It's an industry fraught with controversy, but pornography is now more accessible than ever - both for consumers and wannabe entertainers. In 2016, OnlyFans quietly came onto the scene, changing it for good.
The London-based subscription website and app offers a platform for all sorts of content creators, like fitness gurus and makeup artists, but its service is primarily - and most famously - used by sex workers. It allows anyone to pick up their phone and create X-rated content instantly for people to view for a fee - and possibly generate a large following and big money in the process.
Like an X-rated version of Patreon, OnlyFans offers porn that is more exclusive, more intimate and more 'real' than the content produced by adult entertainment companies - and in turn performers have more power over their work. They can even interact with their subscribers, such as by replying to their messages.
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And the novelty of the service has paid off. It exploded in popularity during the pandemic, reaching two million creators and 180 million users. Last year, the company saw a huge jump in revenues - raking in more than £805m.
Lacey Amour, a 23-year-old adult actress who grew up on a council estate in Newport, is a Welsh creator who has found success on the platform and used it to break into the porn industry. She has been making adult content for just over three years now and hasn't looked back.
Last week, Ms Amour made headlines after she defended filming a porn video with a group of other sex workers in a Travelodge. At the time, she claimed porn stars "face injustice and discrimination that other industries don't" and insisted it was as professional as any other job.
But is the stigma around the porn industry, and those involved in it, warranted? Is porn always a bad thing, especially for women? Are sex workers genuinely empowered by their jobs? We contacted Ms Amour to find out the reality of her job and see what she had to say about the thorny issues surrounding her work.
How did you get into porn?
"I was a carer waiting to start university to study nursing, and I started OnlyFans in late 2019 to help me pay for uni. It progressed from there," she said, adding: "I can’t even remember the day I joined OnlyFans or how I knew it existed, it just happened. I fell into the career."
What porn websites do you appear on?
"Mostly OnlyFans, but the mainstream porn sites that I am on are Team Skeet, PornHub, and PureCFNM."
Is pornography your full-time job? If so, how long did it take for it to become your full-time job?
"Yes, it’s my full-time job. When I first started I was only earning about £100 a month. I was really happy with that alongside my current income at the time. It stayed like this for months until I went to uni, left my job as a carer and started it full time. Even then I wasn’t putting a lot into it as I was studying and had my student loan to help, but my income through OnlyFans grew to £500 per month.
"After having a taste of what I could earn and learning that you get out what you put in I put more into it and started earning about £2000 a month. This was all I could do at the time alongside my studies. I dropped out of my first year of uni a year and a half ago and spent every waking moment trying to grow my business, and it’s growing rapidly."
How many subscribers do you have on OnlyFans?
"1.4k at the moment."
OnlyFans is relatively new when it comes to porn websites. Do you think it’s changed the porn industry? If so, in what way?
"I wasn’t in the porn industry before OnlyFans, but from my knowledge OnlyFans has given the control to the creators as opposed to the companies. Creators can decide where they want their content to go, how much they want to sell it for, what they want to do in their content, and if they want their content taken down, they simply delete it. Whereas when working for companies, they don’t have any of this power.
"From a porn company's point of view, OnlyFans has completely taken over the industry. Creators are creating their content themselves and have full control over selling it instead of companies paying them a flat fee and selling videos for years to gain profit."
We often hear about people making a lot of money from OnlyFans. Has that been the case for you?
"I personally make a good living from OnlyFans but it isn’t what it seems on social media! It’s portrayed that you set up a page and instantly make £10,000. This isn’t the case at all and actually, there are 1.2million creators on OnlyFans and the average creator earns $150 per month! It takes a lot of time and effort to build a big account with a decent wage and even then, it’s not guaranteed.
"It isn’t as simple as it seems to make any money on OnlyFans. You have to set up the page, market the page to get subscribers, which includes posting on social media every single day, multiple times a day, and dealing with social media accounts being deleted so often and losing all the hard work and money put into growing an account, dealing with hate on social media, buying underwear and props, thinking of scene ideas, traveling hours to a clinic that will do a full STD test and certificate, finding trustworthy people to film with, finding a location to film and investing in hiring it, setting up the lighting to look good on camera, setting up some cameras, acting and filming the scene, making sure it looks good on camera, editing the content, marketing the content, replying 24/7 to subscribers' messages, doing your own account to ensure income is legit - the list goes on.
