What it’s like to sell used underwear for money
When Student Loans aren't big enough, some students turn to sex work to make money. We spoke to a student about what it's like to sell her used underwear.
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During her degree, Jenny* was struggling to make ends meet, leading her to look for a way to make money quickly.
She decided to sign up for a fetish site, selling her used knickers to cover the cost of necessities.
We spoke to Jenny in 2016 to find out what this was really like.
Selling worn underwear as a student
Jenny told Save the Student that she signed up for the fetish website out of sheer financial desperation:
It was a struggle to pay for my rent, bills and food out of my Student Loan, maxed out overdraft and the income from my part-time job.
Her rent alone was £4,500 a year, while her Maintenance Loan came in at just £3,300 a year, meaning she had to find an extra £1,200 a year just to cover rent. On top of this, she also needed money for food, transport and course costs.
She initially had to pay a £15-a-month subscription to a fetish site, but it wasn't long before she made her monthly fee back as customers began to buy her worn underwear. She said:
Almost immediately I was contacted by individuals who were after some of my 'products', and I quickly saw that there were a lot more options than just underwear.
Many members were also selling custom photos and videos, other items of worn clothing, and other more personal items (almost every type of bodily fluid seemed to be in demand).
When we spoke to her, she was making £100 a month selling one or two pairs of used pants a week. She added that she could make more money by offering webcam shows, but didn't feel comfortable showing her face so decided to stick to selling knickers for the time being.
Jenny said she had also needed to refuse various weird requests, including a 'humiliation' video based on the client's religion and selling her faeces in person.
Why are students taking risks to make money?
It's no surprise that Jenny, like thousands of other students, found it difficult to stay financially afloat at university.
According to the results of our National Student Money Survey, some students are taking risks to make money such as by gambling or doing sex work.
For context, the average surveyed student spent an average of £1,104 per month. Yet, the average Maintenance Loan for English students in 2023/24 was equivalent to around £600 per month.
As such, with Student Loans struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living, students often need to look for alternative ways to make money.
For lower-risk ways to earn cash, find out the top ways to get free money.
* Jenny's name has been changed.
