Sex workers are having a pop culture moment.
In Apple TV’s “Margo’s Money Trouble,” which premiered in April, Margo (Elle Fanning), a college student and newly single mother, creates OnlyFans in a desperate effort to support her child. In “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” also on Apple TV, a newly divorced mother gets involved in a crime spree with a camboy (Brandon Flynn). And in the latest season of HBO’s hit Euphoria, the plot centers on Cassie’s (Sidney Sweeney) character’s evolution to OnlyFans stardom, a storyline that has drawn backlash for inaccuracies (for example, the controversial “baby play” has been banned on the platform).
This spotlight is not new. Sex workers were in the spotlight during the 2025 Oscar season, with Anora winning five awards, including Best Picture, and the year before, Emma Stone won Best Actress for her role as Vera Baxter in Poor Things, the lead character working as an escort in a Parisian brothel.
These different portrayals raise questions of empowerment and exploitation, autonomy, and how the media shapes our views on sex work. So, we spoke to actual sex workers to get their opinions.
They say these recent shows and movies differ from their real-life experiences in some major ways, and most of these depictions obscure some very specific issues that sex workers are actually dealing with.
“Euphoria” had the most “stereotypical” and “taboo” portrayal of sex workers, said Maitland Ward, the “Boy Meets World” actress and OnlyFans creator.
“This is an insult to actual OnlyFans creators,” Ward said. “Women are taking charge, building brands, making tons of money, gaining followers, and being able to support themselves and their families. I don’t think they get the recognition they deserve so much time.”
Sex work is real structured labor
Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when everything in our lives was forced online, the idea that “you can become a millionaire overnight just by joining OnlyFans” was born, Ward says.
Around the same time, OnlyFans first began to penetrate pop culture. In 2020, Cardi B used the platform to promote her music, release exclusive content, and see Bad Bunny’s song “Te Mudaste,” which references OnlyFans, reach the Billboard Top 100. Even Beyoncé sang “She might start an OnlyFans” on Megan Thee Stallion’s song.
Some young women join these platforms thinking they can make a quick buck. But Ward says the idea of easy money is a myth.
High-income OnlyFans models can make $100,000 a month, and some celebrity accounts can make millions, but most don’t achieve that kind of success overnight.
In addition to Margo’s Got Money Trouble, which depicts the less glamorous behind-the-scenes struggles of sex work, media depictions often omit the labor of building and maintaining a following, managing clients, and administrative tasks.
UK-based escort Elizabeth Romanova says she understands that TV programs need to be “dramatic for people to watch”, but warns that some viewers “treat them like documentaries”.
“I hope people listen to real sex workers,” she says. “They don’t understand that there are different types of sex workers and that we all live normal lives every day.”
Romanova says even something as simple as opening a bank account can be difficult for sex workers.
“I could get my bank shut down because I’m a sex worker, but I’m still running a business, so that’s really difficult. I have to pay taxes, I pay my bills,” she says. “When something like that happens, it really makes life difficult.”
Sex workers frequently seek advice on Reddit, exchanging tips on setting up bank accounts to handle OnlyFans earnings.
According to Ward, creating the content also takes a lot of effort.
“Everything is choreographed. You have to be physically fit to do it. And you have to take care of all your stuff, including administrative duties,” she explains. Increasing followers is “very difficult and takes time.” As long as you’re “on set,” chances are you’re spending the same amount of time editing photos, building your brand, and curating content.
Sex workers want better representation of their lived experiences
Mara Cruz, who discovered sex work more than a decade ago, told USA TODAY in 2025 that she was looking forward to the release of “Anora,” but was left disillusioned by the film.
“Anora” depicts the whirlwind relationship between 23-year-old stripper Ani (Mikey Madison) and her wealthy client-turned-husband Vanya (Mark Eidelstein). Cruise herself has danced in strip clubs across the United States.
One of her biggest issues with the film is that it depicts sex workers “through the eyes of customers and consumers rather than as workers doing the work,” which she calls “a belittling of our work.” For her, the film was a “reminder” that the lived experiences of sex workers like herself and the tensions between sex workers and consumers “will not be accurately portrayed” unless sex workers are in control of their portrayal from start to finish.
“A lot of people scoff at the notion that sex work is real work, and it is,” Cruz previously told USA TODAY. “But just because you recognize it as a real job doesn’t mean you respect the workers who do it.”
Real sex work isn’t just about gimmicks and a thirst for fame, as viewers might think after watching “Euphoria.” Instead, Ward argues, Cassie’s character is more like a caricature of a sex worker.
“The best thing you could think of to represent a sex worker is to dress like a baby and a dog…do you think that represents a sex worker?” Ward says. “It’s like, ‘Let’s put it there to make them laugh, it’s like a freak show,’ and it’s unfair to the industry and to women.”
Romanova said on the show that Kathy works day and night, whether it’s filming content or building connections at parties.
But “we are still human beings. We live a normal life.” On her days off, Romanova walks her dog. She pays her bills. Reply to emails. Spend time with your family. Same as everyone else.
Sex workers in movies and TV are starting important conversations
Sex workers say that despite their shortcomings, shows like “Euphoria” have at least made sex work visible enough to start important conversations.
Ward said strangers, fans and even people on the street treat her like a “safe space” to ask questions about porn and sex work because they know her from TV, and that curiosity itself is a positive change. “For a long time they’ve been told, ‘Oh, you can’t know about this because it’s taboo and scary,’ but the fact that they’re now asking questions…I think that’s a good thing.”
“[Sex work]doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s not all good, but it’s not all bad either. It’s a normal part of life,” she says. “If we normalize this, so many women will be protected.”
