What Bonnie Blue and Andrew Tate have in common

Photos by Daniel Mihailescu/AFP and Gilbert Flores/Variety
When Messalina, the third wife of Roman Emperor Claudius, was sure her husband was asleep, she would slip out of the palace and head to the brothels of Rome. Donning a blonde wig and adopting the stage-name Wolf Girl, she would spend the night entertaining clients who had no idea they were sleeping with an empress, staying until dawn when the pimps forced her to leave.
She didn't do any of this, of course. The account of Messalina's scandalous urge to prostitute herself comes from the satirical poet Juvenal, born years after her death. A similarly sordid and fantastical tale of the empress challenging Rome's most notorious whore to a contest of who could satiate the most men in a night is told by Pliny the Elder, who would have been in his twenties during the events he claims to chronicle. Messalina wins, incidentally, with a score of 25 men.
This might seem rather tame by today's standards. Young women competing to outdo one another in terms of sexual depravity is a moral panic at the moment. OnlyFans, the site for content creators to profit off their fans, has created an arena for the kind of acts Roman authors had to dream up in their fevered imaginations. Derbyshire-born pornographic model Lily Phillips became something of a household name last year with her documentary on sleeping with 100 men on camera in a day (four Messalinas, if you care to measure that way). And that's one tenth of the figure claimed in January by fellow Derbyshire OnlyFans star Bonnie Blue – a woman who rose to prominence posting videos of herself having sex with 'barely legal' men.
Blue (a pseudonym, of course – Messalina would approve) is in the news right now for two reasons. First is her latest attempted stunt: a 'petting zoo' where (she says) she intended to be tied up in a glass box in central London and invite any men passing by to use her however they chose. Cue a wave of online backlash, and OnlyFans suspending her account. There will be no petting zoo event – but, as with the Lily Phillips documentary, the incident ensured that a whole lot of people who had never come across Blue now know her name.
If that wasn't enough to shock you, Blue is in the headlines again after announcing a collaboration with manosphere influencer and accused sex trafficker Andrew Tate. The pair have apparently made a podcast together, and posted to social media teasing their fans about the upcoming content. Tate, the poster boy for 21st century toxic masculinity, hardly seems a fan of Blue, tweeting to his followers: 'Bonnie is the end result of feminism. She is what The Matrix wanted to create.' At first glance, it's hard to see what porn actress who specialises in taking depravity to new heights under the banner of female empowerment and sex positivity and a former kickboxer who teaches impressionable young men that women are objects and is facing criminal charges in both Romania and the UK would have to talk about.
Not unless they admit they're in the exact same game, anyway. And that game is winning at the attention economy. Both have made careers out of hacking the algorithms that run our online lives: Blue by turning pornography into extreme performance art, Tate with a mix of get-rich-quick tutelage and old-fashioned misogyny repackaged for an era of lost young men (leaving aside his side hustle recruiting webcam girls to make money for him). Both have had to push into ever more eye-catching territory to keep the clicks coming: Blue with increasingly creative stunts, Tate by branching out from his usual oeuvre of insisting women exist purely for male pleasure to arguing that it is 'gay' to enjoy food. Both assert they have made millions from OnlyFans and other online platforms: Blue claimed her income was $2.1m a month (one reason OnlyFans is highly likely to reinstate her account – and if it doesn't, there'll always be another platform that will), while Tate's content is so lucrative YouTube is continuing to profit off it despite banning him in 2022.
Those platforms, by the way, know exactly what they're hosting. Their aim is to lock users into the sites for as long as possible, regardless of the content keeping them there. The degradation of X since Elon Musk's takeover in 2022 lays this out: you can still find genuinely stimulating discourse and debate there, but you'll have to wade through the crypto scammers, incendiary tirades, fake stories, conspiracy theories, AI photos and pornographic videos to find it. The latter isn't just you, in case you were wondering. Porn on Twitter isn't new, but it has become so ubiquitous that MPs have been warned not to scroll on their phones during parliamentary debates in case adult content pops into their feeds and they face the fate of Neil Parish (the Tory MP forced to resign for exactly that offence). True, the algorithms serve you what they think you want to see, but so many accounts are posting salacious photos and videos to grab attention and boost engagement figures that the odds it'll turn up in your feed whether you've ever searched for such content before are too high to risk.
Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe
If that's entry level, the collaboration announced between Tate and Blue is top-tier attention hacking. What could spark more outrage – and therefore more clicks – than a podcast between arch anti-feminist Tate and a woman he claims to despise? As one Tate fan pointed out: 'you just gave her 1000's of new onlyfans subscribers.' Much less hassle than her petting zoo plan.
The Roman authors who helped turn Messalina into a by-word for female promiscuity were playing a similar game two thousand years ago, amplifying the contrast between her royal status and her debauched behaviour as a shock tactic. (In the end, she was executed for adultery, and the way ancient writers discuss her tells us a lot more about Roman anxiety to a new imperial regime than it does about her actual life, but that's another story.) Those outraged by Blue's antics, whether out of disgust for the work she does or revulsion that she is associating herself with someone like Tate, are handing them both the very currency they trade in.
[See more: Geoff Dyer's English journey]
Related

