Économie libidinale

This take is ancient af, but at the same time, it’s more relevant than ever. Being pretty has always been a form of power that can give you access to better jobs, influential circles, and privileged opportunities in general. Not exactly news: social media allow you to grow faster on one special term, no matter if your final product is a physical object or an extract of your thoughts and feelings, like art. And this term is being naked. Anybody naked is getting more attention online, but if you have a lean body and a pretty face, your chances of earning some money are twice as high. *STONKS* Protein, gym and skincare are quite affordable these days. A well-working business model, huh? I’ve been considering this seriously ngl, but something stops me. 99% of hot people you see online are just making money off your attention. As one great classic (Addison Rae) once sang, “Money is everything.” Being hot became a currency. In Économie libidinale, Lyotard argued that capitalism doesn’t kill desire, it runs on it. So there’s no problem with people doing this. The problem is that in most cases there’s no real passion left in it. Okay, OnlyFans. No matter what kind of content you see from OF models, they all look alike. Nobody can stop anybody from making that much effort to become a faceless slut online. Fine, it can be a choice, for money, as mentioned. With all due understanding that the economy and mainstream culture are forcing us to fight for attention, people rarely create something honest and/or original. For me personally, nudes were the last line I wasn’t willing to cross. Not because I’m a prude or because my Russian background has completely ruined my self-esteem (which is partially true), but also because I’m just not that girl, okay? If I’d been born with a conventionally hot body, would I resist this idea that hard? Not sure tbh. Everyone is hot but not attractive anymore, they say, and I agree with that. Real charm lives where people are not afraid to be vulnerable. They’re ready to be wrong, imperfect, and rejected. Risk is attractive. Amateur comes from the Latin amator, lover: someone who does something for love. And all I can say now is: amateurism is dead.