Why Are People Switching Up on Bonnie Blue?
Unpacking the ethics of her scandals, and the morality of slating sex workers
Freshers is over, and Bonnie Blue is no longer touring university cities in her ‘Bang Bus’, garnering attention from adolescent boys — at least, for now. As it appears her stunts are not receiving as much mainstream attention as they once were, her name remains relevant. A year ago, it was widely understood that Bonnie Blue was a terrible person. So why is my FYP full of young girls referring to her as a morally grey character?
Bonnie Blue, whose real name is Tia Billinger, first gained popularity through OnlyFans in 2023. Since then, her net worth has skyrocketed, and she has become one of the most infamous names of the past decade. Unlike other adult actresses, it’s difficult to humanise Bonnie Blue and separate her from her ‘work’. In 2024, she began seeking out freshly 18-year-old boys in various countries to have sex with. This sparked outrage online, yet her income continued to rise.
Bonnie has completed ‘Freshers tours’, during which she exclusively sleeps with young men. Unfortunately, the paedophilic nature of this expedition was not a significant enough cause for her to be cancelled. Whilst the majority of men I have spoken to about this phenomenon have labelled her as a nonce, her undeniable beauty has led to mixed opinions about her online. The same boys who call her a ‘jezzy’ are the ones watching her videos.
On paper, she is a bad person. Any 27-year-old who views freshers as sexual objects is predatory. You’d think that, given the pornification of young girls in school uniforms and the consequences this has had, a woman would understand the boundaries between herself and those still in education. Bonnie Blue doesn’t care about being morally or politically correct; she just wants to cause outrage. How else would she be making £1 million a month?
What sets Bonnie apart from other OnlyFans creators is that she is problematic even when her clothes are on. The attitudes she has towards other women are concerning, given that the only people I see empathising with her online are women. She has shown support for Andrew Tate, a figure who has faced serious legal allegations relating to sex trafficking, and continues to put down other women whilst bragging about stealing their partners.
It’s not sex work that is setting women back; it’s the women who do it for male validation. A lot of women enter the industry due to homelessness or a lack of income, not because they crave the attention of young boys. When you have a husband and a 9-to-5, why get involved in an industry that has faced criticism for its lack of respect for and safeguarding of women?
Whilst it’s disgusting to witness the number of boys flocking to her ‘Bang Bus’, it’s disappointing that women are the ones dismissing her behaviour. You can’t excuse the noncery, or the fact that she used a baby to promote her sexual content, without coming across as a creep. The edits people are making of her younger self, with sad music playing in the background, are not helping anybody’s case here. People are spending far too much time trying to understand why she may be so obsessed with sex and young men, and although something has clearly triggered this interest, it’s simply none of our business. There’s no way of defending her behaviour when she is constantly being challenged about her morals. She knows exactly what she is doing.
In recent weeks, I have noticed a surplus of content almost bimbofying Bonnie Blue and labelling her as an icon. There have been a lot of videos circulating which, if you shut your eyes, you’d assume featured a Molly-Mae wannabe. There’s this desperate attempt to make herself appear relatable, which, unfortunately, is working on a large majority. There are videos of her showing support for the LGBTQ+ community, as well as people of colour, which I think people are forgetting is the bare minimum. When I open the comments and see people praising her and forming positive opinions of her character, I question how people can be so impressionable.
Bonnie Blue is not a ‘morally grey character’, and she is not misunderstood. She is an intelligent woman who knows how to appeal to audiences and gain attention. What she is doing is not ‘iconic’; it’s disgusting. Her rebrand to appeal to young girls as this typical girl-next-door character is simply a way of catering to a new demographic. Nobody seems to care that she auctioned off her child’s baby name — and even if it was fake, why is she choosing to profit from men viewing her as an object?
Even if Bonnie Blue retired from her controversial behaviour, she would still be viewed by many as a bad person. When you have every opportunity to make a name for yourself, earn money, and meet a loving partner, why sacrifice that for the sake of receiving male validation? If she didn’t want to sleep with 1,000 men in a day, she wouldn’t have. When men see someone so fulfilled by their desire for sex, some may use that to their advantage. The more you show certain men that you crave their attention, the less willing they may be to respect you.
This is not me slating sex workers. Women should not be put in a position where they have no choice but to work in the sex industry, and we should not shame them when they go down this route. Engaging with it by choice, however, is questionable. Why would you choose to let men treat you like garbage?
I think that Bonnie Blue is a caricature of the sex worker. She sells this idea that she absolutely loves it, and whether that is true or not, it’s a harmful idea to portray. A lot of sex workers experience robbery, rape, violence, and, in some cases, even death. Bonnie Blue is not selling sex on the street as a way to make ends meet; she’s doing it to become a star. Sex work isn’t sexy; in reality, it’s a job that a lot of women dread. The mental toll of it is something that Bonnie Blue refuses to recognise, which sets her apart from the average adult actress.
Starring at the forefront of an industry which fails to protect women, whilst bragging about the luxuries you have received from it, is the least feminist thing you could do. The men she is profiting from are the same men who fail to protect women in the industry. As a woman, you should always stand up against men who want to hurt women, not work alongside them.
And as young girls, why are you glamourising someone who encourages men to disrespect you? Is this the role model you really want?