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Elites of the Whorearchy—OnlyFans Creators’ Power, Identity and Sex Work Stigma Negotiation

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  • Swana Schuchmann

Abstract

Despite the rapid expansion of the digital sex industry, little is known about how digital sex workers navigate identity and stigma, particularly in the German context. This study examines how German female OnlyFans creators (aged 21–28) construct and maintain positive social identities amid societal stigma and hierarchical divisions within the sex work industry. Drawing on five semi‐structured interviews and applying Social Identity Theory (Tajfel and Turner 2004 [1986]) and stigma management strategies in dirty work (Ashforth and Kreiner 1999), the findings reveal four key strategies: (1) social buffer networks, (2) passing and strategic ambiguity to conceal one’s profession, (3) reframing work in alignment with personal values, and (4) social weighting (Ashforth and Kreiner 1999). This study extends the dirty work framework and whorearchy (see Toubiana and Ruebottom 2022) concept to digital sex work, illustrating how platform affordances, sex work mainstreaming (Brents and Sanders 2010), and the rise of supplementary erotic gig labor in neoliberal capitalism shape stigma management strategies and identity construction.

Suggested Citation

  • Swana Schuchmann, 2025. "Elites of the Whorearchy—OnlyFans Creators’ Power, Identity and Sex Work Stigma Negotiation," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(6), pages 2308-2321, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:32:y:2025:i:6:p:2308-2321
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.70010
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Teela Sanders & Laura Connelly & Laura Jarvis King, 2016. "On Our Own Terms: The Working Conditions of Internet-Based Sex Workers in the UK," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 21(4), pages 133-146, November.
    2. Kathryn McGarry & Irma Kondrataitė, 2025. "Resisting silence and stigma: Mothering and sex work," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(2), pages 525-543, March.
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