Megan: ‘Onlyfans helped me buy my house’
The unapologetic star on how years of being ‘slut-shamed’ prepped her for success
It’s safe to say that Megan Barton-hanson has done pretty well for herself since she entered the Love Island villa in 2018, and sparked a barrage of headlines over her “seedy” past as a stripper. Two years later, the 26 year old has blazed a trail for women to own their sexuality. And after reactivating her X-rated Onlyfans account earlier this year, she’s got a whole lot to show for it – including a swanky new London home. Speaking to heat, the reality star – who’s just launched her podcast You Come First – chats breaking taboos, and why she’s far more “geeky and awkward” than you’d expect.
Tell us why you named your podcast You Come First... It’s important to put yourself first – not only in sex, but in all aspects of life, like your mental health or your career. I always say in interviews that I’m a little bit selfish, but I think you need to be. It’s something that I’ve learned as I’ve got older.
Why do you think you’re still one of the few female celebs who talks about sex? So many of my contemporaries are worried about their careers and being judged. I’m not saying you have to be an absolute nymphomaniac and tell everyone about your private life, but I just think if more women were honest and open about what they liked, then society would stop either painting women as frigid or slut-shaming them. I was slut-shamed at school and I carried that shame around for so many years, so I think that’s why I’m now so vocal about it. How does being so open affect your private life? It is difficult. Don’t get me wrong, I love using my platform and helping people who can’t represent themselves. But at the same time, I have been on a few dates recently and the conversation can be so disheartening – all the men want to do is talk about sex or my experiences with other women, but that’s just one side of me. I don’t regret being that voice, but it does come with a lot of hassle. I think Love Island painted me out to be this super-confident, powerful woman, but I’m also geeky and awkward. You’re currently ranked at number eight on Onlyfans’ top ten earners worldwide. How does that feel? It’s amazing, and it really validates what I’m doing. I had a lot of trolling when I first did Onlyfans. The headlines were like, “Megan goes back to her roots for £19.99 per month”. It made it seem seedy and tacky. So, to be in that top ten, and be the only one from the UK in it – and now that I’ve just moved into my first house and I’m financially stable – it’s just like, “Yes! Showed you.” ■
Find Megan’s new podcast You Come First on the interactive podcast app Entale, or wherever you like to get your podcasts