I had three thoughts upon learning that Lily Allen – singer, actor and podcaster and general emblem of the noughties – had joined OnlyFans, the online platform that is well-known for hosting sexual content. Firstly, that it must be fake. Secondly, why on earth has she done that? And thirdly, bloody good for her.
On the first point, I’ve done my due diligence and it’s not fake. She is genuinely on OnlyFans. She’s selling pictures of her feet rather than anything more intimate, but it’s a real profile and, as far as I can see, without combing the recesses of foot fetish Reddit, they are indeed her feet.
A subscription will set you back £8 a month and there are (at the time of writing) seven published images for you to enjoy. The why is rather more complicated. I’m not party to Lily’s personal finances, but I have seen her Architectural Digest house tour of the beautiful New York brownstone she lives in, so I’m comfortable saying she’s not on the breadline.
Thus this move to OnlyFans is not motivated by worrying about how she’s going to put food on the table. That said, you don’t stay rich by getting complacent and, even if you’re worth millions, you’ve still got to keep an eye on where your next pay cheque is coming from. I find it rather reassuring to see Allen cheerfully announcing her new venture without any shame or stigma, simply celebrating her own entrepreneurial spirit.
There’s something delightfully anarchic about her just doing it, no gl.
