Beauty content may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of OnlyFans - well in fact, you might not think they are linked at all.
But that is all changing, as the controversial social media app tries to diversify audiences and creators.
The platform, which has been around since 2016, rose to fame last year when people were looking to consume digital entertainment more than ever. And now OnlyFans is trying to capitalise on its rapid growth, expanding into other areas in the digital space - enter the beauty community.
We have seen the huge success beauty content has had on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, and now the beauty influencers are making their way to OnlyFans.
So how does the platform work?
Creators upload content to the site, and can select to set their page to be free or paid (with a monthly subscription up to $50), and fans then pay to access the exclusive content. While creators can create accounts for free, when they earn money from the platform OnlyFans pays out 80%, keeping 20% of the earnings as a fee.
One such creator is Gabi Mrugala, whose username is GroovyGabs, who joined OnlyFans in November 2020 after a friend who makes fashion content on the platform suggested it.
Prior to OnlyFans, Mrugala worked behind-the-scenes in the film industry and was looking to build an audience for her self-help wellness content. She said she likes that her videos and photos on OnlyFans can be less polished than those on Instagram and still gain traction, as reported by Glossy.co.
"I’m choosing to stay as a full content creator, because I am fulfilling my purpose by helping other individuals," said Mrugala.
"[OnlyFans] is a place where you can be more personal and more yourself. A lot of people prefer to wear a full face of makeup on Instagram — there’s nothing wrong with that. But on OnlyFans, it feels like a lot of individuals will support you regardless of [whether you’re made-up]."
OnlyFans head of communications, Ami Gan, told Glossy that OnlyFans operates differently than most social media sites, but it was intentionally designed to not become a user’s only social site.
"OnlyFans is an add-on to someone’s existing social media. You can populate your OnlyFans profile by doing a swipe up through Instagram, or sharing that you’ve launched an OnlyFans and direct traffic that way," she said.
Another creator shaking up the platform is Alyssa Olson, AKA BodyPosiStylist, who has worked in the beauty industry for 11 years. Her content spans everything from hair tutorials to body positivity photos.
Olson described the response from OnlyFans followers as "day and night," compared to other social channels like Instagram. On OnlyFans she now has 50,000 followers and has received $1,500-$15,000 in monthly earnings, as reported by Glossy. Comparing that to her just over 3,000 followers on IG.
"I was excited about OnlyFans because I had my personal Instagram [for body positivity] and my business Instagram [for hair styling] but I could never meld those two things together," she said.
"I’m looking to build my name as an influencer. People aren’t working for free anymore, especially after the pandemic. You can go and enjoy my content on Instagram for free if you want, but you can see a lot more and see more in-depth [content] if you are willing to pay $5."
