Sex work has, generally speaking, had a notoriously detrimental effect on workers' lives. Documentaries like Netflix's After Porn Ends lay bare the deep-rooted psychological and social problems which sex workers can face. This is largely due to the fact that, until recently, the sex industry has been almost completely unregulated with tube sites freely distributing exploitative and damaging content. Then there is the fact that many people don't regard sex work as "work". 

However, attitudes are changing. In a Twitter survey conducted by VT, 84 per cent of respondents said that they saw sex work as a legitimate career. Additionally, following the dawn of the sex positivity movement, there has been an increase in the number of websites which allow performers more agency over their work.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Sammy Rei Schwarz]]

VT spoke to 27-year-old sex worker Sammy Rei Schwarz who, prior to entering the industry, had struggled with her mental health. According to Sammy, sex work improved her mental health, enabling her to create a working schedule that suits her needs. Since then, she has used her struggles with her mental health to improve the lives of her clients - many of whom are suffering themselves and feel stigmatised by their sexual preferences.

Sammy works as an author, phone sex operator, and performer, catering to various fetishes including BDSM as a switch (meaning that she will act as both a dom and a sub). 

VT: Did your struggles with your mental health influence your decision to become a sex worker?

"My struggles with mental health absolutely influenced my decision to become a sex worker. Living with anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress have limited my capacity to keep a regular schedule, leave my house, or even get out of bed. This has made it hard for me to keep a regular job. I started sex work during a particularly hard time when I rarely left the house. I found it to be a good source of income that is adaptable to my erratic schedule and gives me a sense of control over my life."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Sammy Rei Schwarz]]

"Starting sex work has been a significant step for my mental health by allowing me to see my sexual nature as an asset rather than a defect"

"A second way my mental health led me to sex work is through conquering sexual shame. Though I grew up in a conservative religious upbringing, I've always been highly sexual and suffered emotionally from feeling morally defective. Starting sex work has been a significant step for my mental health by allowing me to see my sexual nature as an asset rather than a defect. I no longer dwell on being a bad person for my own desires - I see the proof every day that they are not only normal and healthy but exceptional and appreciated by others!"

VT: How do you manage your mental health and does this have any influence on your capacity to work?

"I do weekly psychotherapy and take psychiatric medications to help control my symptoms of anxiety and depression. In addition, I journal, play my guitar and piano, and take walks with my dog. I find that getting creative and being forgiving of myself when I have a bad day does wonders for my mental health. My unpredictable mental health needs definitely restrict my ability to do typical jobs, but attending to these needs enables me to work at all!"

"I think the root of many people's experiences of abuse and overworking in the sex industry is the same as in any other industry: lack of control over our work; lack of labour rights; poor access to healthcare; no accountability for abusers"

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Sammy Rei Schwarz]]

VT: While attitudes towards sex work are improving, the industry is notorious for having a detrimental effect on workers' lives, how has your experience been different?

"I wouldn't say my experience has been that different from others with similar backgrounds who do similar things. While I've had bad experiences, I'm fortunate to have the resources and support available that allow me to set my own terms and advocate for myself. I think the root of many people's experiences of abuse and overworking in the sex industry is the same as in any other industry: lack of control over our work; lack of labour rights; poor access to healthcare; no accountability for abusers. In the sex industry, all these issues can be improved by listening to sex workers and implementing solutions that put them in greater control of their own labour. Stigmatising the industry as a whole doesn't help anyone."

VT: You only engage in online sex work. Do you think that you would have had a less positive experience if you had worked in adult films or as an escort?

"I think the primary difference between my positive experiences with sex work and folks who have had less positive experiences comes down to a sense of control over what I do. I don't think it has anything to do with what type of sex work."

"The most damaging aspect of my sex work career to my mental health is the societal stigma"

[[imagecaption|| Sammy has become known in the industry for catering to people with Macrophilia - a relatively unknown fetish for giants or giantesses. Above is a cover for an erotic audiotape she recorded | Credit: Sammy Rei Schwarz]]

VT: A lot of sex workers have attested to their careers having a limited lifespan, with many mainstream adult film stars admitting to engaging in extreme behaviours to survive. Is this the case for you and do you think the limited lifespan of sex work could have a detrimental effect on your mental health?

"Especially in fetish markets, mature age is no hindrance and can even be an asset. In this day and age where sex workers must offer more than a pretty face to get business, experience and creativity are huge advantages. The most damaging aspect of my sex work career to my mental health is the societal stigma."

