Listen, Mija 🚨Ep. 10: Saints, Sinners, and OnlyFans — Sex Work & Sacred Femininity

Welcome to episode 10 amiguis! This is our final episode of season one! We are so proud of how this season turned out! We are going to take a short break then plan for season 2! This episode unpacks the tangled web of stigma, survival, empowerment, and safety that surrounds sex work, porn, and platforms like OnlyFans—especially from the perspective of Latina women who have been shaped by cultural expectations and religious morals. The host reflects on how centuries of misogyny, economic inequality, and shame-based sexual education create our default attitudes, and challenges listeners to reframe the conversation with empathy, realism, and self-determination.

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

Sex Work—The World’s Oldest Profession

• Stigma:

  • How Latinx culture, often influenced by Catholicism, frames sex work as inherently immoral.

  • The "good girl vs. bad girl" dichotomy, and how it feeds societal double standards.

• Survival:

  • Economic realities: low wages, lack of opportunities, immigration status, and how sex work can be a means of survival—especially for marginalized women.

  • Recognizing labor rights in sex work and why criminalization often increases danger. (sex workers in other countries vs US)

• Empowerment: Reclaiming sexual agency as a Latina means deciding for yourself what feels safe, aligned, and empowering—whether that’s never engaging with sex work or proudly claiming it as your livelihood. Live your best life! Live for you.

Topic Breakdown + Discussion

• Mija, if God didn’t want you to feel good, why’d He give you all those nerve endings?

  
  

  Talking Points:

  • Sex work: stigma vs. survival vs. empowerment (world's oldest profession)

  • Thoughts on OnlyFans: curiosity, judgment, or respect? A way out for many?

  • The porn conversation: what’s real, what’s not, and how it impacts our expectations, do women watch it as much as men? How much is too much?

  • When the culture makes celebs sexual objects: Sydney Sweeney, Sabrina Carpenter

  • Reclaiming sexuality vs. being sexualized: where’s the line?

  • Can you be spiritual and sexual?

    • How we’re reconnecting to our bodies as sacred

    • Spirituality as sensuality

  
  

While sex work is often framed in pop culture as glamorous or purely a personal choice, the truth for many women—especially in marginalized communities: is that it’s deeply tied to economic and social inequities

Reclaiming sexual agency as a Latina means deciding for yourself what feels safe, aligned, and empowering—whether that’s never engaging with sex work or proudly claiming it as your livelihood. Live your best life! Live for you.

“If we can talk about this without shame, maybe other women in our lives will grow up with fewer fears and more choices.

Check out the following resources for more information:

• Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP USA) – National network offering legal support, safety tips, peer mentoring, and political advocacy.

  🔗 https://swopusa.org

• Red Umbrella Fund – Global fund supporting sex worker-led organizations.

  🔗 https://www.redumbrellafund.org

• The Cupcake Girls – Offers confidential support including healthcare access, financial assistance, and exit strategies for those who want to leave sex work.

  🔗 https://thecupcakegirls.org

• HIPS – Washington D.C.–based group providing harm reduction supplies, crisis counseling, and legal help.

  🔗 https://www.hips.org

Global Based Resources

• NSWP (Global Network of Sex Work Projects) – International platform amplifying sex worker voices and safety advocacy.

  🔗 https://www.nswp.org

• Maggie’s Toronto Sex Workers Action Project – Canadian org offering peer-led harm reduction, legal advocacy, and health resources.

  🔗 https://www.maggiesto.org

• St. James Infirmary – San Francisco clinic run by and for sex workers, offering free medical care, counseling, and safety workshops.

  🔗 https://www.stjamesinfirmary.org

  
  

Listen to the episode: ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts ⁠⁠| ⁠⁠Amazon Podcasts⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠I Heart Radio⁠⁠

Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe! 

You can also find us on socials here: Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and Youtube!

Listen on Spotify here:

Listen on Apple here:

Hope you enjoy the episode! Share your own personal stories with us @listenmija_podcast on Instagram or send us a note on: ⁠http://www.listenmijapod.com ⁠

Thanks for listening!

Jen, Jennie and Stella

--

Ep. 10 Music attributions

Look Busy by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Comedic Juggernaut by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Fluffing a Duck by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/