Sex work, like any industry, has its own social pecking order, and it's called the 'whorearchy'. This informal stratification system ranks workers based on the type of services they offer, their rates, and how much skin they show. Emily Mai, a 34-year-old OnlyFans creator based in Melbourne, has spent seven years navigating this hierarchy and knows exactly where different workers sit.
Full-service escorts at the top
At the top of the whorearchy are high-end full-service escorts, who command premium rates and look down on those who charge less. Emily explains that escorts on private websites are judged if they undercut the going rate, which is believed to start around $1,000 Australian dollars (£525) per hour, compared to others charging $600 (£315).
Escorts who don't charge extra for services like anal can face gossip and accusations of 'undermining sex work', according to Emily. Lillith Lodge, an escort who has previously spoken to Metro, charges well over £1,000 per appointment and adds a £156 premium for a condom-free blowjob. Anal is often part of a 'porn star experience' package, but some escorts still charge extra due to the prep work involved.
Lodge points out that if one escort doesn't charge more, a client might expect the same from others, setting a bad precedent. 'That guy might then book another escort and expect the same thing as part of the girlfriend experience,' she says.
Content creators face dismissal
Full-service escorts often dismiss content creators who don't do in-person work, arguing they aren't 'real' sex workers because they don't face the same risks or difficulties. Emily has felt this rejection at industry events, where a full-service provider's demeanor changed upon learning she only did content.
'They feel like "you're not really one of us". It's disheartening, just because I'm not doing stuff in person doesn't mean I don't have my own difficulties. I still deal with horny men,' she says.
Conversely, some content creators distance themselves from escorts, with Emily noting that those who don't perform sexual acts often say, 'I'm not really a sex worker. I don't have sex for money.' They may feel shame about the industry and avoid owning the label.
Emily knows an OnlyFans model who brags about earning $50,000 per month (£26,270) from 'non-explicit content' like bikini and feet photos. These creators, who often jumped straight from regular jobs, may boast that they 'didn't have to do anything', but they're not taken seriously by those who film explicit material.
Strippers find camaraderie, but judgments persist
In contrast to the divisions elsewhere, strip club changing rooms offer a sense of solidarity, with workers sharing stories and supporting each other. Emily recalls this fondly: 'There's a sense of everyone's in this together, we're all chatting, we're sharing stories about this super drunk guy or this amazing client, and I loved that.'
However, even among strippers, the whorearchy emerges, with some declaring, 'I don't do full-service, you only see me at the club and I'm not going to sleep with anyone.' This distinction reinforces the hierarchy.
Guilty by association
Workers must also be mindful of who they collaborate with, as associations can lead to assumptions. Emily, who films with full-service providers, is often assumed to offer such services herself. She advises thorough vetting: 'If you want to collaborate with someone you need to fully vet them and speak to other people to see if they're a safe person. Have they taken advantage of someone else or spoken poorly about the industry?'
Politics play a role, with some refusing to work with others based on brand reputation. 'There's a lot of politics where people will say "I don't want to work with you because I don't know enough about you, or I don't know if I want my brand associated with yours",' she adds.
Despite the divisions, Emily hopes for a world without hierarchy. 'At the end of the day, us women, men, trans, non-binary workers are all just trying to make money,' she says. 'I don't think it's internalised misogyny, but there might be some shame. To me, whether someone chooses to sell pictures of just their boobs or someone chooses to suck a d**k, it's still all sex work.'