"This isn’t about setting up a page, posting photos of your feet, no-one finding out and making a million pound. You have to build a brand, just like any other business. And as the business is owned solely by me, you have to be marketing manager, sales manager, finance manager, creative director, etc. You have to wear every single hat and do it well to be successful. Being successful on OnlyFans is one part luck and three parts blood, sweat and tears."
Describe your life in three words
"Perfect - I wouldn’t change a thing in my life, I have people around me that I love, I have freedom to do what I want, when I want and I’m doing my dream job.
"Overwhelming - I work from the second I open my eyes in the morning to the minute I close them again at night time. My screen time on my phone is 20 hours daily, I live and breathe work. Sometimes it gets a lot and my brain gets a bit overwhelmed with so much going on, but it’s what keeps me going! If I was doing nothing I would go insane.
"Exciting - I have so many exciting opportunities to do things I have never been able to do, meet people I’d have never been able to meet, go to places I’ve never been before and learn so much about myself that I am the happiest I’ve ever been."
What was your first ever porn scene like? Were you nervous?
"On OnlyFans my first porn scene was a sex scene with a boy. I was nervous to meet him but I had asked other girls what he was like and he had really good references from them. Once I met him we instantly hit it off and it was a great first experience.
"My first shoot for a company was PureCFNM and I was again a little nervous to be in front of a big camera instead of a phone but once I’m there and the camera is rolling, I’m back in my comfort zone! I never get nervous anymore.
"Before these scenes I was doing solo content in my bedroom for OnlyFans. I went to a party that was advertised as a support network for adult professionals and met so many creators that guided me the way into filming with other people, telling me about STI certs, staying safe and how to approach people. This has taught me the importance of networking in business and inspired me to launch my own event - the UK’s first networking event for the adult industry. This is launching in August. If it wasn’t for attending that party in that strip club, I wouldn’t be where I am today."
What are the characteristics you need to be a successful porn star?
"You have to be passionate - if you don’t love what you do, it will show on camera. It’s hard to build a business you’re not passionate about. You have to be assertive - everyone in this industry should know their boundaries and morals and be able to communicate this to others to ensure that these don’t get pushed and if they do, you must be able to stand up for yourself.
"You must be resilient, in more ways than one. You must be able to overcome any hurdles that the industry throws at you. Accounts getting deleted, content getting reported, shadow bans, hate online, people showing family members your content, friends and family disowning you, stalkers, other industries not taking you seriously, you can’t open a business bank if you work in the industry, men thinking that due to the job you’re easy and they can do what they like with you, etc.
"Being able to bounce back from people online pointing out every insecurity, calling you every name under the sun, death threats, being even more vulnerable in the streets as a woman AND a sex worker. It’s a lot to deal with, physically and mentally."
Do people recognise you in the street? Do you have fans?
I have been recognised a few times but not so much that I consider them fans. I was in A&E once and the doctor messaged me on OnlyFans a few days later, referring to something we spoke about, and said how great it was to meet me. That is just one example."
What's the best thing porn has done for your life?
Freedom. Both with time and financially. I can work from anywhere in the world and I have met the most amazing people through my job that I consider family.
And the worst?
Not getting taken seriously. I put as much effort into building my brand as any other entrepreneur does with even more hurdles due to the nature of the business and other industries not treating me as the professional that I am.
How has doing porn changed your life?
"In every way, shape and form. I have made amazing friends, I have financial freedom, I can work from anywhere in the world, I run my own business, I have set myself up for life, I have learned my boundaries and how to stand up for myself, my confidence has increased a lot, I have created incredible opportunities for myself and I have never truly been happy until now."
Tell us one thing about porn that would really surprise us.
"A lot of the creators will have their partner watching and/or filming the actual videos!"
What's your average working day like?
It changes every day but I’ll wake up at 8am, check my social media and emails and reply to any messages and comments, then go onto my OnlyFans page and reply to all my messages on there - 1400 people is a lot of people to reply to every single day.
"Then I’ll have breakfast whilst doing a TikTok live if I’m not banned that day. I have a meeting with my personal assistant every day to essentially do a ‘handover’ and discuss my quarterly plan, how to achieve goals and how we are getting on.
