Margo’s Got Money Troubles vs. Euphoria… Who Gets OnlyFans Right?

It would be difficult to walk down the street and not hear people chattering about Euphoria’s final episodes after the show ended on May 31st. Euphoria, based on an Israeli show of the same name, has become popular in large part thanks to a star-studded cast, a gritty style and lack of sugarcoating the intense themes it discusses. Recently, the show has garnered attention for its sensationalized OnlyFans storyline. While Sydney Sweeney has seen praise for her performance as Cassie, the show has drawn the ire of many real-life OnlyFans creators. 

If you haven’t seen the show, here’s the lowdown: Cassie (Sweeney) needs $50,000 for flowers for her wedding to Nate (Jacob Elordi), so she turns to OnlyFans. She makes her housekeeper take photos and videos of her in plenty of promiscuous, but mostly weird outfits. At one point, Cassie pretends to be a dog (ears, leash and all) while she laps up water from a bowl. Later, she dresses up as a baby. This struck a nerve with real OnlyFans creators, who say, even if OnlyFans allowed this sort of content, Euphoria’s depiction is absurd and attempts to portray adult creators in a negative light. 

Maitland Ward, an actress-turned-OnlyFans creator, says Euphoria’s baby stunt is “beyond troubling” and “serves to perpetuate stereotypes that sex workers have no moral compass [and] will do anything for money.” She explained that, with these kinds of depictions, Euphoria elevates the false idea “that somehow sex work is synonymous with sex trafficking and abuse.” Alix Lynx, another OnlyFans creator, argues Euphoria is guilty of the oversimplification of OnlyFans work. “... it’s portrayed that if you just dress up and do crazy sh*t, you’ll instantly make money, or you just have to be hot and have big boobs and you’ll instantly cash out, and it doesn’t work like that. You have to really grow and nurture a fan base.” In the end, adult creator Sydney Leathers acknowledges that unfriendly portrayals of sex work in Hollywood is not new. “It’s always absurd or depressing and rarely ever on point,” adding that fatigue amongst adult creators has grown. “When you’re part of a marginalized community, it’s easy to get upset about certain portrayals of it.” 

Despite this, there is a series on television with a more accurate, if less sensationalized, portrayal of OnlyFans. Margo’s Got Money Troubles follows Margo Millet, a college creative writing major who gets pregnant from having an affair with one of her professors. To make ends meet, she joins OnlyFans, a decision much-maligned by her parents, a former Hooters waitress and a former pro wrestler (played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Nick Offerman, respectively). While her parent’s objections gradually fade (or become less pronounced), Margo turns OnlyFans into a financially successful and creatively fulfilling outlet. Margo’s Got Money Troubles takes a more curious and understanding approach to OnlyFans, which refreshingly contrasts Euphoria’s take, a mockery of adult content creators that’s become common in Hollywood media.

Besides, the idea of joining OnlyFans to better provide for a baby on the way is not as far-fetched as dressing up like a dog. In fact, it’s happened before. Australian influencer Alex Paige Moore was sick of living off $30,000 a year as a dental nurse, so she got on OnlyFans and started working hard. She went from making $2,500 a month at her old job to making $100,000 a month on OnlyFans. Needless to say, her and her baby are now living a comfortable life, all because she decided to create an OnlyFans account.

So, as Euphoria continues to poke fun at adult content creators, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is perhaps the only contemporary show that portrays OnlyFans creators empathetically. The story is believable, and many creators will tell you that the parental pushback is portrayed realistically. It’s worth recognizing that Hollywood gives adult sex workers a bad rap without thinking twice, and there’s finally a television series out there willing to challenge that.