Dear Bonnie,
How are you? How are you In fact? I say this with sincerity and genuine concern, from an older, wiser (and retired) sex worker to a young woman who is new to this game. At 50, I’m old enough to be your mother, so here are some motherly tips.
His extraordinary scheme to have sex with hundreds of “barely legal” teenagers at Schoolies (the Australian equivalent of Spring Break or Freshers’ Week) has gone global. The whole world is talking about what you intend to do with dozens of young people at the Meriton apartments on the Gold Coast..
You have caused (I assume deliberately) public hysteria. You are infamous and will be known for this forever. We may not know your real name (you seem to be very cagey about this), but we know your face and all have an opinion about your story.
You know by now that you’ve upset a lot of people, particularly parents, but also survivors of sexual abuse, including the courageous activist Harrison James, whom I greatly admire. Harrison, who was abused by his stepmother when he was a teenager, has expressed serious concerns that what he is doing, although legal, is ethically and morally wrong and is influenced by the destructive and mind-blowing trend of ‘teen porn’..
Harrison, whose criticism you have dismissed, has raised what I consider to be valid concerns that while the young people he has sex with may be “legal,” they may also not be mature enough or in the right state of mind to give your consent to be so. filmed engaging in group sex on camera – footage that only you will benefit from and that will remain on the internet forever.
I appreciate you saying that all men will be breathalysed, but you and I know that kids do drugs at Schoolies and they can’t be detected with a breathalyser.
Your orgy proposal is so controversial that a Change.org petition calling for you, a British citizen, to be deported from Australia has amassed almost 18,000 signatures..
British adult actress Bonnie Blue (pictured) is inviting “barely legal” teenagers to have sex with her at Schoolies on the Gold Coast so she can film it for Onlyfans.
He previously performed similar stunts at UK universities during Freshers’ Week.
You’ve said that critics who oppose what you’re doing are bored, hot-headed, middle-aged Karens who judge sex work.
Well, before I address whether that’s a valid answer or not, let me tell you a little about myself, Bonnie. Get settled, it’s quite a story.
I’ve made a career out of being controversial, and I was doing it when you were still in school.
I am a journalist by profession but after finding myself in a professional rut, I started working as high class escort Samantha in an exclusive television interview. To say I caused a stir would be an understatement. I admit that that decision was a publicity move for my memoir (it became a bestseller), so I’m in no position to judge you for using the media. for you self promotion.
Amanda Goff (pictured) admires Bonnie’s hustle, but says using 18-year-olds to achieve infamy is a step too far
But the difference between you and me, Bonnie, is that, to me, sex work was always work. While I flirted with the press, I never turned my real job (sex itself) into a media circus. And that’s because I have always believed, even before becoming an escort, that sex workers deserved to be taken seriously.
Before OnlyFans made us celebrities, women in our industry had to fight to be heard, to have rights in terms of health, safety and not to be discriminated against.
I’ve never met you, Bonnie, and I actually have absolutely nothing against you. You are beautiful, well-spoken and undeniably a businesswoman. You’re a 25-year-old content creator working in what we both know is an oversaturated market. It’s a world I don’t know much about, but I appreciate that it can be challenging, even brutal, at times.
The money is there. Young women can earn millions, but most earn less than the average salary. You need to be popular, and that means you need to be different, original and even infamous. But you already know that – you’re not stupid.
But using 18-year-old boys to achieve that infamy? Sorry, it’s too far for me.
You knew that your public appeal to school leavers would hit the front pages, increase your subscribers and cause protests. You saw dollar signs.
Part of me admired your hustle. Then another part of me remembered that the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for planning, prioritizing, and making good decisions, is one of the last parts of the brain to fully develop in teenagers.
Simply put, teenagers are stupid and don’t know what the hell they are doing.
Pictured left: Bonnie promoting her Schoolies orgy; and to the right: young male participants lining up for a previous sex party that was filmed
I may be 50 and over it (thank God), and I hate being a woman who takes another woman’s side, but Bonnie, I urge you to think very, very carefully about this before you fly off to Schoolies.
Forget what the law says: Boys don’t become men until they’re 25. we know it because do stupid things. They drive too fast, jump off rooftops, do ridiculous and reckless stunts to impress their peers.
Some of them may even have sex on camera for the world to see, forever. And years later, when they have a corporate job or are about to marry the woman of their dreams, they will remember what they did with you on camera and feel sick to their stomach. And the worst part is that they can’t do anything about it, because you are the copyright owner and they signed a release form when they were 18 years old.
What if they can’t live with themselves? What if the fear of your colleagues, parents, or girlfriend finding out your secret becomes too great? I have known men who kill themselves for less.
I want to paint a picture of a young 18 year old Australian: they have just finished their HSC exams, they are old enough to vote and join the army. But many of them still have acne and haven’t gone to college yet. They find farts funny and drink too much. They are susceptible to peer pressure. They may still be virgins.
“I may be 50 and over it (thank God), and I hate being a woman who takes another woman’s side, but Bonnie, I urge you to think very, very carefully about this,” Amanda warns.
Legally speaking, I’m sure you’ve covered all your bases. You’re checking IDs twice, using consent and model release forms, administering a breathalyzer. But in my opinion what you are doing is a huge abuse of power. And I have a problem with that.
Bonnie, I may be proud and loud about my past in the sex industry. But a decade later, older and wiser, do I regret it? You bet yes. Would I do it all over again? It depends on the day of the week you ask me.
But here’s the thing: If I can repent of my past as a 50-year-old woman, so can young men. Men are not so different from us. I sat with them as they cried about being sexually abused as children. I even know men who were taken advantage of by older women when they were teenagers – the kind of “fantasy” that fills the search results on websites like PornHub. It has affected them for life.
Bonnie, I don’t judge you for your work. How could I? Our profession is as old as time. Men and women can feel incredibly lonely, and we both know that our work is about intimacy and connection more than sex.
Adults make adult decisions. Consent is an important word. It’s not a quickly written contract thrown into the sweaty hands of a shy 18-year-old who, as far as you know, has never slept with a woman before.
There’s no shortage of grown men willing to have sex with you on camera, Bonnie. Leave the kids alone.
If you are in Australia and you or someone you know is struggling or would like to talk to someone about anxiety, depression or suicidal ideation, please contact the Beyond Blue support service on 1300 22 4636 or chat online with your counsellor.
In the UK, for confidential support, call Samaritans on 116123 or visit a Samaritans branch.