"I check my diary to see what I’m getting up to that week, I’ll shower and get ready for the day, drive up to 7 hours to get to the destination I’m going to film at, meet whoever I’m filming with and chat for a bit, show our sexual health certificates, discuss the scene, our dos and don’ts, how the scene will end, set up the lights and cameras, and film the scene.
"Then I have a shower, have food and a cuppa, go on social media, do some marketing and answer more messages, comments and messages on OnlyFans, potentially film another scene (this can range from one to seven scenes a day depending on who you’re with and how many times they can go), take photos and market videos to use on social media to promote the scenes.
"Depending on how far I drove, I will either drive home or stay the night. Either way, I will eat again, organise more collabs, book venues for other collabs, check up and market the events that I run, edit the content that was taken, upload videos and photos to my paid pages, pick up and complete any tasks that my personal assistant didn’t complete, answer OnlyFans messages, have a shower then go to bed."
How do you decide whether you take the part?
"It depends on who the scene is with and what the scene is. Long before I got into the industry, porn companies wouldn’t tell you who you were working with or what you were doing until you arrived that day. If I’m not comfortable with that particular person and/or what the scene actually is, then I will say no."
Are scenes heavily scripted or do you just go with the flow?
"The ones that I’ve taken part in are lightly scripted. They give you a general idea of what they want you to say and maybe some buzz words that you have to say but for the most part, it’s all improv. There are definitely companies that will give a full script, which you have to remember word for word, but I personally have not had to do that."
Is there anything you won't do?
Yes, of course! I don’t do hard domination or any hardcore stuff really.
Is there an official list of things you will and won't do and people you will or won't work with that producers and filmmakers see?
No! It’s all about communication. If you don’t want to do something, you say beforehand and everyone is really respectful of boundaries. The same with people you don’t work with, you have to communicate before booking the scenes.
Have you ever feared for your safety?
"As a woman, I fear for my safety all the time. As a woman who is a sex worker, men assume you’re ‘easy’, feel entitled and will try things that they wouldn’t usually try. I am scared every single time I meet a new guy alone to film, even though I always take references, you never know what someone can do.
"As for have whether I have been in a specific situation where I was in danger, no, but a lot of people in the industry have been assaulted or sexually assaulted by other creators, photographers, directors, etc. You’re in a very vulnerable situation a lot of the time and it’s very easy for that to be manipulated."
You work with men and women - do you prefer one or the other?
"I love working with both! But men always feels better for me."
Do you enjoy the sex when you're filming? Or do you think of it as work/ acting?
"A little bit of both! You have to understand that this is just work and it needs to look good on camera and sometimes the angles that look good don't feel the best, but as a whole, sex always feels good!"
How, if at all, is sex outside porn different to sex during a scene?
"When filming you’re very focused on making sure it looks good for the camera. Angles and lighting make a HUGE difference on how the video turns out. Off camera you don’t have this worry so it’s a bit more stress free but sex is sex! It always feels good!"
What do your partner (if you have one) and friends think about what you do for a living?
"A lot of my friends I have met through the industry. I lost a lot of friends due to my job. I have some good friends that are so supportive and are proud of what I do, but I also have some that will be my friend no matter what but they don’t want to hear about any of it. It’s a difficult situation to balance."
Have you ever got a negative reaction from someone when they found out what you do for a living?
"A lot! Just check the comments on social media! From anyone that matters to me, no. If they did matter to me at the time and had a negative reaction, they don’t matter to me anymore."
People claim that porn is demeaning/harmful to women. What do you think?
"I think it can be harmful, but we are not all victims! We are in vulnerable situations, we are looked down upon and bullied for what we do. Many sex workers have taken their own lives due to the bullying that they have received. There are women that are doing this job because they’re desperate or that have no other options.
"But not all of us are victims! We chose this job, many of us were not forced or left with no other option. We were not manipulated or doing it to pay for addictions. We actually love our job! I wouldn’t trade my job for a single job on planet earth. It’s what I love and I’m good at it.
"99% of people that I know in the industry love their job. They are all well educated, the come from good backgrounds. They are former neuroscientists, police, doctors, lawyers, nurses, etc. They are all doing good jobs that aren’t easy to have a career in.
