Objects and Agents? Social Perception of OnlyFans Content Creators

Prior research suggests that sexually objectified women – that is, women evaluated primarily based on their physical appearance – are often perceived as less than fully human and denied agency, such as the capacity to plan and exert control over their actions. In this research we investigated whether such an assumption holds for female OnlyFans content creators. Across four experimental studies (Ntotal = 984), we found that male participants objectified creators more than other female targets (i.e., non-OnlyFans creators and umbrella girls), yet did not deny them agency (Study 1) and even attributed more free will to them than to other targets (Study 2), regardless of sexualized appearance (Studies 2–3). Contrary to our expectations, creators’ income (high vs. low) did not affect perceived free will in Study 3, but did influence self-determination in Study 4. Additionally, intrinsic (vs. extrinsic) motivation to join OnlyFans increased perceptions of creators’ self-determination (Study 4). Regarding participants’ gender, one motivation-related interaction emerged: Women (but not men) attributed greater self-determination to intrinsically (vs. extrinsically) motivated creators. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.