The lie of empowerment

~ crazydreamsgirl ~ Leave a comment

False promises are leading many into an unforgiving industry.

It’s safe to say that most of us have been through a period of depression or even panic when we didn’t know what direction our lives were taking. Some may experience feeling this way right after they graduate or when they feel stuck in a job. When we go through times like this, it is all too easy for us to be influenced into taking a dangerous path that will leave us with scars. Some people in this situation who are looking to change their direction can fall for the lie that they can empower themselves by selling their body online. In today’s world, people who do this are known as adult content creators. Young adults are often led on this path with the idea that they will experience wealth and independence. However, for many, these ideas are fale, and taking this path can have consequences that can last far longer than a period of temporary depression on panic.

When someone chooses to become an adult content creator, they need a platform that allows them to make money from their adult content . There are a few platforms that adult content creators can use. However, the most well-known platform for this type of content is Only Fans. This platform was created in 2016 and simply put it allows content creators to get paid from their fans for the content that they post. While Only Fans hosts a variety of content on it’s platform the majority of its creators post adult content. Posting adult content online is nothing new or surprising. What is surprising, however, is the amount of growth that Only Fans has had in recent years. The amount of content creators on the platform grew significantly from 2019 – 2023.

The adult content industry has been widely considered a taboo one. However, in recent years, joining Only Fans and creating adult content has grown much more mainstream with several celebrities, including Cadri B, Denise Richards, and Lily Allen joining the platform. When something becomes more mainstream, it becomes easier for people to justify becoming a part of it. From looking at the numbers of new creators It seems like a lot of people are jumping on the trend of adult content creation. It is hard know exactly why large numbers of new creators are joining the platform. However, I have to think that stories of how some people were financially  successful on the platform helped to contribute to the rapid growth. Unfortunately, for a lot of people who choose to enter the world of Only Fans and adult content, they will soon discover that the stories that they have been reading are the acceptation and not the rule.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

One of the first realities that a new adult content creator may face is that they will not  be making as much as they were expecting to. The average creator on the platform makes just 180 dollars per month. In addition to that, the top 10% of Only Fans creators make 73% of all the money that is made on the platform. Another thing that may catch new adult content creators by surprise is the toll that it can have on their mental health. A study that was published in 2011 showed that female performers in the adult industry were more likely than other women to suffer from depression and poor mental health. in addition to this , while I could not find any clear numbers on the early death rate of those in the adult film industry , I did not find a shortage of stories about adult film stars who died at a young age.  Even if an adult content creator manages to stay mentally well, it is still hard to believe that they will have a happy career in the industry.  I also discovered lots of stories from former Only Fans creators who regret joining the platform. Even with the low amounts of financial success and the high amounts of depression and regret, I fear that the number of new people joining Only Fans won’t slow down anytime soon.

The amount of people being led into this industry breaks my heart. The truth is that when you become an adult content creator, you may feel empowered at first. You may feel confident when your customers give you money and tell you how great you are. However, you will discover the truth sooner or later. The people paying for your content don’t care about you. They care about the way that you make them feel. They don’t like you as a person they like that you are willing to sell images of your body for their enjoyment. Only Fans popularity may make it seen like a harmless way to make some extra money.  Some may even say that you are putting yourself in charge of your body and sexuality. However, you are no longer in charge of something once you sell it. Even if you leave the adult industry, the internet does not easily forget, and it is likely that your images will still be in the hands of others long after you stop selling them. I believe that we would all be better off for many reasons if platforms like Only Fans did not exist. After all my research, I can confidently say that Only Fans and other similar sites are not places for empowerment but places for dehumanization.

Collect for love not money

~ crazydreamsgirl ~ Leave a comment

collecting is a timeless hobby that often gets confused for an investment opportunity.

Written by Christina Epperly

I was a child during the 1990s, and I remember the TY Beanie Baby craze well. I don’t think I will ever forget how excited I was when I realized that I had 100 Beanie Babies in my collection. I loved adding new bean filled friends to my collection. TY Beanie Babies were always on my birthday and Christmas lists, and it was a hobby that I had in common with many of my fellow 90’s kids. I also remember being told by multiple adults that my collection would be worth money one day. Some years later I lost interest in TY Beanie Babies, and I ended up getting rid of my collection. However, in my adult years, I started building up a collection of TY Beanie Babies again. I remembered the joy that collecting the adorable toys brought me during my childhood, and I’m thrilled to say I was able to recapture that blissful joy even now that I’m a tax paying adult.

Along with rebuilding my collection, I also got into the hobby of thrift shopping. As I watched videos on thrift shopping I would often here people in the videos say that you shouldn’t buy Beanie Babies because they don’t resell well and that you can not make a profit from them, That statement never set right with me. Now, I know that the people in the videos were giving advice on reselling thrift store items to make a profit and that they were not speaking to collectors. However, I had a hard time moving past that statement. I think the reason why I feel that way originates from my first experience with collecting. Many kids who had a Beanie Baby or another toy collection were also probably told that it would be worth money someday. I do realize that the adults who told this me and other collectors had good intentions and that they were encouraging a young person to make good investments. However, that is what really bothers me. Collecting should not be looked at as an investment. It is a hobby. Most people would not tell a kid that enjoyed playing the piano that they should be focusing on getting a collage scholarship or tell a kid that enjoyed swimming that they needed to focus on getting better so they can be a professional swimmer. It makes me sad that a lot of people seem to forget that collecting is a great hobby that can be very rewarding on its own without making any money at all. I collect Beanie Babies and other toys such as Barbie dolls because I like them. I get excited when I add a new item to my collection. It feels like winning an award.

