts or photos. And, of course, they can receive unsolicited monetary tips. OnlyFans takes a 20% commission. Subscribing to GroovyGabs is free, but Mrugala monetizes through tips and direct-message gratuities. She also has an Amazon wishlist for flowers. “I’m choosing to stay as a full content creator, because I am fulfilling my purpose by helping other individuals,” Mrugala said. “ is a place where you can be more personal and more yourself. A lot of people prefer to wear a full face of makeup on Instagram — there’s nothing wrong with that. But on OnlyFans, it feels like a lot of individuals will support you regardless of .” OnlyFans operates differently than most social media sites, but it was intentionally designed to not become a user’s only social site, said Ami Gan, OnlyFans head of communications. For example, the ability to search for a specific person to follow is not possible, though there are some suggestions offered on who to follow based on who OnlyFans wishes to promote. Additionally, when someone joins OnlyFans, they do not select the type of content they are interested in seeing or following, which negates OnlyFans as a platform for discovery. Gan declined to share what percentage of content is adult but said creators are also not categorized. “OnlyFans is an add-on to someone’s existing social media. You can populate your OnlyFans profile by doing a swipe up through Instagram, or sharing that you’ve launched an OnlyFans and direct traffic that way,” said Gan. In the past, notably in the 1990s music industry, artists who sought to capitalize on their fame to earn more money were regarded as “sellouts” who were diminishing their artistic integrity. Kurt Cobain from Nirvana was accused of selling out, while the Beasty Boys have a lifelong policy to never license their music for commercials. But, fast-forward to 2021, and content creators are not only more willing to solicit brand deals or direct payments from followers but, to an extent, they’re applauded for doing so by their followers. Now, just like OnlyFans helped disrupt the creator economy and the attitude toward paying content creators, it is now seeking to disrupt its own reputation. According to Bloomberg, OnlyFans is seeking outside capital at a $1 billion valuation and to become more of a “mainstream media platform,” rather than a place for porn. Co-owner Leonid Radvinsky, who owns 75% of OnlyFans, has received scrutiny for questionable business practices in the past. For OnlyFans, sex sells until it doesn’t. In Dec. 2020, OnlyFans soft-launched OF.TV, which offers broader lifestyle content on topics like meditation, cooking, music and comedy. Both Mrugala and Alyssa Olson, whose username is BodyPosiStylist, have been invited by OnlyFans to post on OF.TV for free, in exchange for promotion of their account. Both said the exposure significantly boosted their followings. “We do have that reputation for having sexy content, which is something we don’t shy away from. Its intention back in 2016 was always for all types of content creators from all genres,” said Gan. She said, due to the company’s “liberal content policies,” adult content has flourished. But, by 2019 there was a variety of content creators including from the music industry and lifestyle space. Celebrities like singers Cardi B and Aaron Carter, as well as actress Bella Thorne, all joined OnlyFans, bringing it even further awareness. Gan said OnlyFans has 130 million users and 130 million content creators, while only 300 creators have made $1 million through the platform. But, as The New York Times reported in May, even the non-adult content comes with a wink and a nudge that alludes to the platform’s origins. When designer Rebecca Minkoff began its OnlyFans profile in February, one locked post said, “This is what we don’t show you,” followed by a coquettish wide-eyed, red-cheeked emoji. This barrage of sexual association on and with OnlyFans can create some barriers for content creators. Mrugala said she does not promote her OnlyFans account through her other social profiles and does not publicly tell people she has an OnlyFans, as she is waiting until the stigma of association goes away. “It’s changing rapidly. I will feel more confident in sharing OnlyFans with others. I don’t really care what other people think, but I want the stigma to go away,” she said. Meanwhile, Olson posts a mix of hair-styling tutorials and body-positivity photos. She said she appreciates the ability to post content that spans genres. Olson has been in the beauty industry for 11 years, working in cosmetology and hairstyling, and began her OnlyFans account in Oct. 2020. She described the response from OnlyFans followers as “day and night,” compared to other social channels like Instagram. She has 50,000 followers and has received $1,500-$15,000 in monthly earnings, whereas her Instagram presence hovers at around 1,000 people. Olson monetizes through selling lingerie photos and unsolicited tips, and occasionally charges for direct messages when she is behind and has hundreds to answer. “I was excited about OnlyFans because I had my personal Instagram and my business Instagram but I could never meld those two things together,” said Olson. “I’m looking to build my name as an influencer. People aren’t working for free anymore, especially after the pandemic. You can go and enjoy my content on Instagram for free if you want, but you can see a lot more and see more in-depth if you are willing to pay $5.” BEAUTY TIPS: OnlyFans courts beauty content creators. OnlyFans courts beauty content creators, OnlyFans courts beauty content creators, OnlyFans courts beauty content creators, OnlyFans courts beauty content creators, OnlyFans courts beauty content creators, OnlyFans courts beauty content creators,  Read the full article