Loading...
If you've never heard of the OnlyFans-like platform called 'Hidden', you aren't alone, but it's something definitely worth checking into.
Stella Barey built a lucrative career as an online sex worker by doing exactly what platforms and algorithms rewarded: viral TikToks, “edgy” confessionals, and explicit content behind a paywall.
Photo Credit: X @bareybaby
Now, at 28, she says she is tired of the grind and betting that much of Gen Z is, too.
Her answer is Hidden.com (h1dd3n), a new adult platform she co-founded in 2023 that promises sex workers “a life” beyond 24/7 hustle, and users a more curated, Tumblr-era style of porn instead of what she calls “slop.”
“We’re sick of the OnlyFans model,” Barey says. “Most of these girls don’t want to be influencers. They just want to make porn and not burn out.”
Hidden has already signed up more than 2,100 creators and over 113,000 users, who have spent an average of $53 each, according to figures shared by Barey. The site markets itself as one of the few adult platforms founded and run by sex workers, at a moment when mainstream tech companies are increasingly hostile to explicit content and new age-verification laws threaten the industry’s business model.
“Hidden is more than porn,” Barey says. “It’s a political statement.”
In 2018, U.S. federal law expanded platforms’ liability for content linked to sex trafficking. Combined with pressure from banks, advertisers, and religious groups, that law triggered a stricter crackdown on anything that looked sexual.
Sex workers describe a vague, shifting standard of “obscenity.” TikTok and Instagram began issuing violation notices and deleting accounts for suggestive language, innuendo, or even links to subscription pages.
“You have no clue what is allowed or not allowed until you get hit with a violation,” Barey says. “It’s all word of mouth.”
By the end of 2022, she had cycled through 22 TikTok accounts, many with more than 600,000 followers, using burner phones to start over after each deletion. Creators adopted “algospeak” — “corn” for porn, “seggs” for sex, “accountant” for sex worker — VPNs, backup accounts, and private Discord servers just to stay online. “We became outlaws,” Barey says.
Pushed off mainstream platforms, many sex workers migrated to OnlyFans, which lets them earn directly from fans. By 2024, the platform counted 4.6 million creators and $7.2 billion in revenue. But creators say its structure breeds exhaustion.
The idea for Hidden emerged in 2023, when a high school friend, now a Wharton business graduate, approached Barey about building a competitor. Her condition: the platform had to be designed “by and for sex workers,” with an emphasis on passive income rather than constant hustle.
Hidden’s interface borrows heavily from platforms sex workers already use, but consolidates their features. Its home screen is a TikTok-style “For You” feed, serving short clips tailored to each user’s tastes. The aesthetic leans nostalgic, evoking the Tumblr-era cam girl look rather than glossy studio porn.
After users confirm they are over 18, they scroll through videos ranging from casual, bedroom-style clips to more explicit performances. A swipe opens a creator’s profile, where the first paywall typically appears: a fee to unlock their feed, explicit posts, or messaging.
“None of this is totally new,” Barey concedes. The feed resembles RedGifs, the store mirrors ManyVids, and the billing protections are similar to SextPanther. “But nobody put it all together in one place that’s actually aligned with us,” she says.
How will Hidden (h1dd3n) compare to the other OnlyFans clones out there? Only time will tell, but I will say one thing: Stella Barey seems to have a solid plan and a good head on her shoulders.
© 2025 NSFW.Army. All Rights Reserved
