Talk about a lifesaver.
One plus-size woman from England is crediting her OnlyFans account with saving her life — despite the fat-shaming trolling and strange requests she still receives online.
Lou Bailey, 35, struggled with her mental health in the past and said she even tried to commit suicide a few years ago, but since she started creating body-positive content on both OnlyFans and TikTok, she has a whole new outlook on life.
“All the online things I’m doing gives me focus and helps keep my brain occupied, which helps with my mental health,” Bailey explained to Media Drum World.
Plus, the money’s not bad, either — she claimed to the outlet that she earns more than $3,700 per month by posting sexy content on the platform — a big step up from her previous jobs, which included a stint as a cleaning woman, where she was only earning a little over $700.
“I’m not up there with the top earners, but it’s more than I have ever earned, and it’s helped me become so much more independent and [I] don’t have to count the pennies as much now,” Bailey said.
Bailey, who stands 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 196 pounds, decided to create an OnlyFans account last year after she was left unable to work a normal nine-to-five schedule due to back problems that developed as a result of pregnancy with her son.
She cited her financial, physical and mental health struggles as an impetus for making the change.
“I just thought, ‘I’ll try it to see what happens,’ ” she explained of her decision.
And it apparently worked.
Her job as a content creator on OnlyFans marks one of the first times she’s been able to maintain a steady income, as Bailey has had to deal with some mental health issues in the past like depression, borderline personality disorder, postpartum psychosis and anxiety.
She explained that she recalls being “off the rails” and self-harming after her aunt died when she was only 14 years old.
Two years before that, when she was 12, her mom died — so Bailey had to grieve the deaths of two significant people in her life in just two years.
However, things didn’t start to get worse until she experienced postpartum psychosis and depression after she became pregnant in 2016.
As a result, she claimed that she experienced such bad hallucinations that she tried to commit suicide and was then admitted to a psychiatric hospital.
While she was being treated in the hospital, she was officially diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, manic depression and anxiety — but has been working on treating her condition by seeing a therapist and taking antipsychotic medication.
Bailey revealed that she feels “the most stable” right now than she has in a “long time” — and praises her hustle on OnlyFans and TikTok for helping both her mental health and suicidal thoughts.
“I’m finally in control of my own life, and I finally feel like I am working towards having the life I have always wanted,” Bailey said.
However, her confidence doesn’t stop her from getting some weird requests for content on OnlyFans.
Bailey said that in the past, she’s had someone ask her to wear a diaper, while others wanted her to play with her belly.
At first, she wasn’t keen on making content revolving around her stomach, as it’s a body part she’s always been insecure about, but she has warmed up to the idea since then.
She also gets some foul comments from online trolls but chooses to brush them off.
“I get nasty comments all the time, but it doesn’t bother me because I’m happy and comfortable with my choice to work in the sex industry,” she said.
On her TikTok page, she mostly posts body-positive content under the name LouBBW, which she says has also inspired other women to love their bodies while helping her own journey to love and accept herself.
“I try to encourage ladies who are plus-size to feel confident in their bodies, and I have a number of ladies who have told me my videos have made them feel more confident, which literally makes my heart melt,” Bailey said.
She said all of her success is just a reminder of the immense strides she’s made in her life so far.
“Posting online has helped me because it shows me how far I have come and how I’ve turned my life around,” she said.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.