'I'm famous for being fat. This is what I want you to know.'

Jade's lucrative career in sex work kicked off rather accidentally.

It began with dancing videos. Fully clothed and doing what she loved on TikTok. She wanted to share her love for movement, which she's had a passion for since she first started taking classes at two years old. 

Except the videos were not warmly received — and it wasn't because she was untalented or unskilled, but because she was a fat woman. 

Watch: How to improve your daughter's body image. Post continues below.

"I got a lot of hate," she tells Mamamia. "A lot of unkind comments because of my size. So I just thought, 'Why bother hiding my body? They're going to give me hate no matter how much I try to cover it.' So I stopped covering it."

The haters were quite literally her motivation to show more skin. What were once fully clothed dancing videos eventually became what they are today: Jade in a bikini, with her belly out. 

As it turns out, the decision to strip back became a lucrative business opportunity. 

In less than 15 months, the plus-size content creator has built up an online following of more than 150,000 followers and is making at least "$10,000 on a bad month" for selling cheeky pictures and videos online. 

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A post shared by Jade 🍓 (@chubbybellyredhead)

"I've always sort of had this confidence within but I was an outcast growing up because of my size," she explains.

"There were self-confidence issues but even then, deep down, I knew that wasn't me. I moved out of home during COVID and I just found myself and that's when I decided, 'I'm going to start posting online.'

"It started with TikTok in November 2022, but it wasn't always sexual," she adds. "They were just me, in a bikini, with my cleavage and belly out."

Of course, there were (and still are) plenty of people who left comments attempting to tear her down because of her size. 

It didn't deter Jade though, in fact, it just fuelled her desire to succeed. At 26 years old, she's one of the most well-known fat sex workers in Australia.

However, the attention fuelled plenty of harassment and some even reported her content to get her accounts on TikTok and Instagram taken down. For a while, it worked. 

"I lost my first Instagram account at about 4,000 followers and I started a new one," she recalls. "Within two months, I had 20,000 followers. I had a few reels go viral and then was up another 20,000 followers in a few days. It's just kept growing and growing very fast."

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A post shared by Jade 🍓 (@chubbybellyredhead)

It's her own love and appreciation for her body that's encouraged her to remain online, with a public profile, despite negativity. 

"I've had to filter the comments because people say really nasty things, including death threats but the hate doesn't really get to me," she says. "I grew up being bullied for my size but I know these people would never say it to my face so I just block them and move on with my day."

Even so, there are days when Jade isn't so confident in her body. It's not the violent fat phobia that eats away at her insides, but more so the misunderstanding. The lecturing. The constant criticism from others who have never sat beside her during a doctor's appointment. 

"I used to have an eating disorder but since moving out of home, I've been able to manage it. I've always kept myself active and my body moving. I can run laps — maybe not as many as others but I'm not trying to be a marathon runner," Jade says. "I go to the doctor regularly. I know my body better than anyone else."

Nevertheless, the content creator's desire to be online isn't just about showing everyone how much she loves and appreciates her curves, but also showing other women that there is no shame in being obsessed with every rivet, arch and fold of their bodies.

"I'm myself," Jade says. "I'm authentic and I want women to love themselves for whoever the hell they are. Years ago, I only covered myself up with pants and long-sleeved tops. All in black. 

"Now I wear bright colours. Everything is out. I just don't care. It makes me happy being that way. I was hiding for so long, now I'm finally, finally being myself."

Feature Image: Instagram @chubbybellyredhead.