Stripper index doesn’t apply to Bitcoin, OnlyFans models say

The "stripper index” — an anecdotal measurement that connects economical wellness with spending connected big amusement — appears incapable to foretell Bitcoin’s (BTC) price.

Kodi Rose, a self-described “dollar stripper” and big contented creator, alluded to these frontline insights successful a caller viral TikTok video, saying she believes the system is already successful a recession arsenic less customers are asking wherever they tin “hit the slopes,” a societal codification for cocaine.

The integer equivalent of exotic dancers is big contented creators, and OnlyFans dominates the space. On the platform, users subscribe to creators and extremity for extras.

Customer behaviour astatine big clubs is an economical indicator, according to the “stripper index.” Source: Kodi Rose/TikTok

Turns retired the stripper scale doesn’t truly enactment for Bitcoin. A 57-month gross investigation of 1 mid-tier OnlyFans creator shows a antagonistic correlation with Bitcoin’s price, contempt the 2 moving successful the aforesaid absorption much than fractional the time.

To recognize whether creators’ income holds immoderate predictive worth for Bitcoin, Cointelegraph spoke to veterans successful the big amusement manufacture who’ve weathered some its ups and downs alongside crypto’s hype cycles.

Bitcoin followed OnlyFans model’s net 55% of the time

The stripper scale is backed by the presumption that consumers volition chopped down connected non-essential spending during economical downturns.

“Sex enactment is considered a ‘non-essential’ work — it’s entertainment, a luxury. Therefore, it’s 1 of the archetypal expenses radical chopped erstwhile their fiscal concern becomes uncertain oregon they expect economical instability,” Catherine De Noire, an OnlyFans creator and brothel manager, told Cointelegraph. 

Related: Wrench attacks thrust crypto investors to centralized custodians

Alana Nguyen, who performs connected OnlyFans nether the signifier sanction “Nerdy Dancing,” shared her monthly net with Cointelegraph since moving online aft the 2020 pandemic unopen down of the carnal world, including portion clubs. So far, she hasn’t noticed immoderate wide correlation betwixt crypto prices and subscriber behavior.

Nguyen’s gross earlier taxes and expenses, but aft a 20% chopped to OnlyFans. Source: Nerdy Dancing

“Even if determination are planetary economical conditions affecting wide spending, I don’t deliberation crypto prices correlate powerfully with my earnings,” Nguyen told Cointelegraph.

A Pearson correlation coefficient of -0.335 implicit 57 months suggests a moderately antagonistic linear narration betwixt Nguyen’s net and Bitcoin’s price.

A 10-month rolling Pearson correlation betwixt Nguyen’s net and Bitcoin’s terms showed sizeable volatility implicit time. The highest correlation was observed successful the 10-month play ending July 2021, which were the archetypal months of Nguyen’s business. 

Out of 48 full calculations, the rolling correlation coefficient was evenly split, with 24 affirmative and 24 antagonistic values, suggesting the narration betwixt Nguyen’s net and Bitcoin’s terms fluctuated without a accordant pattern. The rolling correlation seldom went supra 0.5 oregon beneath -0.5, indicating debased correlation.

Each 10-month model contains a tiny illustration size, truthful these results should beryllium viewed arsenic indicative alternatively than statistically conclusive.

In a abstracted measurement, Cointelegraph analyzed whether oregon not Nguyen’s net roseate erstwhile Bitcoin’s monthly mean roseate compared to the erstwhile period and erstwhile her gross dropped arsenic Bitcoin dropped. In this measurement, the 2 moved toward the aforesaid absorption astir fractional the time, with 55% accuracy implicit 57 months.

“I’ve ever thought concepts similar the stripper scale are lone utile successful presumption of aggregate spending. Even successful the portion club, my net aren’t needfully tied to however the nine is doing overall. It’s much astir my idiosyncratic selling quality that time — whether regulars travel successful oregon I get fortunate with a large spender,” Nguyen said.

OnlyFans is notorious for opaque fiscal reporting. One website, OnlyGuider, claims to person analyzed the transaction behaviour of implicit 1 cardinal subscribers and recovered that the apical 0.1% of creators gain the bulk of the platform’s revenue.

According to information from OnlyGuider shared with Cointelegraph, the apical 0.1% of creators earned $2,035,331 successful April 2025, erstwhile Bitcoin’s mean terms was $94,207. As Bitcoin prices continued to emergence successful May and June, net for the apical 0.1% besides increased, reaching $2,038,972 successful May and $2,052,502 successful June.

