s Larsa Pippen told her castmates. She was referring to her, apparently, extremely successful OnlyFans account, which she describes as “one-on-one exclusive content” outside of what she would post generally on social media. It’s not revolutionary, nor contemptible, for a public figure to capitalize on sexuality. What is uniquely modern about a platform like OnlyFans is one key element: control.
From the start of modern Internet culture, we quickly learned that consent would not be factored into consumption. Celebrities in particular were stripped of whatever privacy remained as new modes of communication were introduced and content reached digital form. No matter the source, an image, a video could not be contained; control was impossible. “Violation” is the word most used to describe the feeling of having something so personal become public domain.
This period’s genesis goes back to 1996. “Macarena” provided the soundtrack to somewhat of an innocence at this time: Bill Clinton was re-elected, we were unaware of any White House interns, computers found their ways into many homes. Enter Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, two major celebrities making headlines for living with reckless abandon. A drug-fueled wedding in Cancun, wild parties, and in-your-face sex.