LEAH SCHRAGER
Leah Schrager is an artist, and one of her projects, @OnaArtist is a sex worker with a massive following on Instagram.. She is cis-sex-positive confident woman pushing the boundaries of contemporary art. Her work is an example of how even a hyper popular cis-sexy-models is effected by Instagram’s censorship policies.
In 2015 Schrager developed an alter ego who embraced objectification, a cam-girl named OnaArtist. This persona quickly became an Instagram star with over 3 million followers. According to Schrager the project “was meant to be an exploration of what mainstream and self-made celebrity are… …as soon as a woman posts a photo that can be interpreted as sexual, then it is not art” (Interview With ArtNet News)
Schrager is pushing “the boundaries between sex work and the artists who sell postmodern self-objectification and creative intimacy. Ona nimbly straddles lines between aesthetic and sexual arousal. Her feed is a constantly creative and arousing blend of artful angles, witty captions, seductive expressions, and tantalizing near-nudity.” (ArtNews Article by Ana Finel Honigmans) Schrager’s work is a digital revamp of the traditional burlesque show.
In 2020 Schrager announced that OnaArtist is retiring. Her project, intended to open the art world to the idea that contemporary art could also be sexy.
In July of 2018, Donald Trump signed FOSTA-SESTA, a controversial law enabling authorities to pursue websites that host sex trafficking ads.
Schrager does not consider OnaArtist to be a mainstream celebrity. Even with 3 million followers Schrager feels the paranoia of posting her true voice. Her cam-girl project walks a thin line between sex-work and art. Her category of cis-sexy-model is under-protected and under attack. “These models and Instagram models (who have a mostly male audience) are not covered in the mainstream and are also highly censored on Instagram. OnaArtist has been Shadow Banned for over a year (this started around the time of SESTA/FOSTA) and is in constant fear of being deleted by Instagram. Photos of hers are randomly deleted and she has no recourse. “ Schrager repeats the words of Betty Tompkins claiming the essential problem is that Instagram doesn’t play by their own rules.
It is interesting to note the highly sexualized images here are all from OnaArtist’s current Instagram feed. Similar posts from other artists are deleted.
IMAGE CREDIT: Leah Schrager, OnaArtist - 2015-2020, Images Courtesy The Artist, Leah Schrager