We're living in unprecedented economic times in which even people who have already established successful careers are forever in search of lucrative side-hustles.
And it seems this urge to diversify extends to celebrities, as well.
Bella Thorne is the latest well-known star to branch out in unexpected ways, and we're guessing most of her 23.5 million Instagram followers will be quite enthralled by the model's latest venture.
Last year, Bella directed a p0rn -- or an "erotic short film" as she prefers to call it -- and the only objection from her religiously-loyal fanbase was that the actress herself did not make a scantily-clad cameo.
So for those who were hoping to see more of the famously sex-positive actress, today's news is like Christmas in late August.
Thorne announced on her Instagram page this week that she's joined the subscription-based exclusive content site OnlyFans.
Now, despite the fact that it's been misrepresented as an "adult" site, content creators of any kind can post their latest work on OnlyFans.
But considering Bella made the announcement with a pic in which she's wearing a bikini and a nameplate necklace reading "SEX," we're guessing her page won't feature many pics of her plants or long-form essays about climate change.
But while her subscribers can probably expect racier phots than she would be allowed to post on Instagram, Bella makes it clear that she's more interested in the politics surrounding sex and sex work than she is in the act of showing skin.
"I’m excited to talk about the politics behind female body shaming & sex!!!" she captioned her announcement pic.
"With the amazing director sean baker who I’m proud to call my friend."
Baker is an acclaimed filmmaker whose credits include such award-winning films as Tangerine and The Florida Project.
But while Thorne is obviously planning to collab with some of her favorite artists on the site, she also promises fans an unfiltered look at her personal life and worldview.
“OnlyFans is the first platform where I can fully control my image; without censorship, without judgement, and without being bullied online for being me,” she wrote on Instagram.
Clearly, the sales pitch was successful, as OnlyFans crashed for several minutes immediately after Bella announced that she had joined the site.
And all that interest should translate to a pretty nice payday for the 22-year-old former Disney star.
Bella offers several subscription plans, most of which will cost her fans abut $20 a month.
Ealrly estimates have Bella earning between $10-12 million from her first year as an OnlyFans content creator.
Not too shabby.
As when Teen Mom 2 star Kailyn Lowry joined OnlyFans, many have rushed to the conclusion that Bella is planning to deliver some seriously hardcore content in the weeks to come, but there's no indication that that's the case.
As an advocate for sex workers, we're sure Bella's not totally opposed to going in that direction, but it doesn't seem to be her plan at the moment.
The fact is that many young stars are fed up with feeding the Facebook monster by posting their content on Instagram, a site whose ridiculous no-nipple policy serves as a reminder that it's a lumbering billion-dollar corporate dinosaur.
Bella Thorne taking down Mark Zuckerberg with the power of partial nudity might be the only ending that could redeem 2020.
