3 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: What's the current feminist take on OnlyFans?
Really insightful answer. Thank you.
While gig economy apps like Uber and Lyft offer you to "be your own entrepreneur" and "set your own hours," you too are a wage slave still. I suppose this can be extended to OnlyFans. The real question is, let's say you already have a guaranteed basic income or a realistic viable alternative to this line of work, would you still be doing it? If these women WOULDN'T be doing this kind of work without missing rent or a debt payment or going hungry, then I suggest that this sex work is demeaning and ultimately harmful to their autonomy. Assuming this work is done out of an otherwise precarious life, these women are dominated by the political-economic system, which in turn forces them to subject themselves to the whims of men who are willing to pay.
Byung-Chul Han, Maurizio Lazzarato and David Graeber kind of delve into this. When labour becomes immaterial, you exploit yourself. The development of the gig-economy transforms the power dynamic/relationship by making you the one who exploits as well as the the one who is exploited, instead of the traditional distinction between the master and the slave (e.g. owner vs labourer). When you are encouraged to "become your own master," you become the master and the slave both: you exploit your own self.
Comment by TuvixWasMurderedR1P at 03/11/2020 at 17:16 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Oh interesting. Do you remember where David Graeber talks about this? I’d like to read his thoughts on the matter. Or if you remember the others you’ve cited, that would be appreciated also.