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Metro

4 hours ago

• Metro

Fat Joe sued for $20,000,000 over claims of underage sex with minors

Reports from America say that Fat Joe has been sued for a whopping $20million (£14.8m) over claims of unpaid wages and underage sex with minors. The New York rapper, 54, whose real name is Joe Cartagena, rose to fame in the mid-to-late 90s as a solo performer and as a member of the Terror Squad. He landed his biggest UK chart hits in 2002 and 2005 when he teamed up with Ashanti for What's Luv? and with Jennifer Lopez for Hold You Down – both top 10 singles. Now, his former hypeman and stage partner of 16 years, Terrence Dixon – better known by his stage name T. A. – has filed a lawsuit against Cartagena in federal court. Dixon is alleging that Cartagena engaged in 'coercive labor exploitation, financial fraud, sexual manipulation, violent intimidation, and psychological coercion' – claims that Cartagena denies. Further reports (via Variety) indicate that the lawsuit also accuses the Feelin So Good rapper 'deliberately suppressed, silenced and erased Dixon's substantial creative, artistic, and commercial contributions'. The complaint, which is 157 pages long, has been filed in the US District Court, Southern District of New York, and contains a trigger warning in its contents. Dixon accompanied Cartagena on stages across the world for 16 years, often working up and energising the crowd before and during sets. During this time, he alleges, the Lean Back rapper forced him 'into humiliating situations, including sex acts performed under duress and surveillance, accompanied by threats of abandonment.' Cartagena is represented in the case by celebrity attorney Joe Tacopina, who has represented, among others, US President Donald Trump and rapper ASAP Rocky. 'The lawsuit filed by Tyrone Blackburn and Terrance Dixon is a blatant act of retaliation,' a statement from Cartegana's representatives began. '[It's] a desperate attempt to deflect attention from the civil suit we filed first, which exposed their coordinated scheme to extort Mr. Cartagena through lies, threats, and manufactured allegations.' The latest development follows Cartagena's filing of his own lawsuit against Dixon in April of this year, in which he claimed that his former hypeman had slandered him on social media. Claims are made in Dixon's suit that he was personally coerced 'into more than 4,000 sexual acts to maintain his standing' within Cartagena's musical enterprise. The most shocking claim made is that the hypeman 'personally witnessed [Cartagena] engage in sexual relations with children who were 15 and 16 years old.' Three Jane Does – a 16-year-old girl from New York, a 15-year-old girl from outside the USA, and another 15-year-old girl – are listed in the document. More Trending Dixon alleges that Cartagena 'contemplated leaving his wife' after 'falling in love' with the third girl, who it's claimed he met with just before she turned 16. The response from Cartagena's legal team continued: 'The allegations against Mr. Cartagena are complete fabrications – lies intended to damage his reputation and force a settlement through public pressure.' Dixon is credited as a musician and lyricist on several of Fat Joe's songs that were released around the late 2000s and early 2010s, specifically on the album Jealous Ones Still Envy 2. The hypeman – also known as Population One in the music industry – is said to be represented for the lawsuit by Tyrone Blackburn, who is currently lead counsel in the high-profile Sean 'Diddy' Combs case. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Lizzo reveals the secret to her major weight loss MORE: Netflix star Sara Burack, 40, killed in hit-and-run as police hunt driver MORE: Madonna slammed for controversial behaviour during Broadway musical

