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OnlyFans meets the climate crisis: can shock tactics cut through?

Jessica Riches on porn parody, parasocial audiences and why climate campaigns need bigger risks

OnlyFans meets the climate crisis: can shock tactics cut through?
'I joined OnlyFans to fight the climate crisis' | Jessica Riches Headline Newds
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A woman applies lipstick in the mirror in her underwear, seemingly unaware she’s being watched. Catching a glimpse of somebody loitering outside the door, she sighs, smirking. “Come on in, don’t be shy. How do we feel about a little dirty talk?” she teases in a sultry voice. “And how dirty are we talking, exactly? Because I can be so frickin’ filthy, I’ll even say words that are banned by the US government.”

Cut to the next scene, the woman is on her knees, gagged. “Climate change,” she murmurs. “Decarbonisation. Clean energy!” 

You may have guessed this isn’t your typical porn film, and Jessica Riches isn’t your typical OnlyFans model. These are (a few of) the words that Donald Trump’s administration has removed from US government websites, Riches goes on to explain. Others, she says, gag back on, include “sustainable”, “green” and “emissions”.