By: Ike Wilson

Part 1: March 2020: Right Before Lockdown

Gabe Hernandez is a performing artist and nude figure model based in Jersey City, NJ. In March 2020, mere days before the coronavirus lockdown, Ike Wilson interviewed Hernandez about his figure modeling work. (Artwork of Hernandez can be found on his Instagram account. Note: NSFW.)

Gabe Hernandez photographed by Ike Wilson in Jersey City and Brooklyn, March 2020. 

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Part 2: October 2020: 7+ Months Into the Pandemic

In October 2020, Wilson caught up with Hernandez to ask about how the pandemic had changed both his professional and personal lives. As it turns out, Hernandez had done *some* virtual posing sessions, but most of his nude modeling work had been for his OnlyFans subscribers (note: NSFW). Overall, however, Hernandez was spending most of his time caring for his three-year-old son Elias. 

• OnlyFans, a pay-per-view adult subscription platform, reported a 75% uptick in model signups in April, signaling a wave of people looking to earn money from posting nude or pornographic content. 
• Many creators joined the site as a way to earn income after losing their jobs due to the pandemic.
• Demand for virtual sex services has skyrocketed during the pandemic. (Porn views also generally increased during lockdown.) In mid-August, 250,000 people were creating OnlyFans accounts — as either users or creators — every day. 

These pieces are produced and narrated by Ike Wilson. They are hosted by Aala Abdullahi and feature music from Justnormal and Pandaraps. Special thanks to Gabe Hernandez, Momina Mindeel, and Rayner Ramirez’s Fall 2020 Advanced Multimedia class at NYU Journalism School. 

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Ike Wilson is a writer and producer from California. Based in New York since 2011, he worked in education tech as an instructional designer and video producer before moving into journalism. He loves telling interview-based multimedia stories about culture, entertainment, and sports.