A psychotherapist draws a connection between the Kardashians and OnlyFans content creators.
MJ Corey is a psychotherapist who has launched a provocative new study into the Kardashian family in her newly-released book, 'Deconstructing the Kardashians: A New Media Manifesto.' Corey is already quite known in digital circles as she operates the Instagram account, 'Kardashian Kolloquium.' Her work is dedicated to the rigorous study of the family through a scientific and media-theory lens.
Corey argues that the Kardashians do not just follow culture. Instead, Corey suggests the family traces and defines modern narratives.
The Kardashians Didn't Shy Away From the Sex Scandal
She identified a specific turning point for the dynasty. Corey traces their meteoric rise back to an act of sex work, specifically highlighting the 2007 leaked sex tape of Kim Kardashian and R&B singer Ray J.
Corey emphasised that Kim became a household name almost overnight because of the sex scandal. Then, the family's flagship reality series, 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' premiered only months later.
In traditional media narratives, women were expected to respond to such leaks with shame or silence. The Kardashians took a different path. They chose to monetise the moment rather than retreat from it. Corey notes that this refusal to live in shame is exactly what fuels public resentment. By turning a perceived scandal into a global business empire, they challenged the established moral order.
'People have a different feeling towards female icons that are tragic or humiliated than the ones that are like, "No, I'm good, I'm gonna make money from it,'" Corey said in an interview with Mashable.
'It's another nuance that people have been forced to sit with when it comes to the Kardashians and their relationship to sex — that the tape didn't break them,' she added.
'Making Money on Sexuality'
Corey noted that the Kardashians' rise to otherworldly popularity is frequently framed as a masterclass in the 'cultural appropriation of race and ethnicity.' Yet, the narrative is missing a vital opening chapter.
According to Corey, the family's initial ascent was built on a different foundation. They did not just borrow from diverse cultures. In the beginning, they appropriated the aesthetics and labour of sex work.
Corey even divulged that she spoke with a sex worker who chose to remain anonymous. This source maintains a firm belief: Kim is a sex worker in all but name. However, Kim would never embrace or even accept the title.
Ultimately, Corey sees a direct parallel in how the public treats these figures. She pointed out that the Kardashians are now being shamed in a manner strikingly similar to OnlyFans models.
'I've just noticed in the larger discourse, [shaming] of women who are entrepreneurial on their OnlyFans accounts,' Corey assessed. 'There's a similar shaming that people throw at the Kardashians sometimes for making money on their sexuality.'
Corey also explained it further in her book:
'Sexual accessibility is, apparently, most alluring when there's a sense that no woman is profiting from it, which is probably at least one reason why the Kardashians...became more reviled the richer they got, and also why people would one day rag on the sex industry social media website OnlyFans, which came out in 2016 in the thick of Kardashian-driven influencer culture and offered a space for many sex workers to own the means of their production.'
Despite accusations of cultural appropriation and the promotion of unrealistic body standards, the family's ability to remain at the vanguard of the zeitgeist for over two decades suggests a level of business acumen that transcends mere sex work. They have successfully transitioned from reality television stars to global moguls, fundamentally altering how fame is manufactured and monetised in the digital age.
