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<\/p>\nHard-up students have been selling explicit pictures of themselves online during the pandemic to help fund their way through university.<\/p>\n
Many students who cannot get jobs because of the collapse of the hospitality industry have turned to the sex industry to make money, selling images through OnlyFans.<\/p>\n
OnlyFans, escorting and selling explicit content on the internet has become a lifeline for some students and young adults during the pandemic and with stricter lockdown measures in place.<\/p>\n
Finding a job during lockdown has proven harder than ever and students have been resorting to the sex industry for income.<\/p>\n
OnlyFans is the most common online platform allowing for anyone to make a profile and charge a monthly subscription for other users to access explicit photos and videos they may publish.<\/p>\n
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One student in Glasgow, studying physical geography, who asked to remain anonymous said that selling explicit photos on OnlyFans \u201cis my only source of income\u201d.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI don\u2019t get nearly enough student loan, I don\u2019t have much other choice and I feel like a financial burden on my parents as it is.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least this way, even if it\u2019s not accepted by society, I\u2019m making a bit of my own money.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said she can make up to \u00a33,000 a month depending on how much time she commits to her OnlyFans account.<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cUniversity is so expensive, so some students have to resort to this kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
A student in Manchester, who also asked to remain anonymous, said she had agreed to meet with a man in exchange for money.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was offering me \u00a31000 a month for multiple meets,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But the 20 year old decided not to go, saying: \u201cI feared what people would think of me if they found out\u201d. But said she would consider it again if it was safe and needed the money.<\/p>\n
She added: \u201dIt\u2019s difficult to find employment at the moment, and it can be a struggle trying to balance university and work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese kinds of arrangements are flexible so students can focus on their studies rather than worrying about money.\u201d<\/p>\n
She had originally met the person she was due to meet on an app called \u2018seeking arrangements.\u2019<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI had spoken to a few guys on there but they all seemed a bit risky\u201d, and decided to meet a younger man who provided her with a legitimate social media account.<\/p>\n
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Another student from Manchester, who did not wish to be named, said the amount of money \u201cyou can make from OnlyFans makes it almost irresistible\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThis kind of thing has to become normal, people need money, our generation is struggling because of Covid\u201d.<\/p>\n
The 22-year-old media student said he had considered getting an OnlyFans numerous times, saying that \u201cthe real goal would be to improve my standard of living.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t get a job right now which is why I\u2019ve considered it\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cIn the gay community, it\u2019s starting to feel a bit inevitable. It\u2019s almost as though you should get an OnlyFans.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy philosophy is in favour of it, I\u2019m very liberal and open about it, everyone has flesh.\u201d<\/p>\n
In contrast, one student from London who also did not wish to be named said she does it to \u2018fund her lifestyle\u2019.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cDuring the first lockdown, I was making about \u00a3800 a day from selling nudes\u201d.<\/p>\n
She also occasionally does \u2018intimate meets\u2019 where she will charge for her time and company and said including the money, she\u2019d get from selling explicit photos she could be earning \u201cthousands a day\u201d.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThere are some men who think I\u2019m too expensive, and some girls who think I\u2019m too cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said she has had numerous \u2018sugar daddies\u2019 and said that as a \u2018sugar baby\u2019, it is \u2018modernized escorting and prostitution, it\u2019s just a more accepted term\u2019.<\/p>\n
When talking about what she does, she said: \u201cThe only difference with doing this kind of thing is I have a type of guy I like, but when someone is paying you, you can\u2019t be picky.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 21-year-old, studying maths, has been involved in the industry for three years and does not plan to stop after graduation. <\/p>\n
She said that during her second year at university \u201cI didn\u2019t spend any of my own money.\u201d It was entirely funded through people paying to view her content.<\/p>\n
When talking about students being forced to do it after having no other source of income, she said: \u201cI wouldn\u2019t encourage anyone to do it if you have to think about it, you have to be sure.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the time I do it, it\u2019s fun because I earn a lot of money, but there are low moments when I stop and think about what I\u2019m actually doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the NUS told the Northern Quota: \u201cThe pandemic has caused so many issues for students, not least the extreme levels of financial difficulty and hardship.
\n\t\u201cStudents cannot and should not be expected to pay rent, tuition fees and living expenses with no income, and they should not feel they have to turn to sex work as a last resort.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat students need right now is rent rebates and maintenance grants to support their time at university.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hard-up students have been selling explicit pictures of themselves online during the pandemic to help fund their way through university. Many students who cannot get…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1306,"featured_media":5442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4972,1],"tags":[4252,3835,2097,9],"class_list":["post-5445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uncategorised","tag-only-fans","tag-pandemic","tag-student-union","tag-students"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n