Best known for portraying Lavender Brown, Ron Weasley’s overly affectionate and borderline obsessed girlfriend in the "Harry Potter" films, Jessie Cave has made an unexpected career move – she’s joined OnlyFans.
And no, it’s not that deep.
Cave, 37, revealed on her Substack that she decided to start an OnlyFans account to tackle her growing debt. "I’ll try for one year," she wrote.
"My aim? To get the house safe, cover the arsenic/lead wallpaper, build a new roof, etc. My aim? To get out of debt. My aim? To empower myself? To prove to those in the past who have misjudged me that I’m not so sweet? To put time into something I never invested in before: self-love.”
While the platform is widely associated with adult content, Cave insists her work is “very niche.” So, what exactly is she offering? Well, she describes her persona as having a "slutty Mormon" vibe - think wholesome yet provocative.
Essentially, she’s embracing contradictions: a mix of conservative aesthetics with just enough edge to keep things interesting. And it seems her niche is all about hair.
“I do a lot of videos with my hair on Instagram, and I have now for a while. I just noticed that I always get comments,” Cave explained on her "Before We Break Up Again" podcast.
“They’re never sexually depraved or lascivious. It’s never dirty comments, but I do get lots of interest in the hair thing, and I just thought, ‘F*** it, I’m going to do something that is very niche.’”
“Wizard warning: Will not do explicit sexual content. Might be in my underwear,” she clarifies on her OnlyFans bio. “I do NICHE HAIR CONTENT, which you may well quite like. How magical! If you have a hair thing, this is the place for you.”
While niche, hair-focused content exists within the adult entertainment industry due to its cultural significance and appeal to specific fetishes.
Hair is often fetishised, with some individuals attracted to particular hairstyles or hair-related activities like brushing or cutting. The intimate nature of hair also makes it a sensual feature for many.
Cave acknowledges that her choice may attract criticism, but she views it as an empowering move. “I really am choosing to think of this as an empowering moment for me because I have been this very straight, prim actress for a lot of my career, and this is very much a way of me saying, ‘Okay, I’m doing something that is not normal. This is weird and me, and a bit kinky. And why not?’”
Cave isn’t alone in turning to OnlyFans for financial stability. The platform, originally designed for creators of all kinds, has become a popular choice for many entertainers, especially those struggling to make ends meet.
Singer-songwriter Lily Allen, for example, revealed last year that her OnlyFans account, where she posts pictures of her feet, generates more income than her Spotify streams.
"Imagine being an artist and having nearly eight million monthly listeners on Spotify but earning more money from having 1,000 people subscribe to pictures of your feet," she wrote on X. “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”
It’s no surprise, given the numbers. A 2023 report estimated that OnlyFans paid out over $5 billion (95.7 billion South African Rands) to its creators, with top earners making millions annually. However, the reality for most users is quite different.
Studies show that the majority of OnlyFans creators earn less than $150 (2,871 South African Rands) per month. Despite this, the allure of "easy money" remains strong, especially as celebrities and everyday people alike seek new ways to supplement their income.