In the early days of the internet, it was often said that cyberspace would emancipate humanity from old stereotypes and prejudices. But the proliferation of online pornography proved this view naïve by solidifying the age-old sexist norm that a woman is worth her appeal to men. This is especially true for OnlyFans and webcamming.
Both OnlyFans and webcamming are mainly used by women to sell online sex to men. OnlyFans is essentially a marketplace for photos and videos; webcamming is a live streamed sexual performance. Both are marketed as new, fun, and lucrative alternatives to the drudgery of low-wage jobs. Both are said to empower women to manage their own finances, careers, and lives. In reality, however, OnlyFans and webcamming are little more than old-fashioned sexism—putting naked women on display for male approval— repackaged as technological freedom.
Prepared for Culture Reframed
by
Walter S. DeKeseredy, PhD
Anna Deane Carlson Endowed Chair of Social Sciences, Director of the Research Center on Violence, and Professor of Sociology
West Virginia University walter.dekeseredy@mail.wvu.edu
Prepared for Culture Reframed
by
Walter S. DeKeseredy, PhD
Anna Deane Carlson Endowed Chair of Social Sciences, Director of the Research Center on Violence, and Professor of Sociology
West Virginia University
Now publicly available here through the SocArXiv open archive of the Social Sciences.
Dr. Jennifer A. Johnson, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Dr. Ana Bridges, University of Arkansas
Dr. Matthew Ezzell, James Madison University
Dr. Chyng-Feng Sun, New York University
Sarah Aadahl, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Gianna Amabile, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Callen Leahy, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
The Harms of Sexting: Scholarly Literature Review
A Literature Review by Eric Silveman
A Review of the Vulnerabilities of Specific Groups of Adolescents to Internet Pornography
A Literature Review by Dr. Tamasine Preece
Understanding the Harms of Pornography: The Contributions of Social Scientific Knowledge (2020)
Primary author: Walter S. DeKeseredy, PhD, Anna Deane Carlson Endowed Chair of Social Sciences, Director of the Research Center on Violence, and Professor of Sociology, West Virginia University
Critical Media Literacy and Cultural Autonomy in a Mediated World (2020)
Authors: Bill Yousman, PhD, and Lori Bindig Yousman, PhD
The Sexualization of Girls: An Update (2019)
Primary authors: Sharon Lamb, EdD, PhD, and Julie Koven, MSEd, MPhilEd, with assistance from University of Massachusetts Lamb Research Group: Charlotte Brown, Melanie Dusseault, Cara Forlizzi, and Lindsey White