Sexual objectification does not erase the perceived humanity of OnlyFans creators, study suggests

OnlyFans creators are often subjected to sexual objectification, yet research suggests observers still perceive them as autonomous individuals with free will. This finding challenges the notion that sexually objectifying someone inherently diminishes their perceived humanity and agency. Published in The Journal of Social Psychology, the study, led by Chiara Pecini and Alessandra Sacino from the University of Genoa, explored the dynamics of objectification in the modern digital age.

Sexual objectification refers to reducing a person to their physical appearance or body parts, often for others' satisfaction. Traditionally, this process leads to dehumanization, stripping individuals of their agency—the capacity for independent thought, planning, and action. Historically, sexually objectified women have been viewed as passive and unable to make independent choices, a key component of dehumanization.

As digital media platforms like OnlyFans have evolved, researchers sought to understand how these traditional objectification dynamics apply in this new context. The study involved four experiments with a total of 1,011 participants, comparing OnlyFans creators to traditional sexualized occupations such as motorsport umbrella girls.

In the first experiment, male participants read about a woman who actively used OnlyFans, alongside another woman who did not. The men reported higher intentions to sexually objectify the OnlyFans creator but did not attribute any less capacity for choice or self-control. The second experiment compared the OnlyFans creator to an umbrella girl in highly sexualized clothing, with men again showing higher intentions to objectify the creator.

The income level of the creator did not significantly impact how observers perceived her autonomy, nor did the type of clothing she wore in the photos. However, when creators were intrinsically motivated (enjoying showing off their bodies) compared to extrinsically motivated (doing it for financial necessity), female participants rated the intrinsically motivated creator as having higher self-determination. Men tended to view creators similarly regardless of their motivations.

The study suggests that while OnlyFans creators are subject to sexual objectification, observers still perceive them as capable individuals with free will. However, this attribution of agency might be an illusion, as creators often lose control once their content is distributed, exposing them to nonconsensual sharing and harassment. Observers who assume creators have complete autonomy might also engage in victim-blaming if the creators face online abuse.