OnlyFans creator Emilie Rae reveals her impressive salary - and the most bizarre fan requests

While it may feel like OnlyFans emerged from thin air during the pandemic, you may be surprised to hear that the subscription-based platform was actually founded five years ago.

A few weeks after the launch in 2016, they welcomed their first 1,000 members – a year later, they hit an impressive 1 million milestone.

This rapid growth demonstrated the potential of the new revolutionary social platform. Fast-forward to 2021, and OnlyFans is a global phenomenon in its own right – with a few hurdles thrown in along the way (like the ‘porn ban’), which damaged the trust between some creators and the site.

Nevertheless, the platform continues its mission to provide a home for safe connections between fans and creators.

The summer of 2020 was arguably the catalyst for subscription growth after the platform attracted mainstream attention when Covid hit. Artists and sex workers found a new place to host their content and monetise their influence to the platform’s 150 million members.

Even the likes of Beyonce contributed to the spike after she came out of isolation to jump on Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Savage’ remix, where she gave a surprise shout-out to the platform.

“Hips TikTok when I dance / On that Demon Time, she might start an OnlyFans”, she rapped, which prompted a “15 per cent spike in traffic” in “less than 24 hours”, according to an OnlyFans spokesperson.

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Indy100 spoke to 27-year-old Emilie Rae, who kickstarted her OnlyFans career back in April 2018. The “posh, petite creator” explained that it only took a matter of hours to sign up, as all she was required to do was set up a new email address and submit a few ID documents before being able to upload to the site.

Within 24 hours, Emilie had earned an astonishing £2,000 from the existing photographs she had on her camera roll.

Emilie decribes herself as a “posh, petite creator who enjoys cocktails with friends” Emilie Rae

Before her “life-changing decision”, the adult content creator was working in a full-time office job. Eight months later, she subsequently quit her nine to five and was earning a substantial amount more.

“In my last job, I was earning £1,200 a month. I earn double that a week now – sometimes more depending on how much effort I put in”, she revealed.

“I would never have been able to buy my first house, become debt-free and experience the things I have if it wasn’t for sex work.”

The content creator’s days have drastically changed since trading her office desk for self-managed photoshoots in her house or hotels. Emilie now starts her day by planning outfits, outlining specific requests, and preparing lighting and props. On average, she shoots around 150 photographs in a three-hour time frame and is “constantly thinking of new, exciting ideas” so she doesn’t get complacent.

The 27-year-old revealed that she does receive some questionable and niche requests.

One of her subscribers has asked for a photo of Emilie with a plaster on her nose, as part of a bigger ‘damsel in distress’ kink.

“He buys fake casts and neck braces for me which I then wear”, she said. “He likes receiving photos of me doing ‘everyday’ things in them: looking injured and helpless, ready for him to rescue me. It could be anything – plaster on my nose, for example!”

Emilie was earning £1,200 in her last job – she now earns at least £2,400 per week Emilie Rae

Naturally, breaking the news to family and friends about the unconventional change of career was quite daunting.

Emilie explained that it was her ex-boyfriend who encouraged her to join the site after revealing how much money content creators were earning. Still, she had hidden her hustle from her parents for around six months before her brother exposed her new venture.

“My brother found out I was making lots of extra money and I paid him to keep him quiet”, she joked. “He eventually told my parents and, surprisingly, they just shrugged their shoulders and were entirely supportive. I’m one of the lucky ones – some people don’t get that response from their family and friends.”

Earning on the platform may initially appear straightforward with no downsides, however, Emilie explained that “you really need to have your head screwed on” in terms of the finance side of things. She currently manages her own finances through a spreadsheet to record all her payments, which she fills out every few months for tax purposes.

On top of that, “OnlyFans takes 20 per cent of your earnings, which really eats into your hard-earned profits.”

Despite the financial highs, Emilie said the relationship between the platform and creators has been “rocked” since the U-turned ‘porn ban’ Emilie Rae

Speaking about the recent ‘porn ban’, which was reversed just six days later, Emilie said it “completely rocked creators”, which led them to feel “abandoned.”

“OnlyFans have been consistently disappointing in the running of their site, with their customer service being atrocious and their team dropping not-so-wonderful bombshells that inevitably destroy lives.

“The sex worker community devotes so much time and energy into creating brands for themselves and they don’t even acknowledge that we exist.

“It’s disheartening, to say the very least.

“They may have ‘suspended’ their new terms, but they will implement them soon. I just hope the girls who are lining their pockets have been smart enough to branch out onto one of the better sites out there like AdmireMe.VIP.”

Despite her tumultuous relationship with OnlyFans, Emilie feels much more open-minded, creative and entrepreneurial since joining. “You do your own admin, you’re a councillor in many ways, your own personal photographer, director, creative writer, digital marketer and you’re essentially an actor/actress”, she said.

And while it can be time-consuming and emotionally draining, “if you put the time into it and become successful it can completely transform your world.”