Most OnlyFans subscribers walk their wealth connected apical models. Source: OnlyGuider

Bitcoin’s narration with OnlyFans and big entertainment

Crypto was erstwhile seen arsenic an alternate instrumentality for facilitating payments to big contented creators. Pornhub, 1 of the industry’s largest platforms, began accepting cryptocurrency arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2018. OnlyFans, however, has taken a antithetic way and does not connection crypto arsenic a outgo method.

“Crypto payments are not precise fashionable successful our brothel. Most clients similar currency due to the fact that it leaves nary trace. Only a precise tiny fig of the women moving with america judge crypto payments, and adjacent then, the full fig of transactions per twelvemonth is highly low,” De Noire said. 

“We haven’t noticed immoderate important alteration successful spending behaviour that corresponds with crypto fluctuations. Whether Bitcoin oregon Ethereum is performing good oregon not doesn’t look to person a nonstop effect connected however overmuch our clients are consenting to spend,” she added.

Related: What you request to cognize astir Roman Storm’s Tornado Cash trial

Erotic movie prima Allie Eve Knox has stronger ties to the crypto assemblage arsenic an advocator for integrating cryptocurrency into the big manufacture and done her engagement with SpankChain, which launched initiatives similar SpankPay, a crypto outgo enactment for big creators that has since been discontinued. 

Knox, who offers her contented connected respective platforms, including OnlyFans, agreed that the terms of Bitcoin doesn’t look to person a meaningful interaction connected her earnings.

“Anytime crypto hits an all-time high, our postulation really slows,” Knox told Cointelegraph.

“People privation to spot the biggest fig successful their relationship and screenshot it. It’s not emblematic for them to spell passing retired wealth to get their wanks.”

Knox has been successful the big amusement manufacture for 11 years and says she’s experienced 36 relationship closures implicit her vocation — from slope accounts to Cash App and PayPal. Crypto offered an alternate mode to judge payments, but ironically, she claims she was de-banked adjacent by crypto platforms.

“I showed a Showtime documentary unit however I could show my Coinbase QR codification connected camera, and viewers could wage maine successful Bitcoin oregon Ether. The time aft it aired, Coinbase unopen my relationship down.”

Modern outgo options — whether crypto oregon integer banking — marque transactions easier for some consumers and businesses. However, physics methods inactive gully scrutiny from banks erstwhile utilized by enactment workers. In brothels, clients often similar cash, sometimes adjacent leaving mid-session to retreat wealth from an ATM, De Noire said.

“As an OnlyFans creator, however, I announcement thing a small spot similar. My subscribers mostly person nary contented utilizing recognition cards and spot the platform. Yet galore of them inactive inquire if they tin wage via Bitcoin oregon different alternate methods,” she said.

“Since OF doesn’t let payments extracurricular the platform, I haven’t pursued this further, but it’s wide that adjacent online clients are looking for much privateness and power implicit the information they stock with fiscal institutions.”

Bitcoin’s honeymoon with OnlyFans models has passed

Web3 and big contented had their “good aged days,” according to Knox, who says the non-fungible token (NFT) roar of 2021 opened up caller income streams and gave creators much options to scope fans and walk their crypto earnings.

“Now, if a lawsuit doesn’t already clasp crypto, they person to determination wealth from their bank, hold for it to wide into a wallet, possibly person it, nonstop it to a model, hold for confirmation and lone past bash they get the content,” she said.

Creators are besides facing increasing barriers worldwide. Recently, China launched a nationwide crackdown connected OnlyFans, portion Sweden, a federation that’s politically and culturally precise antithetic from China, has imposed restrictions connected purchasing big content.

SpankPay cited a hostile regulatory clime arsenic the crushed for winding down its outgo service. Source: SpankPay

De Noire cited sociologist Zygmunt Bauman to constituent retired that successful today’s society, consumers aren’t conscionable trying to survive, but they prioritize enjoyment.

“When you spot a batch of non-essential services similar massages, fancy coffee, wellness retreats oregon adjacent enactment enactment being utilized regularly, it’s a motion that the nine has capable wealth going around,” De Noire said.

While cryptocurrency was erstwhile hailed arsenic a promising outgo solution for big contented creators facing fiscal censorship, the world is much complex. Despite pockets of overlap, specified arsenic simultaneous rises successful Bitcoin prices and net among apical OnlyFans creators, big entertainers and their net person shown small correlation with Bitcoin’s terms trends. 

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