Daily Record

5 hours ago

• Daily Record

Roman shoppers swoon over 'stunning' maxi dress that 'looks lovely with a tan'

This midi-length frock will not look out of place in a holiday suitcase. There are many reasons to love the summer season. Aside from getting to enjoy some sunshine, it marks the start of holiday season for a lot of us. For those jetting off to a warmer climate, it means getting that enviable sun-kissed, glowing tan. To really highlight that hard-worked-for suntan, many fashion fans will know that it comes down to choosing the right outfits. That's exactly why many are rushing out to buy Roman's White Lace Bodice Shirred Midi Dress. With its ability to compliment that golden hue and lightweight, airy design, we can see why it's a must buy of the season. Costing £38, it boasts a strap-style design, with a chic crochet overlay bodice and a flowing midi-length skirt. Paired with some cute sandals or wedges, it is perfect for beach vacations and tropical holidays. It's finished with a simple round neckline that can be easily layered with statement necklaces for those days it is being worn to fancier events, or for going out to dinner. White Lace Bodice Shirred Midi Dress £38 Roman Buy here Product Description While the white colourway is ideal for highlighting a summer tan, it is worth noting that shoppers can also purchase the midi frock in both pink and black, with sizes all of them being available in sizes 10 to 20. An alternative that we think will also be perfect for wearing to any beach holidays is this Navy Crochet Mix Midi Dress, £45 at Next, that boasts a very similar style and is still available in sizes eight to 20, with some tall sizes sprinkled in there. Fashion fans who'd prefer a bit more of a nautical-inspired look, there is this White Striped Crochet Top Strappy Maxi Dress from George at Asda for £20, with a large selection of sizes from a six to 28 still in stock. Meanwhile, Roman's strappy maxi dress has been such a hit with holidaymakers that it has earned a perfect five star rating, with reviews praising it as "very flattering" and "stunning." One delighted shopper said: "It's very flattering and looks lovely with a suntan." A second impressed Roman shopper wrote: "I've been looking for a dress like this for quite some time. Great length, I'm 5'8". Can't wait to wear it on holiday." Someone else gushed: "Stunning white dress that is lined and so flattering. Perfect for a beach wedding!" Fashion deal of the week Fashion fans looking for a dress that will standout at all their summer events will need to hear about this one from Roman. The high street chain's Royal Blue Rose Print Button Detail Maxi Dress, hailed as "perfect for the warmer seasons", is now on sale for £35 after being dropped from £48 - saving 27 percent overall. With its "stunning" all-over rose print and modest midaxi length hemline, this particular frock will look perfect at any fancy occasions this season. Since it offers a bold design, we'd advise pairing it with nude-coloured heels and neutral accessories. The flowy, comfortable woven fabric and short sleeves make it an ideal airy choice for when the temperatures rise again. It also features a chic V-neckline, alongside a shirred waistline that will 'cinch' in the figure for a flattering effect. Complete with buttons down the front, the high street firm also advises pairing its £35 sale dress with a denim jacket on those summer days when the weather is a little bit chillier. Beloved for its vibrant and bold style, one five-star review read: "One of the five-star reviews read: "This dress is amazing. I've had so many compliments. "Lovely Silky material, floor length and such vibrant colours and so easy to just wash and wear. Suitable for weddings and occasions or just perfect for holidays and summer days. A real head turner... Love it." Someone else added: "Another pleased purchaser wrote: "Just love this dress, lovely colours, beautiful material, perfect for my upcoming holiday." While shoppers unanimously agreed the dress was perfect, one shopper did highlight the length of lining as an issue, writing: "Lovely dress for my holidays. Material of the skirt is very fine but there is a cotton lining to the knee. "I would have preferred it to be the same length as the skirt itself but I will still wear it. Straps are adjustable too which is good. I'm only 5'4" and it's ankle length on me so if you are tall it will be midi." However, someone else praising the fit of the dress enthused: "I've been looking for a dress like this for quite some time. Great length, I'm 5'8". Can't wait to wear it on holiday." Get holiday ready by purchasing Roman's White Lace Bodice Shirred Midi Dress for £38 now.