I have to admit that I have sold a few things from my collections and there is one item ( a Lisa Frank party game) that I wish I never would have sold because the nostalgia that it brought me was worth more than money. I remember when I got that game, I was so excited when I saw it sitting on the self at the thrift store. I had the same game as a kid, and it brought back memories. I sold the game because I was going on a trip and I knew I could sell it quickly for some extra money. I deeply regret selling the game. I know that I probably will never find another one on a thrift store shelf again. Selling that game taught me an important lesion. When you collect items for the purpose of reselling them, the wonderful hobby of collecting becomes no different than investing in a company in order to make a profit.

It hurts my heart when I see people that are part of a collecting group contently ask how much items in their collections are worth. Collecting should be about creating an amazing collection of items that you truly love, not something that you do for money. I also know that thrift stores will often look at reselling sites and price their items based on price they see online. I think it is so sad that the hobbies of collecting and thrift shopping have been impacted by the desire to gain money. If you are thinking of starting a collection, let me offer up a little advice for you. Collecting should never be viewed as an investment. It is possible that your collection may be worth some money sooner or later, but the point of collecting should never be money. It should be for the blissful nostalgic joy that it brings.

Warning dangerous trends ahead

~ crazydreamsgirl ~ Leave a comment

TikTok’s biggest threat has nothing to do with privacy

Written by Christina Epperly

Imagine waking up to a loud bang at your door at 3 a.m. Your heart starts pounding, and you grab a bat to protect your family. You rush out of bed, terrified. However, after you investigate, you discover that you have just been a victim of the door kick TikTok challenge. The door kick challenge is just one of the many dangerous and illegal challenges that have been made popular by TikTok. As scary as the door kick challenge is. It is only one of many TikTok challenges that cause harm and even death. While I have not been a victim of this challenge, I have experienced teenagers creating a disturbance at my work in order to recreate TikTok pranks. There is a debate going on over if TikTok should be banned or not. After seeing the chaos that TikTok creates. I’m on the side that it should be banned. However, I believe that TikTok should not be banned over concerns about online safety, but it should be banned due to safety in real life.

The door kick challenge has caused fear and damage in various neighborhoods across America, including California, Texas , and New Jersey. I myself have witnessed the mayhem that TikTok challenges can cause. I work in retail, and on multiple occasions, I have had to ask teenagers to leave the store because they were interfering with business by yelling and pulling their pants down to recreate trends from TikTok. The door kick challenge is just the beginning. TikTok is filled with disturbing trends. Other concerning TikTok trends include taking large amounts of  Benadryl , kicking someone’s legs out from underneath them causing falls and injuries , using a penny to create sparks and possibly a fire, swerving your car on the road to match a song , and shooting at people with airsoft guns. The trends I mentioned above are not just harmless pranks that we expect from teenagers but harmful stunts that can have devesting impacts. One of the trends that I mentioned above is known as the skull breaker challenge. There are many examples of teens receiving concussions as a result of this challenge. I wish concussions were the worst things to come from a TikTok challenge, but the concussions are mild compared to the damage left behind from another challenge I read about. It broke my heart when I learned that the TikTok blackout challenge had taken the lives of 20 young people, including 15 children who were under the age of 13.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

While it is true that dangerous trends can be shared on any social media site, TikTok has some things that set it apart from other social media services. TikTok is known for its unique algorithm that keeps users, including easily influenced teenagers, engaged for hours. According to the Pew research center, as of 2024, roughly 6 out of 10 teenagers use TikTok and Instagram. Even though a similar number of teenagers may use both TikTok and Instagram, there are some very notable differences between the two popular social media platforms. TikTok is focused on one type of content. Short videos that you can scroll through until your phone runs out of battery power. While Instagram provides users the option to post photos as well as short videos. Instagram also has more of a focus on interacting with friends and family, while TikTok has more of a focus on entertainment. I believe that having a focus on entertainment instead of having a focus on keeping in touch with the people and even companies that users care about is one factor that contributes to dangerous trends. TikTok exploits teenager’s desire for popularity and attention. If you take TikTok’s focus on mindless entertainment and put that together with an algorithm that keeps on feeding users content that they interact with and then your throw some easily influenced teenagers who will do pretty much anything in order to gain popularity. You have a recipe for disaster.

I’m going to be blunt ,we don’t need TikTok . I love social media. I enjoy using platforms such as Instagram, X, and Facebook. Calling for a ban on TikTok is not calling for a ban on social media. It is calling for a ban on one dangerous platform that contributes more harm than good to society. While it is true that bad ideas can come from anywhere and it is also true that TikTok has had some positive influence, such as helping small businesses to grow. That does not change that fact. TikTok’s algorithm focuses on constantly feeding users content that they interact with in order to keep them watching for hours. Even if that content that they are interacting with is harmful. Content on social media spreads quickly, especially when a large part of your users are teenagers who are contently glued to screens. While TikTok has removed some of its harmful content, the administrators can not keep up with the speed that the dangerous trends spread.

Even if a TikTok ban does not happen, we can still take a stand by not using the platform, and if you have children, do not let them use the platform. Parents have more power than they believe they do. TikTok trends are not just a case of kids being kids. It is a case of kids being exploited and made into victims of harmful trends. As with most things, a little bit of education goes a long way. It is up to us to choose the platforms that we use wisely, and TikTok is not a wise choice.