Exclusive: Bonnie Blue on Feminism, Consent and Online Hate

Newsweek

6 hours ago

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If you've been on the internet in the past 12 months, then you've most likely heard the name Bonnie Blue.
The 26-year-old British sex worker launched her OnlyFans account in 2023 and quickly became notorious online, thanks to installing herself on college campuses in the U.K. and Australia and sleeping with what she described as "barely legal" 18- and 19-year-olds.
The men in question would provide proof of age and fill in consent forms, and Blue would then upload content onto OnlyFans, an online content-sharing platform that can be used to share any kind of content, such as photos, recipes and writing, but is particularly popular among sex workers.
Although the men have reached the legal age of consent, outrage has ensued. Some of the young men have lost their virginity to Blue on screen, and concerns have been raised regarding both consent in this context, and the implications of this kind of sexual activity for young men.
In an exclusive interview with Newsweek, Bonnie Blue discussed consent, feminism and how she deals with online hate.
In an exclusive interview with Newsweek, Bonnie Blue discussed consent, feminism and how she deals with online hate.
Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva/Instagram
Toward the end of 2024, Blue, a mere year into her adult film career, had received death threats, been deported from Fiji and faced a petition to be banned from Australia.
But things hit fever pitch in January of 2025 when Blue reached the height of virality after claiming to have slept with 1,057 men in 12 hours.
Since then, she's become a fixture in the tabloid press and faced mounting scrutiny online, most recently receiving a permanent ban from OnlyFans. She also made it across the pond to do a tour of America, starting out in Las Vegas and then heading to Houston to appear on The Isiah Factor Uncensored.
Whether you love her or hate her, it's no secret that in an attention economy, notoriety and virality are lucrative currencies. And Blue has ensured one thing with her content: you probably know her name.
But who actually is Bonnie Blue? Newsweek spoke to the woman behind the headlines for an exclusive interview, where she discussed consent, feminism and how she deals with online hate.
'I wouldn't say I'm not a feminist'
Blue's ascent to fame comes at a critical and complex moment for gender politics, both online and offline. In the 2010s, the internet was dominated by so-called Girlboss feminism, body positivity and the watershed of the #MeToo movement. The 2020s though, have seen a shift toward conservatism, and the embrace of traditional gender roles for women is becoming more mainstream.
Things are incredibly polarized. On one side, you'll find women who say they found ultimate peace in their role as homemaker, and the surge of the so-called "trad wife." On the other, you'll find women who say they've found ultimate empowerment through sex work.
Blue sits in the latter camp.
"I wouldn't say I'm not a feminist," she tells Newsweek over a video interview.
"I do believe women should have a voice and they should be in control," she says.
"A lot of people say I actually bring women back 100 years, but I'm a clear example of a lady that's taken full control of the body." Blue continues. "This is to a certain degree, what feminism has asked for, a woman that can take control. I don't feel intimidated by men. I'm actually paid more than guys in my industry. I have a complete voice and I don't ever feel taken advantage of."
The debate over sex work is one that has long raged, but thanks to the rise of OnlyFans and stars like Blue, it's made its way out of fringe feminist circles and into the mainstream. A quick search on TikTok or Instagram will soon throw up hundreds of videos debating whether or not sex work is empowering or oppressive. Such videos regularly receive hundreds of thousands of views.
So too do videos by actual sex workers. Though their income is made on content that sits behind paywalls, in 2025 we're in an era of sex work social media marketing, where sex workers build prominent profiles on platforms like Instagram and TikTok to boost engagement on their paid-for content.
But while this content is booming on social media algorithms, public opinion remains split. In 2020, an analysis from left-leaning think tank Data for Progress found that 52 percent of respondents said they strongly or somewhat supported decriminalization of sex work, compared with 35 percent who opposed it and 13 percent who were unsure.
As for the rise of the tradwife phenomenon? Blue told Newsweek:" I don't think you have to be submissive."
Blue said she knows people whose preference is to be a stay-at-home mum, doing cooking, cleaning and being given "rules" by their partner.
"As long as you enjoy that, that makes you happy. I don't care that you don't want to go to work. I don't care that you don't want to feel empowered," Blue said.
"But also, if a woman wants to leave the partner because the partner's being controlling and they want to earn their own money, they want to become a sex worker or they want to become a CEO of a business, then go and do that because we're in a world where you can," she added.
"Women are in power, and you need to take advantage of that," Blue told Newsweek.
