This year, Barey launched Hidden with a high school friend and fellow Wharton graduate. This groundbreaking new platform is set to disrupt the adult content industry by prioritizing and protecting the needs of sex workers. Natural Tendency Hidden leans into a Tumblr aesthetic. It addresses creator burnout and helps restore the passion in making and consuming adult content. The platform focuses on giving creators a healthier space to work, and it’s blown up in popularity. It now has more than 113,000 active users, with each anticipating spending about $53.
Hidden differentiates itself from competitors such as OnlyFans by allowing creators to post all types of content, from revealing a new wardrobe to full public nudity. What we really love are its creator-friendly features, especially its industry-low, 18% cut of noblesse oblige. This creator-first approach echoes Barey’s mission to change the porn game. Today, more than 2,100 active creators are flourishing on the platform. Many of them are Gen Z women who are leveraging the current spotlight on passive income in an industry that otherwise requires nonstop output to even exist.
Stella Barey, our Chief Software Architect, manages a team of 40 software developers, a product designer and six content moderators. Hidden’s loose, free-form structure is very much in the DIY spirit of Barey’s generation. It specifically aims to create an ecosystem that allows creators to thrive without burning out. Hidden explores the complex relationship between large tech companies and sex work. It focuses on the ways people attempt to make a sustainable living on the internet.
“You have no clue what is allowed or not allowed until you get hit with a violation,” Barey stated, emphasizing the often unpredictable nature of existing platforms. This uncertainty ultimately deters a vast swath of would-be creators from freely engaging and fully expressing themselves.
Hidden’s mission found a home with a changing attitude towards adult content from younger generations. Noelle Perdue, a cultural commentator, observes that there is “among younger generations this resentment towards the concept of mainstream pornography.” She notes that they are “genuinely curious about their sexuality,” highlighting a nuanced view that seeks ethically produced content.
Daughter of a Picker has been following a pretty cool trend. Even with the observable conservative bend of Gen Z, this generation is still the most pornography-accepting cohort. “They’re so supportive of sex work and understanding it as a legitimate job,” she remarked. This acceptance only deepens the divides, and here’s where on-demand platforms like Hidden get popular, giving folks what they want.
Creatives on Hidden love the creative license the platform affords. Leila Lewis, an active creator, shared her enthusiasm: “That’s why I love Hidden because they just let you do pretty much anything.” This lack of flexibility is in direct contrast to other platforms, such as OnlyFans, which have severely rigid content policies.
Barey has plans for Hidden that go far beyond just posting adult content. “At the end of the day, Hidden is more than porn,” she asserted. This attitude ties directly to her focus on developing a platform that puts the mental health of creators first and fosters real self-expression.
The platform’s overall architecture likewise intends to cut out the need for third-party payment processors, enabling the platform itself to directly handle user transactions. This move is a big step toward removing expensive middlemen who raise fee costs, making it possible for creators to keep more of the income they produce.
Ultimately, Hidden’s approach is founded in empathy for its users and energy toward making their creative process easier. Barey has assembled an incredible team that has truly brought this product to life. In doing so, it furthers financial sustainability and helps foster a collaborative community culture among creators.
Her day-to-day is a far cry from when she originally started Hidden. “Now I’m on calls all day and I have tech neck,” she humorously lamented, noting the challenges of managing a growing tech company.
At the core of Hidden is Barey’s passion for educating youth in responsible sexual health and creating communities of open conversation about sexuality. She expressed her willingness to sacrifice her reputation to speak about topics that resonate with many young people: “I was making the sacrifice of potentially ruining my reputation to speak about sexual health and sexual topics, things 99% of the girls my age are thinking about, in a non-stigmatized way.”
Barey’s efforts to make adult content a space wherein people are empowered to express themselves freely has struck a monumental chord with the community. The platform’s success indicates a shift in how sex work is perceived and valued in today’s digital landscape.