"Many [sex workers] understand what it's like to live with mental illness. In fact, there's an awesome resource called Pineapple Support which offers live chat for sex workers with other sex workers who volunteer as listeners"

VT: Are your mental health problems accommodated for by other people in the industry?

"As an independent content creator with no job contract, I'm my own boss and have no coworkers per se, which can be isolating. But I socialise with other sex workers through social media and I've found them to be supportive and understanding. Many of them understand what it's like to live with mental illness. In fact, there's an awesome resource called Pineapple Support which offers live chat for sex workers with other sex workers who volunteer as listeners. Although the industry has far to go, I think more people recognise the importance of creating mental health support systems for sex workers." 

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Sammy Rei Schwarz]]

"I certainly have clients who open up to me about things like depression and low self-esteem. And I think that having gone through those things myself helps me connect with them on a deeper level"

VT: And on that note, how has your mental health affected your relationship with your clients?

"The positive aspect is that I can empathise with those who also have mental health issues. I certainly have clients who open up to me about things like depression and low self-esteem. And I think that having gone through those things myself helps me connect with them on a deeper level. The less positive aspect is that due to the symptoms I experience every day, I can be sometimes less predictable and consistent with my work schedule than I would ideally like. But when I am in a session with someone, I really give my full attention."

[[imagecaption|| Sammy is an author of a number of erotic works | Credit: Sammy Rei Schwarz]]

VT: Do you think that your career would have a detrimental effect on your mental health if you had a nine to five job instead of being a sex worker?

"I absolutely know that I would be worse off in my physical and mental health if I had a 'normal' job instead of doing sex work. I've held a variety of traditional jobs, from cashiering to food-service to office work to academic research to teaching, and they were all difficult to fit around my health needs. I found myself pushing through when I really was not in any state to work, exacerbating the problem. And sometimes I just couldn't show up, which isn't good for anyone." 

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Sammy Rei Schwarz]]

VT: What advice would you give to people with mental illnesses who are considering becoming sex workers?

"The number one advice I'd give to people with mental illnesses who enter sex work is to make sure you set up a support network of sex work positive people you can turn to if you need to vent about your job. These could be friends, partners, other sex workers, and mental health professions. If it's impossible for you to find friends and counsellors who will support you in this career, it could be really hard on your mental health."

"It can be really reassuring to see people of all kinds living their best lives and embracing their sexuality"

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Sammy Rei Schwarz]]

VT: Similarly, what advice would you give to people struggling to be confident sexually who want to turn things around like you did?

"I think the most important thing is to surround yourself with diverse sex-positive people who are all at different points along the road in their own journeys of sexual self-discovery. Sometimes, depending on where you live, it can be difficult to find communities like this. But the internet can really help with that. It can be really reassuring to see people of all kinds living their best lives and embracing their sexuality. When shame tries to bring you down, remind yourself that you wouldn't shame your kinky friends, so you don't have to shame yourself. Try to attend events, workshops, classes about sexuality and give yourself permission to try new things. Remember, it's also fine to make mistakes and to laugh about it. Sexuality doesn't have to be so serious. And be sure to spend lots of time getting to know your body and what brings you pleasure. No matter who you are, you deserve it." 

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Sammy Rei Schwarz]]

In a world where it is easier than ever to become a content creator, many sex workers adapted with the times to carve out careers that work for them. While sex work isn't for everyone, it is clear from Sammy's story that the agency the internet gives people over their careers, in any field, can be used by those with mental health conditions to make a living - and, in some cases, improve their symptoms - when they would otherwise be unable to do so.

Sammy's work can be found on her website or on Twitter, where she also frequently discusses mental health issues.

A mother has gone back to work just five days after giving birth after revealing that she was desperate to get back to her job.

Being a new parent is a tough but rewarding job. The loss of sleep, social life, and free time all seem to be worth it when taking care of your new offspring.

One thing that often goes hand in hand with having a child is time off work, be that for the mother or father, but naturally, the individual giving birth will need some recovery time.

Maternity or paternity leave isn't a holiday though and looking after a newborn can often be more stressful than work, leaving people desperate to get back to their job.

Jaelyn Cox, 29, gave birth to her second child and couldn't wait to get back to work - which she did just five days after her new daughter was born.

As reported by The Sun, the mother-of-two works as a dancer at a strip club and also runs an OnlyFans account.

