- Carla, a retired erotic content creator, used to make $500 per month from selling her used underwear and socks.
- Carla says she started on Reddit with selling pictures of her feet
When Carla entered her sophomore year of college as a musical theater major, she decided to explore something she'd been curious about for years — selling photographs and videos of her feet online.
Carla heard her peers joke about getting sugar daddies, and as an avid Reddit user, she'd seen forums where men requested foot pictures, used trash, undergarments, and text banter in exchange for money. People on the forum advertised their offerings too, which intrigued Carla.
"I started by just taking a picture of my feet and kind of mimicking the captions of the other women I saw on Reddit. Immediately I started getting messages about what my price is and what my add-ons are," Carla, who asked to use a pseudonym because she now works a corporate job, told Insider.
For four years, Carla built up her business to include a full-service menu including used underwear and socks. She's since decided to pursue a career in finance and no longer has the time for her erotic business, Carla told Insider. Still, she says the experience allowed her to meet interesting people and learn the perils of running an online business.
Once Carla got her footing, she started to sell underwear and socks
On Tinder, she met a man looking to recruit women to sell erotic foot content on his website.
"He would tell me, 'Go outside and run around barefoot. Get your feet as dirty as possible.' So many people love being humiliated by being forced to look or lick or be crushed by somebody's dirty foot," Carla said.
Though she didn't mind creating and selling foot-specific content, Carla noticed women who sold used underwear and socks tended to charge more for their services.
Itching to make more money to pay for college and living expenses, Carla decided to pivot her business to used undergarments.
"I wear socks and underwear every day, so hell yeah," Carla said. "Why wouldn't I try and make some money off of that?"
As more men requested specific sock and underwear brands, or specified the amount of time they wanted Carla to wear an item, she created a menu for future clients.
She also found a vacuum-sealing machine a neighbor was giving away and started to use it to package the goods. After Carla wore a pair of underwear to class, the gym, or bed for at least a few days, she'd seal them in vacuum-packed plastic, wrap them in decorative paper, and mail them to customers.
At the peak of her erotic career, Carla said she made $500 every month.
Safety was a concern
Carla said she learned quickly to be wary of potential scams, like never getting paid or having your identity revealed.
To protect herself, she kept her face out of any photographs she posted on Reddit, created an anonymous Instagram account for communicating with clients, and requested all customers pay her through Cashapp. She never met with clients in person.
If Carla could give every budding erotic content creator a piece of advice, she'd tell them to get their money upfront.
"Never ever release content to somebody before they've paid for it," Carla said.