FKA twigs handed over the reigns of her Instagram account this week in support of sex workers.
Last Tuesday the “Two Weeks” singer began advocating for the support of grassroots sex worker-led organizations by organizing a GoFundMe for the Sex Worker Mutual Aid Fund. On the campaign page, FKA twigs said that organizations like SWARM, Lysistrata, and the East London Strippers Collective (ELSC) “are challenging public attitudes, tackling stigma, and fighting for rights and protections for sex workers” by offering “direct financial support” to sex workers and strippers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to a personal donation of $13,000, she said the goal was to raise an additional $39,000.
On Wednesday, FKA twigs followed up that campaign with a takeover from the ELSC intended to “share important information about sex workers rights.” “We will be using this platform to uplift and drive traffic towards other sex worker led organisations that are doing great work and deserve your attention and support,” she said, noting that “many are self-funded or without funding whatsoever, so rely entirely on public engagement.”
The list includes Harpies Club Night, the U.K.’s first LGBTQ+ strip club; CYBERTEASE, a virtual strip club organized and unionized by sex workers; and Radio AvA, a sex worker-led radio station based in London.
Also included is the Berlin Strippers Collective, which organizes life-drawing classes and community work in Berlin; the English Collective of Prostitutes, which has been campaigning to decriminalize prostitution and advocating for sex workers rights and safety since 1975; the Black Sex Workers Collective, and a grassroots organization supporting current and former Black sex workers. Other campaigns spotlighted in the takeover are Umbrella Lane, a project led by sex workers in Scotland dedicated to providing a rights-based holistic approach to the needs and rights of sex workers; JuiceBox Events, which provides a platform to showcase LGBTQ+ and QTPOC talent; and National Ugly Mugs, an organization that provides greater access to justice and protection for sex workers.
Twigs, who has been described as a “genre-bending” artist, drawing from various genres from electronic music to trip-hop and R&B, released her critically acclaimed album Magdalene last year, which included the singles “Cellophane and “Holy Terrain.” In her “Cellophane” music video, the singer can be seen showing off some impressive pole dancing skills while donning a leafy lace bikini and eight-inch metallic platform heels.