Clearly quite a lucrative business, the model makes a significant amount of money from her employment and was desperate to get back to it after having her latest child.

It would appear that not everybody was happy with her decision, as her boyfriend was "raging" and informed her that she needed to rest, but Jaelyn wasn't having any of it.

"I was back on the hustle five days after giving birth," she told The Sun. "My boyfriend's been doing most of the night feeds. So I can make the money during the night and he does the babysitting."

The Scottish mother admitted that she got some funny looks while wearing certain outfits when she was expecting. But she actually made more money while pregnant, as her clients didn't seem to mind.

Despite criticism, Jaelyn declared that working as an OnlyFans model during the day gives her flexibility to be a parent, as well as earning up to £800 ($950) a night while working at the strip club.

Her choices were met with a mixed response online, but people rushed to support the mother-of-two, with one person saying: "I think its great that you have the confidence to do that and your baby has a great dad who is supportive of your work it means you can make a good life for your family best of luck to you."

Credit: Facebook

A second added: "Your life and you doing it to support your family and your there with your kids and hubby is on board with everything, Good luck to yous hope yous have a great life and ignore all the haters [sic]."

Credit: Facebook

Though some did question how she had the energy to work five days after giving birth, which seems like a valid thing to ask.

Featured image credit: Tom Holt / Alamy

As kids, we're often asked, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" and the responses usually don't often have much variety to them. Even as older children or young adults, we're fairly limited in what we pick out as a future career, simply because we probably don't know how many options exist. There are, of course, a lot of obscure jobs out there. However, some of them pay considerably better than others, like the ones below.

1. Golf Ball Diver

Ever wondered what happens to the golf balls that end up in lakes and ponds? Divers are specifically employed to salvage them from potentially-hazardous waters and they get paid up to $100,000 a year for doing so.

2. Water Slide Tester

At $30,000 a year, this job won't exactly afford you a mansion; but why would you need one when you're literally just riding water slides all day?

3. Elevator Mechanic

While it might not sound like the most interesting career choice, working as an elevator mechanic could score you around $80,000 a year, which is more than some doctors earn. But, like all jobs, it has its ups and downs.

4. Master Sommelier

Getting paid to drink booze sounds like the ultimate fantasy, and some people are living it. The average salary for top wine tasters is $150,000, but getting to that point requires passing a ton of very difficult exams.

5. Furniture Tester

This one is on the lower end of the pay scale at $35,000 a year, but you've got to admit that's pretty good for sitting around all day. I mean, I do that for free all the time.

6. Pet Food Taster

It sounds weird, but someone's got to do it. And, if you don't mind chowing down on questionable cuts of meat from a tin can, you could earn yourself a tidy $40,000.

7. Crime Scene Cleaner

Do you want $80,000 a year? Are you ok with blood and guts? Then this is the career choice for you. Providing you're also willing to interact with the occasional bio hazard, of course.

8. Food Stylist

It might sound simple, but making food look good for a photo shoot requires a lot of talent. It also makes a lot of dough (lol), with some stylists earning upwards of $50,000.

9. Professional Snuggler

No, this isn't a euphemism for something else: you can literally get paid to cuddle people. Obviously these kinds of jobs are not in high demand, but you could find yourself making $60/hr if you're hired.

10. Embalmer

If you can stomach it, preparing corpses for burial pays a neat sum of $45,000 a year. On the plus side, you probably wouldn't get many difficult customers, and you'd never run out of business.

11. Computer Hacker

In films and TV shows, hackers are always portrayed as rogues or bad guys, but you can legitimately get hired as one. Companies will pay up to $130,000 for ethical hackers to test and repair their computer systems.

12. Voice Over Artist

We've already seen that you can get paid for eating and sitting, now you can earn money by talking, too. Voice over artists pocket up to $80,000 a year, or even more if you land a permanent gig on a big show.

13. Sewer Inspector

Ok, we're back to the undesirable sector of occupations. Sifting through waste almost certainly isn't anybody's dream job, but it does pay up to $61,000. You have to deal with a lot of crap, though.

14. Art Therapist

Making a living is often very difficult for artists and other creatives. As an art therapist, though, you can put away a tidy $32,000 - and have the satisfaction of helping people.

15. Patent Examiner

These guys are essentially responsible for making sure that patents submitted for new designs or ideas don't conflict with any existing ones. The top dogs in this role can pocket over $150,000 a year. If you're considering a career change after reading this, I don't blame you. Personally I've got my eye on the sommelier role. With all my wine-drinking experience, I think I'd be pretty good at it.

