Despite being one of the oldest and most enduring industries – often a lifeline for those excluded from traditional work – sex work is still widely dismissed as not being ‘real’ work. Whatever your moral standing is on using sexuality to earn a living, ignoring the fact that sexuality has always been used by many industries as a valuable commodity, is an exercise in ignorance. The pandemic highlighted both its necessity and the harm caused by stigma.
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Online sex work, such as OnlyFans and camming, exploded during the pandemic, yet many people who supplemented their income this way faced backlash and discrimination. Nurses, teachers and care workers (all of whom are infamously underpaid) were fired from mainstream jobs as a result of starting OnlyFans pages.
I know all of this not just because I’ve read the statistics or followed the news, but because I’ve lived it. After working for years in hospitality, fitness, and childcare to subsidise my creative work, I eventually turned to stripping and then OnlyFans.
For the first time, I was earning a living wage, on my terms, using the same aspects of my identity that had been commodified and controlled in the film and TV industry. It was empowering – not because it was easy, or glamorous, or free from stigma – but because it allowed me to take back control over how my body and image were used, and who benefitted from that labour.
I was lucky. I had a platform, and I could be open about what I was doing. But most people don’t have that luxury – and they’re punished for trying to survive in a system that refuses to see their labour as valid.
In-person sex workers, who are often unable to safely disclose their profession due to institutional discrimination, were left without income or support during the lockdowns. The shift to online platforms requires privileges not all have, such as tech access, and the ability to be publicly associated with sex work.
However, if sex work stigma didn’t exist, many more would have been able to support themselves safely with online sex work during the pandemic. This is another reason why we must start respecting non traditional forms of labour, such as sex work, as legitimate work.
People are vastly different, and the workforce should reflect this. No matter how much the government punishes and berates people who can’t work within the confines of traditional labour, it won’t change the fact that people have different abilities, backgrounds and needs.
Trying to force people into work that doesn’t accept these differences will only place further strain on public services.
Megan Prescott’s podcast Really Good Exposure is available on all major platforms.
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