Sex work in a Latemodern Context : OnlyFans and what it Means for Sex Workers

Abstract

The term sex work is a notion used to describe a collection of pursuits relating to the interchange of money for sexual services (Harcourt and Donovan, 2005). Typically, sex work is divided into two classifications: direct sex work and in-direct sex work. Direct sex work categorises acts such as prostitution and escorting, both in an indoor and street context (Pitcher, 2015). In-direct sex work is used to classify acts such as stripping, peep show performances, pole and lap dancing, as well as virtual sex work such as camming (Sanders et al., 2009 cited in Pitcher, 2015). Despite in-direct sex workers not offering genital contact, a monetary fee is still exchanged. The online sex industry has been present since the early 21st century, and despite being heavily stigmatised, both in-direct and direct sex work industries remain a significant part of the contemporary economy (Weitzer, 2013).