Like many famous stars today, Bella Thorne got her start on Disney Channel (alongside Zendaya in Shake It Up) before launching into Hollywood with her own career as an actress, singer, model and filmmaker. Over the last few years, the actress has made waves through her decision to dabble in the adult film industry and make other raunchy content in her music videos and social posts. Thorne recently got blunt about people regularly calling her a “slut” and labelling her as “controversial.”
Bella Thorne has certainly pushed the envelope with her work over the last few years. The actress had a major public moment when she joined OnlyFans, she has directed an adult film and worked with porn stars in very sexually suggestive music videos. Here’s her reaction to being called “controversial” as of late:
It’s so funny that people say that I’m ‘controversial’ when you’re exactly right—I haven’t been arrested. I’m not doing bad things. Of course I am a woman, and that definitely plays a part in it. If I post in a bikini, it’s ‘She’s a slut,’ but if a man posts shirtless on a beach, it’s ‘Fuck yeah, bro.’ If a man posts with a different girl every other day, it’s ‘Fuck yeah, bro, keep getting that pussy,’ but if I’m in a three-year relationship, and then break up, and then get into another three-year relationship, it’s ‘Wow, Bella Thorne, she’s a ho. Look at her.’ I’m like, what? I’ve been in long-term relationships my whole life!
While speaking with The Daily Beast, the star made a solid point about the double standards in Hollywood regarding men and women. While the actress and singer certainly isn’t averse to sharing more explicit content, her motivations stem from creating more sex-positive content starring women. While that may come off as “controversial” to many, her experiences and online backlash could be characteristic of a larger problem of how people shame women for owning their sexualities in their own ways along with simply being themselves. She continued:
And people say, ‘Oh, look at her, she pops her acne on camera and shows people when she has bad skin and shows her armpit hair.’ It’s so interesting to me, because the acne stuff—I did that because I want people to see that it’s normal. People have acne and I know the pain that people who have cystic acne go through, so I wanted to show them that I’m here with you. And what did I get? I get this rep that I’m 30, don’t wash my face, and must be a party animal because my skin is so bad, #UseSoap. And I’m like, what the fuck?
The star famously made headlines in 2020 when she became the first person to earn $1 million in the first 24 hours of joining OnlyFans. However, her content on the app led to backlash. Additionally, when OnlyFans decided to create restrictions on the app that negatively affected sex workers’ charge rate on the platform, some blamed Thorne for being part of the decision. The company itself stated the decision was "not based on any one user" and were set to "help prevent overspending and to allow our users to continue to use the site safely," per Mashable.
Thorne has been engaged to Benjamin Mascolo since early 2021 following the couple dating for nearly two years. Bella Thorne celebrated her 24th birthday and balances a number of pursuits between starring in a number of upcoming movie releases like a thriller with Aaron Eckhart called Rumble Through the Dark and science fiction film The Uncanny. She has shown interest in playing Lady Deadpool should Marvel be looking for one, too.
Thorne has certainly captivated the attention of a large audience and is doing work many do not dare to touch. We’ll be excited to see what comes next for her and her recent words are good food for thought about the different ways in which we can often judge men vs. women.
