‘I used to be an engineer’: the locals making a career on OnlyFans

Shyli wants to sell hair extensions and Erika used to be an engineer, but for now, they have one thing in common – they work full time as erotic influencers on subscriber site OnlyFans.

The two are among a number of women on the marketplace which allows well-known individuals, among others, to monetise their social media following. However, the site’s main attraction remains pornography, giving adult performers the chance to upload their own material and chat with fans and strangers.

The social-media-like platform works by allowing fans to subscribe to a content creator for a monthly fee, with OnlyFans taking a 20 per cent commission.

According to financial results announced this month, business is booming for OnlyFans and their 2.16 million fellow creators, who between them earned €3.86 billion last year.

Shyli Rose, who prefers to keep her real name secret, says she makes a “ton of money” on the platform, where she shares pornographic videos of herself and “new content every day”.

She claims to be among the top one per cent of earners. Her 1,038 fans subscribe to her account for a fee of between €7-€20 per month. Her nationality, she believes, is part of her success.

“I think...