'I'm not a predator, I'm not a groomer'
At the time of reporting, a Google search for the term "Bonnie Blue predator," yields 1.6 million results, while "Bonnie Blue groomer," yields a further 1.3 million.
Concerns that Blue is furthering rape culture, and a broader culture of violence against women, have been dominant in the media since she first rose to public prominence. But one specific incident has poured gasoline on the fire. Blue was planning to organize a "petting zoo," where she would, in her words "be tied up in a glass box" with members of the public invited to go and "use" her however they saw fit. Her aim was to break her own world record and sleep with 2,000 men.
A TikTok from the account @ainsleycaresalot about the petting zoo has the text overlay "Bonnie Blue's petting zoo makes me sick. This is setting women back 100 years. Its teaching men that we are just here for their pleasure,"and has has been viewed 3 million times as of reporting. A post on X, formerly Twitter, from @paniniboy7 which referred to the petting zoo as "terrifying" and calls Blue a "danger to society" has been viewed 12.5 million times. A TikTok edit from the account @definehertruth that shows Blue speaking about the petting zoo cut next to footage of women's rights marches has been viewed over 15 million times.
"I get blamed for rape culture a lot, especially at the moment," Blue told Newsweek.
"There's been people that have been raped," which Blue described as "terrible" before adding that said people have "spoken out and saying they blame me for their rape."
"I look at that and I'm like, I'm not responsible, I wasn't the one that raped you," she said.
"I get called predator all the time, and groomer. I sleep with 18-year-olds," Blue said. "I'm not a predator, I'm not a groomer."
The fallout over the petting zoo came just before Blue was permanently banned from OnlyFans. In a statement given to the British outlet Metro, an OnlyFans spokesperson said: "Extreme challenge content is not available on OnlyFans and is not permitted under our Acceptable Use Policy and Terms of Service. Any breach of our Terms of Service results in content or account deactivation... This is why it has been necessary to take this action. We always act when users breach our terms of service."
Speaking to Newsweek, Blue denied having broken any of OnlyFans terms and conditions.
OnlyFans did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this article.
Would she ever consider creating her own platform?
"Possibly," she told Newsweek. But her next step is switching to Fansly, a platform she described as being "more sex worker friendly."
"Fansly will be much better suited for me short term and long term, because they're proud of the sex workers."
Addressing the criticism she has faced, Blue told Newsweek: "When you're a sex worker, you get hate, regardless. 'You're disgusting, you're a prostitute, s***, w*****,' you get it all anyway."
Blue also addressed a recent rumor that has circulated about her.
"I've got loads of hate saying I'm transgender," she said.
Google Trends data shows that searches for "Bonnie Blue trans," began in December of 2024, but skyrocketed in mid-June, after a post went viral on X from the account @BrockRiddickIFB claiming that Blue was a transgender woman and used to go by the name of Kyle Butler.
"I just look at that and think, how can I be offended? How can I be taking your comments to heart? Because I'm not transgender," she said. "So why should I be bothered that so many uneducated people are just going to make up rumors?"
Blue added: "If the hate comments was valid and they had facts behind them, I'd probably be offended. But when it is just coming from poorly, uneducated people that know nothing about me, I'm like, how can I be hurt by them? I just find them entertaining."
When asked if her content falls into the genre of rage bait, a tactic used to elicit online outrage to increase traffic and engagement, she told Newsweek: "I'm purposely playing it for sure."
"Rage bait is good because people are so stupid," Blue said. "They're so poorly educated at times that I just play off that. If more people was clever, I wouldn't be as successful as I am."
Consent is the 'most important thing'
Asked whether she believes what she describes as "barely legal adults" fully understand the implications of being involved in public sex work, Blue said: "Yeah, 100 percent."
"18-year-olds have been brought up with the internet," she said. "They understand digital footprint."
"I find it very hypocritical when the older generation say 'they don't understand the internet.'" Blue said. "But I can guarantee you the first time they have a question about the internet or online things, they're going to be asking their son or daughter because they know the younger generation have a much better understanding."
"If an 18-year-old murdered someone, they'll be tried at adult court. So they're allowed to have sex. Sex is actually not a massive thing," she told Newsweek.
Asked what responsibility she has to her audience, Blue told Newsweek "consent."
"Discussing consent, discussing, what's OK, what's not OK," she said. "Before I've met someone, when I meet someone during the video, during any intercourse with someone, I'll be like, are you OK or you enjoying this? Are you having a good time, let me know if you're comfortable," she said.
Blue told Newsweek that consent is the "most important thing."