“Anora”: Mikey Madison about why he’s proud of the “vulnerable” final scene
“Anora” star Mikey Madison talks about the film’s finale. She explores various emotions in a five-minute single-shot car scene.
The internet is talking about sex workers. a lot.
They were in the spotlight during the Oscar season – “Anola” won five awards, including Best Picture – and the only fanstar has gained popularity on platforms such as Tiktok and Instagram, becoming pseudo-sexual in the process.
This week, the discourse reached new heights. On June 11, the economist released the profile of Bonnie Blue, a controversial adult entertainer entitled “Welcome to Bonnie Blue’s UK.” The 26-year-old made headlines by staging a “petting zoo” stunt that has since been cancelled to give male fans freedom of access to her. The move angered the sole creators of fellow members like Sophie Lane and created headlines.
So, what’s going on? It’s a bit for sex work. However, some sex workers, whether they work in strip clubs or online adult content creators, feel that their living experiences are frequently ignored in discourse.
“Sex work is work” has become a progressive political party line, says 30-year-old sex worker Mala Cruz. Phrase signs can be found in women’s marching and wrapped t-shirts. But Cruz says, along with half a dozen sex workers and only fan creators, while USA Today recognizes the workforce of sex workers, the spotlight belongs to financial and legal barriers to their safety and agents, and they need to understand their work more deeply.
“There are a lot of people who compete for the notion that sex work is a real job,” says Cruz. “But just because you recognize it as a real job doesn’t mean you respect the workers behind it.”
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The only controversial fan stunt is “joking from all of us.”
In December 2024, Lily Phillips had sex with 100 men in 24 hours and made headlines to document it for her only fans. The documentary has accumulated over 10 million views on YouTube, sparking a passionate response. In January, Blue said he slept with 1,057 men in 12 hours.
Rain is the only Miami-based influencer with over 500,000 fans on the social media platform and over 500,000 followers, calling for Blue to turn the platform into “Clown Show.” Rain is a member of Bop House and is a content creator apartment for eight Gen Z OnlyFans Creators. Her posts link the line between sensual and sexually suggestive, but not with complete nude.
“It’s no longer female empowerment. It’s a shocking value and she’s been making jokes from all of us. We’ve created this space to take control of our bodies and make money on our terms,” Lane said in a statement. “The brands aren’t taking us seriously anymore. The media isn’t taking us seriously. I’m tired of explaining that we’re not all of us doing circus acts for clicks.”
Adreena Winters has worked in the adult entertainment industry for over 15 years and is worried that customers will “lose trust” in sex workers if these stunts are a tactic to attract media attention, starting with studio porn before moving to the sole fan during Covid-19.
Still, she hopes that these larger conversations will continue the positive trends she saw in dismantling the stigma of sex workers. She attributes this “big change” to the sole presence of a fan in books, documentaries and mainstream music. Artists like Lily Allen and Cardi B have used the platform to promote music, release exclusive content, and Bad Bunny’s track “Te Mudaste” has landed in Billboard’s Top 100.
However, Winters says it’s not embraced by other areas of sex work, such as Studio Porn.
“I feel it’s a very only thing. The only fans are very vague. People don’t just jump to the conclusion that you’re doing hardcore porn,” she says.
Keily Blair, CEO of onlyfans, told the Financial Times that one bank turned her down as a client. Both Winters and Cruz have struggled to access UK and US banking tools, and have resorted to “ambiguous online banks” after closing their accounts in the winter. Sex workers frequently seek reddit advice and exchange tips for setting up a bank account and handling only fan revenue.
And Fosta-Sesta, a US law passed under President Donald Trump in 2018, has sought to shut down a website promoting sex trafficking, including backpages on popular advertising platforms that were repealed days ago by US federal authorities. But in the process, sex workers say they’ve broken the online infrastructure that helps keep them safe.
A 2020 study on FOSTA’s impact on sex workers showed an increase in economic instability for approximately 72% of study participants, with nearly 34% reporting an increase in violence from clients. Cruise argues that abolishing Cesta Fosta “holding hand” by decriminalizing sex work is an important step in improving working conditions.
Sex workers need not only attention, but also workers’ protection
Cruz’s introduction to sex work was as a sugar baby at age 18 to help pay for college. After working in the office, she began stripping away “full service” which included exchanging sex for money.
She moved across the country. At one strip club, Cruise faced the “worst working conditions” he had ever experienced. At those moments, the least of her concerns was whether people viewed her work as “real work.”
While working as a stripper, she was strangled in a “Champagne Room” where clients go to private services. When she turned to management, they encouraged her not to get involved with law enforcement.
“Whether or not someone thinks what we’re doing is normal doesn’t really matter if we’re safe at work,” she explains. “I need an emergency button in the champagne room. If a customer is abusing me, I need a security guard to be by the champagne room.”
Online, only stars of some young women make their lives seem ambitious. Rain’s “Bop House” team is supported by around 90 million users across social media platforms.
“When I get older, I want to be like you,” one follower wrote under a video of a woman dancing. “I need to attend Bop House,” another said.
However, Cruz says committing to the industry is the best decision she has ever made, but she doesn’t encourage other women to follow in her footsteps.
On “Stripper Twitter,” an online community of face-to-face sex workers, they’re looking for each other. Part of the reason our communities are so powerful is that they understand how difficult their work is, how lonely and isolated they are.
Sex workers want a better representation of their living experience
Cruz was excited about the release of “Anora,” but was disillusioned with the film.
“Anola” follows a whirlwind relationship between 23-year-old stripper Anni (Mikey Madison) and her husband Vanya (Mark Edjershtin), who has become a client-turned-handed son of a Russian oligarch. The romantic drama was sold as a Cinderella story and as an early screening for sex workers’ audiences. When the film dominated the awards season, other sex workers began to express their disapproval.
One of Cruz’s biggest criticisms was his portrayal of sex workers “not as workers who carry out their workers” and “through the eyes of customers and consumers.” For her, the film was a “reminder” that “it’s not accurately portrayed” unless the sex worker controls the portrayal from start to finish.
“Anola embodies the inhuman consumer fantasy of dedicated workers who love their customers.
In Mikey Madison’s acceptance speech for Oscar’s best actress, Madison recognized the sex worker community.
For Cruz, those feelings were flattered.
“The advocacy of sex workers is not ambiguous,” she says. Instead of the award, she wants to see a real, concrete change.