‘Onlyfans changed my life’
THE name Scarlett Moon may not ring a bell with many people, but if you are a subscriber of popular social media platform Onlyfans, you will be very familiar with the work of the Joburg nude model.
Moon was among the first South Africans to register an account on the hit platform a few years ago.
The model gets paid in dollars and makes a substantial amount of money.
She has become so popular that these days she is even recognised while out in public.
The 35-year-old nude model and professional fire dancer admits that the fame has taken some getting used to.
“The first time I was out doing my grocery shopping and a gentleman came up to me and asked how my cat was doing and some intimate questions about my life. At first I was completely shocked,” the model tells Saturday Star.
“He told me about how he was a subscriber of my channel and that he watches all my videos. I had mixed emotions. I was delighted, but also it felt a little crazy that a complete stranger knew so much about me.”
But these days she doesn’t mind the fans and says it’s become an incredibly fun experience.
Onlyfans has become popular for its explicit content. The platform was created in 2016 and allows users to pay for private content (photos, videos and live streams) with a monthly subscription.
Sex workers, fitness trainers, models, public figures and other “content creators” use it to grow and monetise their fan base.
While the platform is open to virtually any content creators, it has become popular for its explicit sexual content.
The model offers a variety of services on Onlyfans, including sending customised nudes to subscribers, rating men’s penis pictures, striptease erotica videos, customised erotica videos, as well as personalised fetish videos. She also offers her customers customised feet fetish and stocking videos. All for a fee, of course.
An option that has proved to be a huge hit among her subscribers is sending her worn G-strings and pantyhose directly to paying subscribers.
She says since joining Onlyfans she has received some crazy fetish requests, some which she has fulfilled, and others which she has downright rejected.
“One man asked me to fill up my bathtub with baked beans and then to lie naked in the bathtub. That was crazy. Another offered me a big amount to send him my dirty gym socks. He asked me to train with them on for a while and not to wash them and then to mail them to him. There are many who love dirty socks, dirty underwear and that sort of thing, and they are willing to shell out big amounts of money for it.”
While Scarlett is more than happy to fulfil most fetish requests, she admits she draws a line with certain things.
“I get some really f***ed up requests and I politely decline. I don’t need to say yes to everything and for those who aren’t happy with it are more than welcome to unfollow me.”
Her popularity has also opened up many doors. She also features on hit Showmax documentary Sex in Afrikaans, as well as reality TV show Real Housewives of Pretoria.
While she is now her own boss and earns in dollars, this was not always the case. She says she started up on Onlyfans after an unfortunate and unfair work dismissal in 2018.
The model had a corporate job at one of the most popular wellness brands in the country and lost her job just before lockdown.
“I ran a very well-known big company’s wellness centre. One day I got called in and was told I posted something inappropriate on Instagram and that I was being dismissed.
“At that time I never posted anything over the top because I knew I was working in a corporate environment. Apparently an employee alerted the bosses to one of my posts. I went to the CCMA and nothing came of it.
“I still don’t know what picture it was that got me dismissed. However, what happened was a blessing in disguise because it led me to where I am today.”
She then weighed up her options and stumbled across social media platform Patreon.
“I was on Patreon for a little while creating content, and then soon after, Onlyfans was launched. It seemed interesting and something I definitely was interested in exploring. I went to check it out, signed up, and haven’t looked back.”
The model admits, however, that it was a tough challenge to gain a following.
“In the beginning I struggled to sell my content and found it hard to attract subscribers. South African men in particular didn’t want to pay for content.”
Then her fortunes slowly started to change.
“Lockdown happened and everyone was bored at home, and I soon started seeing a drastic jump in subscribers. I think the best thing to happen to Onlyfans creators was the lockdown. It gave content creators like myself such a huge boost.”
Her following grew weekly and soon the model had thousands of followers from every part of the globe.
While Scarlett admits that she is having the time of her life, she admits it’s hard work.
“People have this misconception that content creation is easy. I dedicate several hours each day to it. It is tons of hard work, dedication and commitment.
“I am kept busy every single day and the reason I make good money is because I work extremely hard and put in the work that is needed.”
But there are also certain dangers that come with this job.
“You have to be cautious of stalkers in this business. I have a stalker issue currently that I am dealing with. Your life can be put into jeopardy when you share so much of your private life online.”
She says she has also had to deal with angry wives and girlfriends.
“I do get emails and messages from wives and girlfriends whose partners follow me. Some of the messages are very hateful and angry, while others just want to know who their partners are following.
“I had one woman who wasn’t angry or upset. She just wanted to learn who I was. We are actually friends now and have the best conversations getting to know each other.”
Her inbox is also flooded with requests from men asking her for sex, she admits.
“People just automatically think that nudity is connected to sex. So men find it okay to constantly send me requests to have sex with them. That isn’t what I do.
“Sometimes they want to meet up. The messages do get rude and I get harassed, but it’s something I have to deal with.”
Scarlett says being a content creator in South Africa also has some other huge challenges.
“We are reliant on a good internet connection and electricity. Load shedding has made our lives so much tougher. Very often I have to cancel live videos because I don’t have electricity. When I try using my data I often have signal issues and so I am unable to work for a good few hours.”
Asked what her family thought of her blossoming Onlyfans career, Scarlett says: “My mom is proud of me. I have never hid what I do. I am very open and proud. I certainly won’t be changing for anyone.”
She has also used her rise to prominence in the industry to inspire others by hosting content creation classes to help them grow their following on social media platforms.
“I try and help as many people as I can. It’s been a difficult journey and I feel like I have learnt so much and am able to impart knowledge to others about what I have learnt, so why not.
“There is so much of money to be made if you can perfect content creation, and if I can help and inspire at least one person I will be happy.”
She says she looks back at the moment she was unfairly dismissed as a turning point in her life.
“I will never ever return to the corporate world. That experience opened up the door for a whole new life which I am so grateful for.”