A woman has been praised online after she refused to babysit her grandchild for free - asking for an hourly wage instead.

Raising kids is no easy task, as they require constant supervision because they obviously don't possess the ability to fend for themselves until they're older.

With the kids needing to be under a constant watchful eye, it can be tough to work around a working schedule as most parents will need a job to financially support the family.

It's usually the case to enlist the help of the grandparents when it comes to child care, as they've done it all before and often have a bit more free time on their hands.

Though it would seem that one grandmother wasn't having any of it and even tried to charge her daughter for any childcare.

Parents are often faced with a dilemma when seeking childcare. Credit: Leah Kelley / Pexels

Writing on the popular Am I The A**hole forum on Reddit, the unnamed 29-year-old daughter questioned whether her mother was being unreasonable.

"My mom is 64, has been a homemaker/stay-at-home-mom since 1992, and hasn't been part of the workforce since then," the Redditor explained.

After asking her mum to help her with her new baby, she said: "She refused, saying she's too old and that she already raised her kids.

"She also added that if I really wanted this baby, then maybe I should have thought about staying home like she did to take care of it while my partner goes to work and provides for us like a 'traditional' family, and that if she [and] my dad were able to work it out, so can we."

Stating that she and her partner are paying back student loans as well as saving for a bigger house, she admitted they can't really afford childcare right now.

She went on: "When I explained all [the] above to my mom, she then proceeded to say that she will charge me $20/hr for each hour she takes care of the baby, plus late fees if we are late for pickup, and must provide her with a carseat, stroller, bottles, and pretty much double of everything we have at our home to compensate for taking the baby to her house."

The mom was expecting the grandmother to babysit for free. Credit: Jordi Mora igual/Getty Images

Stating that her mom "does not do anything besides watch TV and cook meals", the Redditor questioned whether she was the a**hole for asking her mother.

People flocked to the comments with support for the grandmother, as one person wrote: "YTA [You're the a**hole]. She raised her family and she has the right to want to be paid if she is going to give up part of her retirement to help you."

A second added: "Your plan for raising a child shouldn’t have been based on your Mom providing you with free childcare."

A third penned: "Your Mom is right. She already raised her kids. She is not responsible for your kids, you are. As a responsible adult, you should have reviewed your finances before deciding to have a baby to ensure you could afford the childcare and other expenses that come with having children."

Others said that the new mom can ask her parents to help with child care, but she shouldn't expect it and should take no for an answer.

Having kids is tough, isn't it?

Featured image credit: Pixabay / Pexels

A resident at a nursing home for the elderly has become the newest volunteer to their care team after telling staff that she wanted to do more to help.

It would seem that Maureen, who resides at the Flower Park Care Home in Doncaster, England, isn't content with putting her feet up in her retirement (like so many of us would).

In a heartwarming post on the official Flower Park Care Home Facebook page, staff explain: "We would like to introduce to our lovely resident Maureen.

"Maureen was talking to staff this morning and told us she would like to become a care assistant, we explained to Maureen that [it's] our turn to look after her, she then said she would like to help us where she can."

The post continues: "So Maureen agreed to be our new Volunteer, she's going to help folding towels and sheets and set the tables up for meal service. She can't wait to start her new role and says she loves feeling part of the team in her very own uniform."

The touching post has since amassed nearly 10,000 'likes' and over 1,200 comments - with well-wishers praising both Maureen and the nursing home for their kind spirit.

One commenter wrote: "Well done Maureen and to this amazing care home for giving residents their dignity self-respect and a purpose in life".

And a second Facebook user added: "Love this story and what a fantastic care home well done to all the staff, good look Maureen am sure you'll be brilliant".

"This is so gorgeous. How wonderful for Maureen to be able to take a part in the running of her home. I know this is the thing my grandparents really missed when they were in residential care. I’m sure Maureen is loving keeping busy," a third added.

In an update to Maureen's newfound position in the home, staff shared a photo of her hard at work and helping to serve drinks to her fellow residents:

"A little update for those following Maureen's journey. This afternoon she's helping out with the afternoon drinks trolley. Maureen loves keeping busy," the post read.

Well done, Maureen! We can only hope to have your drive and passion in our golden years.

Featured image credit: Tomas Anderson / Alamy