Last week, the internet was abuzz with rumors of Bella Thorne's new career in adult film.
However, as is so often the case, folks on social media took the rough gist of the story, exaggerated it for dramatic effect, and reported it as fact.
The truth of the situation is that Bella has not set out to become her generation's Jenna Jameson,
What she has done is launch an account with the subscription-based content site OnlyFans.
While it's true that many, if not most OnlyFans users make money from the site by offering up adult content, that's not the case with everyone.
Teen Mom 2 star Kailyn Lowry has an OnlyFans account, as do Cardi B, Blac Chyna, and many other celebs.
But there are two important facts to note about Bella's page:
1. Her subscribers are granted access to nude and semi-nude photos, but those "tasteful" pics are as racy as the content gets.
2. The revealing photos have brought Bella a ton of money in a very short period of time.
In fact, in her first week, the actress set a record as the site's top earner of all time.
According to initial reports, Bella pulled in a whopping $2 million in just seven days.
Most of that came from $20 a month subscription fees.
(OnlyFans creators can also receive tips from fans who appreciate their content.)
A rep for Bella tells Page Six that half of that money was made during Thorne's first 24 hours on the site.
Shortly after Bella announced her account on Instagram, OnlyFans experienced such a surge in traffic that the site briefly crashed.
Even before the receipts were in and she realized that she'd raked in an astonishing amount of cash, Bella had nothing but kind words for the unique OnlyFans experience, particularly the way that the site allows creators to cut out the middle man and sell content directly to fans.
"OnlyFans is the first platform where I can fully control my image; without censorship, without judgement, and without being bullied online for being me," Thorne told Paper magazine.
For a long time, nudity in any context other than a sex scene in a critically-acclaimed film or an artsy photoshoot with a reputable photographer was considered a career-killer for a young female star.
But Bella is part of the generation that's working to destigmatize nudity and sex work.
Already, Thorne has directed an adult film, and now she's become one of the biggest stars to rep the OnlyFans brand.
It's important work -- and fortunately, Bella is being very well compensated for it.