Daily Mirror

6 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

'I went to a Knives Out-inspired whodunnit dinner and was not expecting this'

If you take Cluedo a little too seriously, this immersive dinner could be the next best activity date for you. I went along to The Perfect Bite experience, with tantalising drama and a murder to be solved Ever fancied yourself as Sherlock Holmes or Benoit Blanc? Or maybe you watched the Knives Out films and thought you'd love to be involved in a whodunnit investigation? Either way, if you're looking to add a little more bite to your usual romantic dinner, The Perfect Bite could be the next best dinner date idea. The Perfect Bite - hosted at Gaucho, City of London - adds a tantalising twist to your standard meal, serving up an evening of entertainment while you enjoy your steak and chips. By attending this limited time event, you're signing yourself up to a delicious four-course meal but you'll have to work for it, as you attempt to solve a twist-filled murder mystery, led by detective Logan Locke. ‌ ‌ READ MORE: Daniel Craig looks unrecognisable as he steps out in Venice with wife Rachel Weisz I have to say I wasn't expecting the level of suspense while enjoying my meal. Couples were embroiled in full blow arguments, suspects had breakdowns as we questioned them over their involvement and double lives were exposed. I worked alongside three other guests to find clues between courses, and watch the drama unfold as suspects revealed their true colours as the plot thickened. The Perfect Bite serves as an ideal immersive experience for a group of friends or as an exciting change to your usual date night. I left Gaucho feeling fulfilled, not only had I enjoyed a tasty meal, but I'd also solved a murder and had a decent dose of drama to go and tell my friends about. The Perfect Bite is inspired by Netflix 's Knives Out, which is set for a third instalment. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery sees Daniel Craig reprising his role as the charming sleuth Benoit. Joining him is an A-list cast including Josh O'Connor (known for Challengers and The Crown), Cailee Spaeny (Alien: Romulus, Priscilla), Mila Kunis (Black Swan) and the legendary Glenn Close (Fatal Attraction, 101 Dalmations). Jeremy Renner is also making a comeback to the franchise. Devotees will recall his stint as the mascot for a hot sauce brand in Glass Onion, but his character in Wake Up Dead Man is entirely unrelated. ‌ The latest instalment will hit the streaming service on December 12, 2025, but Craig admitted that he'd love for the movie to go into theatres. 'Hopefully, Netflix will push it out a bit, and people will get to see it. The people I speak to – the fans, I suppose – all they want to do is take their families and go see it at the cinemas. That's all they want to do. Hopefully we can give them that experience,' the former James Bond star told Variety. Netflix's first-look prompted reactions from fans, with one saying: "Let's go. Love Daniel Craig in this role," while another commented: "I'm just here for Benoit Blanc's Southern charm and all the chaos in between." Another film enthusiast predicted: "This mystery is shaping up to be the best one yet." ‌ How to book The Perfect Bite Immersive Dinner The Perfect Bite, A Dinner Experience Inspired by Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery takes place at Gaucho City of London. This exclusive event launched on June 5, 2025. Seating is limited, so grab your tickets before they vanish! Ticket prices: ‌ General Admission Individual ticket: £140 + VAT Table of 4: £499 + VAT (£124.75 per person) Prime Time (Fridays & Saturdays)