"There are three sides to every story. There are people that are desperate and vulnerable. There are people that leave their well-respected jobs to do this because they love it. There are some people that join because they’re desperate and end up loving it. Every situation is different but majority of people are not victims."
Is there any sort of pornography that you feel is demeaning/harmful to women?
"My personal beliefs for what I think is morally wrong to sexualise is just my opinion. People fetishize some things that I may not agree on and I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable with what they get off on. If they’re not breaking the law, causing anybody harm, and it’s all consensual, then each to their own."
How do you feel about claims that porn damages its consumers' attitudes towards sex and women?
"I think this is only the case if you are young and/or have not had sex before. Once you actually have sex with someone you will realise that it is nothing like porn. It’s all acting and make believe. That’s why OnlyFans and amateur has grown so much as a category - because it’s real. With regards to customer’s attitudes towards women, men already have these attitudes towards women. We are sexualised with or without porn so why not profit off something that is out of our control?"
In the recent article by the BBC about you and others filming in a Travelodge, you said porn stars face "injustice and discrimination that other industries don't". Could you expand upon this and explain what other discrimination you have faced?
"Nobody takes my job seriously and I’m constantly looked down upon because of it. If you look at the comment section of any sex worker it will say something along the lines of ‘get a real job’, ‘classy’, ‘riddled’, ‘no dignity or respect’, ‘selling your body’ etc. They act as if they don’t go to work all day making minimum wage, using their bodies to make the CEO of the company rich.
"I have been turned down for business accounts and had bank accounts closed because of the nature of the business. I have been turned down by corporate solicitors that won’t represent my business because they fear being affiliated with me will damage their reputation.
"I have had landlords more than happy to rent office space to me until they find out that I work in the adult entertainment industry - then being abruptly refused the opportunity to rent this office space. Brands have declined to work with me due to my job, while in my personal life, some landlords won’t take tenants for houses who do sex work.
"These are just some examples on a professional level when just operating your business as an entertainer. There is also discrimination in your personal life with bullying, assault, stalking, etc. Colleagues, friends, family, strangers will bully and discriminate against you every single day. I work harder than someone who works a 9-5 and just as hard as any other entrepreneur. I’m a professional but not viewed, treated or respected as such."
Describe your perfect non-working day
"I honestly do not have a day where I don’t work in some way, shape or form. As an entrepreneur, you don’t get a day off! Before I became really successful, I used to take weeks off at a time because I could afford to. I came to realise that when I’m not working and achieving something for extended periods of time, my mental health rapidly deteriorates. I have to work and be busy in order to be happy. It’s a part of me that I’m really blessed with because it means I get to put more into work and as a result, reap the rewards of my labour."
What's a great night out for you?
"I actually don’t drink alcohol so I prefer to stay in but I do still like to dance in clubs sober! As long as I’m in good company, I have fun always! My ideal night out would be a good meal with a quiet cocktail bar with good music. Monkey House in London is fun!"
Do you get chatted up a lot?
"Yes, but a lot of the time, I’m the one that does the chatting up! I know what I want and I’m not afraid to go out and get it!"
Who's your role model?
"I have a few! A bit unexpected but Steven Bartlett! He started his business young, with nothing, and built an empire. I’m just beginning mine. Sonya Barlow is a huge one. She’s a more closely related inspiration as a woman in business. She started from nothing too and built her own empire, facing the exact same challenges that I face but in different circumstances.
"Her industry didn’t support women in corporate roles and she set up a network called Like Minded Females that is an international network for women. She’s now an award-winning entrepreneur, author and a BBC presenter. As a cherry on top, my work has allowed me to meet her. She will be attending my networking event as a headline guest speaker. This is an example of my job creating opportunities that I would have never had otherwise."
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
"I see myself doing exactly what I’m doing now. My immediate goals are to set up an agency to help other people be as successful as I am. This industry is big enough for everyone to make a lot of money and I want to give people this opportunity. I have achieved everything on my own so far and I know how to make a lot of money.
"I have employed two members of staff because I am at the point where I can’t grow my income without help anymore. So my goal for the future is to set up a medium-sized enterprise with more staff as an agency and have my staff do exactly what they do for me, for everyone else. I want everyone to be as successful as I am. I thrive on seeing other people succeed. If everyone in the industry could all live the life that I live, I’d die happy - especially if I helped them achieve it."
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