OnlyFans has reversed course and dropped plans to ban pornography and other sexually explicit material.
Citing “mounting pressure from banking partners and payment providers,” the social network announced last week that it would prohibit users from posting such content starting in October.
“In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform, and continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines,” OnlyFans said in a statement at the time.
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The decision infuriated OnlyFans’ community of two million creators, which is mostly made up of sex workers whose content is responsible for the platform’s financial success. In response to the news, many of those users have already begun migrating to other platforms.
Realizing it was committing corporate suicide, OnlyFans now says it will remain in the adult content business after all. “Thank you to everyone for making your voices heard. We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned October 1 policy change,” the company announced on Wednesday.
In a world where pornography is both freely available and ubiquitous, OnlyFans distinguished itself by putting content creators safely in the driver’s seat. This is in contrast to in-person sex work — according to some sources, the average prostitute is physically attacked once a month — and on-set work, where the (mostly men) who own the camera equipment maintain power over their costars. Many adult film actors have alleged that some consensual shoots have turned into rape, as evidenced by the accusations against James Deen, who reportedly ignored agreed-upon boundaries once the cameras were rolling. With OnlyFans, the content creator sets their own limits.
In addition to sex workers, OnlyFans also hosts influencers and artists happy for another income stream. Musicians such as Cardi B, Trey Songz, Bhad Bhabie, Tyga, and more had joined to the site, with some doing little more than reposting their Instagram feeds, and others leaving little to the imagination. But the intersection of the rich and famous and OnlyFans hasn’t always been without controversy. Last year, Bella Thorne made $1 million on her first day, in part because of a post — that she claimed was fake — promising a nude photo. When no such content appeared, so many users demanded a refund that the site was forced to change its policies.
