Why I Brought OnlyFans Star Ari Kytsya to My College Class |
On November 17, my students at the University of Washington heard from someone at the center of today’s most complicated conversations about sexuality, labor, and the digital world. That person was Ari Kytsya, an enormously successful OnlyFans creator whose online presence is very different from what many people imagine when they hear “OnlyFans model.”
Ari is warm, grounded, funny, and thoughtful. She has a large female following, something rare in this space, because she shares her life in a way that feels real rather than performative. Her audience sees her as a whole person, not a stereotype, which is exactly why I wanted my students to learn from her.
My course, The Diversity of Human Sexuality, enrolls 1,200 undergraduates at the University of Washington every quarter. It is the largest course in the history of the university. Students explore everything from the science of desire to the social, cultural, and psychological forces that shape pleasure, relationships, identity, and stigma. To teach this well, I rely on two pillars: high-quality research and the lived experiences that bring that research to life.
Ari is not the first sex worker to speak with my students. In past years, we’ve welcomed Jessica Drake, an internationally known porn star and educator who offered a behind-the-scenes look at mainstream pornography and the labor, negotiation, and safety considerations that shape it. Her visit, like Ari’s, helped students understand an industry that is often loudly discussed yet deeply misunderstood.
And throughout the........