The “stripper index” — an anecdotal measurement that connects financial well being with spending on grownup leisure — seems unable to foretell Bitcoin’s (BTC) value.
Kodi Rose, a self-described “greenback stripper” and grownup content material creator, alluded to those frontline insights in a current viral TikTook video, saying she believes the financial system is already in a recession as fewer prospects are asking the place they will “hit the slopes,” a social code for cocaine.
The digital equal of unique dancers is grownup content material creators, and OnlyFollowers dominates the house. On the platform, customers subscribe to creators and tip for extras.
Turns out the stripper index doesn’t actually work for Bitcoin. A 57-month income evaluation of 1 mid-tier OnlyFollowers creator reveals a adverse correlation with Bitcoin’s value, regardless of the 2 shifting in the identical path greater than half the time.
To perceive whether or not creators’ revenue holds any predictive worth for Bitcoin, Cointelegraph spoke to veterans within the grownup leisure business who’ve weathered each its ups and downs alongside crypto’s hype cycles.
Bitcoin adopted OnlyFollowers mannequin’s earnings 55% of the time
The stripper index is backed by the belief that buyers will reduce down on non-essential spending throughout financial downturns.
“Sex work is taken into account a ‘non-essential’ service — it’s leisure, a luxurious. Therefore, it’s one of many first bills individuals reduce when their monetary scenario turns into unsure or they anticipate financial instability,” Catherine De Noire, an OnlyFollowers creator and brothel supervisor, informed Cointelegraph.
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Alana Nguyen, who performs on OnlyFollowers underneath the stage title “Nerdy Dancing,” shared her month-to-month earnings with Cointelegraph since shifting on-line after the 2020 pandemic shut down of the bodily world, together with strip golf equipment. So far, she hasn’t observed any clear correlation between crypto costs and subscriber conduct.
“Even if there are world financial circumstances affecting total spending, I don’t assume crypto costs correlate strongly with my earnings,” Nguyen informed Cointelegraph.
A Pearson correlation coefficient of -0.335 over 57 months suggests a reasonably adverse linear relationship between Nguyen’s earnings and Bitcoin’s value.
A ten-month rolling Pearson correlation between Nguyen’s earnings and Bitcoin’s value confirmed appreciable volatility over time. The highest correlation was noticed within the 10-month interval ending July 2021, which had been the primary months of Nguyen’s enterprise.
Out of 48 whole calculations, the rolling correlation coefficient was evenly break up, with 24 optimistic and 24 adverse values, suggesting the connection between Nguyen’s earnings and Bitcoin’s value fluctuated with no constant sample. The rolling correlation not often went above 0.5 or under -0.5, indicating low correlation.
In a separate measurement, Cointelegraph analyzed whether or not or not Nguyen’s earnings rose when Bitcoin’s month-to-month common rose in comparison with the earlier month and when her income dropped as Bitcoin dropped. In this measurement, the 2 moved towards the identical path virtually half the time, with 55% accuracy over 57 months.
“I’ve all the time thought ideas just like the stripper index are solely helpful by way of combination spending. Even within the strip membership, my earnings aren’t essentially tied to how the membership is doing total. It’s extra about my private promoting potential that day — whether or not regulars are available or I get fortunate with a giant spender,” Nguyen stated.
OnlyFollowers is infamous for opaque monetary reporting. One web site, OnlyGuider, claims to have analyzed the transaction conduct of over 1 million subscribers and located that the highest 0.1% of creators earn nearly all of the platform’s income.
According to knowledge from OnlyGuider shared with Cointelegraph, the highest 0.1% of creators earned $2,035,331 in April 2025, when Bitcoin’s common value was $94,207. As Bitcoin costs continued to rise in May and June, earnings for the highest 0.1% additionally elevated, reaching $2,038,972 in May and $2,052,502 in June.
