But despite shifting attitudes and sex work becoming slowly recognised as a legitimate career, the industry is still plagued by stigma and unjustified outrage.
And with alternative forms of sex work becoming part of the public consciousness due to the skyrocketing popularity of OnlyFans, slut-shaming is still rife, proving we have a long way to go.
Most recently, a horrific MAFS storyline saw bride Olivia Frazer circulate a nude photo of fellow bride Domenica Calarco from her private OnlyFans account in an abhorrent attempt to humiliate Calarco.
Now, Audrey Aura, a top 0.4 per cent OnlyFans model, has gotten refreshingly candid on what it’s like to be an online sex worker in today’s society, and how “whorephobia” is still prominent despite the enormous growth of the porn industry over the pandemic.
“We are belittled, slut-shamed, body shamed, and disregarded on a daily basis for our job. People don’t see us as people once they learn our job title,” Audrey, 23, tells Girlfriend.
“We have come a long way from merely five years ago, but there is still a huge road ahead of us until the industry is destigmatised.
“I am often told that I must have no morals or self respect to be in this industry, but often those are the same people who go and watch porn for free, which is likely pirated and obtained immorally.”
OnlyFans themselves even tried to ban explicit content in August 2021, which caused an uproar among the community of sex workers.
Although OnlyFans backflipped on the ban only five days later, the site’s demeanor towards the community is still widely negative.
OnlyFans has no home page, categories, or easy way for users to browse through model’s accounts in order to find some they may be interested in. OnlyFans models are left to market themselves through other means, which is a struggle in itself.
Social media platforms constantly shut down accounts, even if they’re not breaking any rules or posting any racy content, Audrey says.
“Just by having an OnlyFans account, you open yourself up to a world of hate from people you never would expect it from,” Audrey says.
The 23-year-old says OnlyFans models are consistently told that their job is not “real” work, as society only sees the content that is being produced.
“The amount of people who think that all we do is take some nude photos every so often, is astonishing. The reality is, we’re often working 12-plus hours every day on marketing, customer service, sales, editing, filming, scheduling, bookkeeping, and so much more,” Audrey explains.
And it’s not just the preconceived notions of strangers that has a negative impact on sex workers. Audrey says OnlyFans models still face stigma and shaming when it comes to dating.
Men will watch porn, but refuse to date someone who does OnlyFans, and claims that we are degrading ourselves by putting our bodies out there to be viewed, Audrey says.
“I’m lucky enough to have already been in a solid relationship when I started OnlyFans, but I have many friends who are also in the industry, and now are struggling to date because so many men are threatened by them, refuse to date them, or even goes so far to verbally harass them because of their job title,” she explains.
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