Megan Fox broke the Internet when she made an Instagram return a few weeks ago. She first shared a post in a t-shirt, knee socks and high heels, then followed that up with even more pics in schoolgirl plaid. Fox clearly knows how to draw attention, as evidenced by the fact the latter post even harkened back to her infamous Sports Illustrated Swim cover. It’s all seemingly pretty calculated, which is why other social media stars are a little surprised she’s not trying to capitalize on her following more.
Addyson James, who goes by the nickname “Your Favorite Blonde Bombshell,” recently spoke to the DailyMail about her thoughts on Fox’s viral posts. The most viral of these (below) received nearly 8 million likes. Not views. Likes.
Per James, Fox should really be looking to make money off subscription platforms like OF as other celebrities, including Cardi B and Bella Thorne, have done before her. It’s true. While the average OF content creator makes $180 per month, the big fish do much, much better. One star a while back admitted she made a million dollars per month for her content. Right now, Ms. Fox is sharing her stuff for free.
In the case of James, she told the outlet there’s an advantage in the paid subscription space for celebrities simply because people are already paying attention:
The reality is, they’re coming in with millions of eyes already on them, so their earning potential starts at a completely different level. It's not about who works harder, it's about who has the attention.
A PR Expert seemingly agrees. Brian Scott Gross, head of BSG public relations, knows Fox put together the Instagram shoots to make a splash, something he refers to as “keeping her heat high.” With that goal, she’s absolutely been successful, but he thinks she’s still leaving money on the table.
When a global star like Megan Fox posts this kind of content for free, she isn’t just ‘wasting’ money; she's essentially giving away the crown jewels of her Digital real estate.
Not everyone – least of all likely Ms. Fox herself– likely agrees with that assessment. Some additional OF stars mentioned they feel like going onto social media to essentially post thirst traps rather than some of the more risquè content the platform is known for can be a bait and switch; there was, in fact, a lot of this discourse when Bella Thorne joined. Additionally, not everyone’s goals are the same.
Obviously, people are going to have opinions no matter what Megan Fox chooses to do with her life (and her social media). As Thorne herself noted about the Internet, “You can’t fucking win.”