Bitcoin’s relationship with OnlyFollowers and grownup leisure
Crypto was as soon as seen in its place device for facilitating funds to grownup content material creators. Pornhub, one of many business’s largest platforms, started accepting cryptocurrency as early as 2018. OnlyFollowers, nevertheless, has taken a special path and doesn’t supply crypto as a cost technique.
“Crypto funds usually are not highly regarded in our brothel. Most purchasers favor money as a result of it leaves no hint. Only a really small variety of the ladies working with us settle for crypto funds, and even then, the whole variety of transactions per 12 months is extraordinarily low,” De Noire stated.
“We haven’t observed any vital change in spending conduct that corresponds with crypto fluctuations. Whether Bitcoin or Ethereum is performing nicely or not doesn’t appear to have a direct impact on how a lot our purchasers are prepared to spend,” she added.
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Erotic movie star Allie Eve Knox has stronger ties to the crypto group as an advocate for integrating cryptocurrency into the grownup business and thru her involvement with SpankChain, which launched initiatives like SpankPay, a crypto cost possibility for grownup creators that has since been discontinued.
Knox, who affords her content material on a number of platforms, together with OnlyFollowers, agreed that the worth of Bitcoin doesn’t seem to have a significant influence on her earnings.
“Anytime crypto hits an all-time excessive, our visitors really slows,” Knox informed Cointelegraph.
“People wish to see the largest quantity of their account and screenshot it. It’s not typical for them to go passing out cash to get their wanks.”
Knox has been within the grownup leisure business for 11 years and says she’s skilled 36 account closures over her profession — from financial institution accounts to Cash App and PayPal. Crypto supplied an alternate method to settle for funds, however satirically, she claims she was de-banked even by crypto platforms.
“I confirmed a Showtime documentary crew how I may show my Coinbase QR code on digital camera, and viewers may pay me in Bitcoin or Ether. The day after it aired, Coinbase shut my account down.”
Modern cost choices — whether or not crypto or digital banking — make transactions simpler for each customers and companies. However, digital strategies nonetheless draw scrutiny from banks when utilized by intercourse staff. In brothels, purchasers usually favor money, generally even leaving mid-session to withdraw cash from an ATM, De Noire stated.
“As an OnlyFollowers creator, nevertheless, I discover one thing somewhat bit comparable. My subscribers usually don’t have any challenge utilizing bank cards and belief the platform. Yet lots of them nonetheless ask if they will pay by way of Bitcoin or different different strategies,” she stated.
“Since OF doesn’t permit funds exterior the platform, I haven’t pursued this additional, however it’s clear that even on-line purchasers are on the lookout for extra privateness and management over the info they share with monetary establishments.”
Bitcoin’s honeymoon with OnlyFollowers fashions has handed
Web3 and grownup content material had their “good previous days,” based on Knox, who says the non-fungible token (NFT) increase of 2021 opened up new revenue streams and gave creators extra choices to achieve followers and spend their crypto earnings.
“Now, if a buyer doesn’t already maintain crypto, they’ve to maneuver cash from their financial institution, look ahead to it to clear right into a pockets, perhaps convert it, ship it to a mannequin, look ahead to affirmation and solely then do they get the content material,” she stated.
Creators are additionally dealing with growing boundaries worldwide. Recently, China launched a nationwide crackdown on OnlyFollowers, whereas Sweden, a nation that’s politically and culturally very completely different from China, has imposed restrictions on buying grownup content material.
De Noire cited sociologist Zygmunt Bauman to level out that in in the present day’s society, customers aren’t simply making an attempt to outlive, however they prioritize enjoyment.
“When you see loads of non-essential providers like massages, fancy espresso, wellness retreats and even intercourse work getting used commonly, it’s an indication that the society has sufficient cash going round,” De Noire stated.
While cryptocurrency was as soon as hailed as a promising cost resolution for grownup content material creators dealing with monetary censorship, the fact is extra advanced. Despite pockets of overlap, akin to simultaneous rises in Bitcoin costs and earnings amongst high OnlyFollowers creators, grownup entertainers and their earnings have proven little correlation with Bitcoin’s value developments.
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