NEED TO KNOW

• OnlyFans model and content creator Ari Kytsya built a following of nearly 10 million across social platforms with her makeup GRWMs, comedic skits and glimpses into her life
• Kytsya talks about navigating her career and relationship with Yung Gravy, and how it works because they both understand the ongoing pressures of being in the public eye
• Today, she is taking her career to a new level as the newly appointed Chief Marketing Officer of Hidden, an emerging platform designed by and for adult performers

OnlyFans model Ari Kytsya is taking her creator journey to the next level.

With nearly 10 million followers across social platforms, Kytsya built her audience by showing up boldly and unapologetically, merging makeup GRWMs and funny skits with candid glimpses into her work as an adult performer as well as vulnerable conversations about identity and womanhood.

With equal parts playful and deeply personal, the 24-year-old model continues to draw viewers in with humor and sheer transparency, but her rise on social media didn’t happen overnight.

“I spent a lot of time before I post the way that I do now, kind of trying to fit in with everybody online,” Kytsya tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I wasn’t enjoying it, and I was like, ‘Wow — this is how I have to post? Is this what I need to do to actually be successful in the industry?’”

At one point, she felt boxed into making “thirst-trappy” videos for the “male gaze,” even though it didn’t feel authentic or fulfilling.

Ari Kytsya
Credit: Tamara Fox

That’s when Kytsya stopped performing for algorithms and expectations, leaning more into makeup videos, comedic skits and real-life moments that reflected who she actually is. Her platform began to grow rapidly, as did her female following.

“It was a big surprise to me to see women supporting me as well,” she says. “Especially finding a place where they feel comfortable sharing their experiences or relating to things I post about.”

Kytsya realized there weren’t enough creators openly sharing experiences that most women quietly keep to themselves.

“There aren’t many people sharing…I guess, being vulnerable about things that all women experience and all women relate to,” she explains. “I feel it’s super important so that other women don’t feel like, ‘Am I weird for this’ or ‘Is there something wrong with me’?

Kytsya candidly points out that this approach to her feminine audience isn’t about gaining subscribers or monetizing content.

“It doesn’t necessarily benefit me in terms of OnlyFans,” she admits. “I just found it super rewarding to be able to relate with more women, especially being somebody in the industry, because it’s usually the opposite.”

Kytsya’s authenticity and transparency with other women have also been catalysts for her relationships with brands and for how these brands engage with creators like her.

Recently, she’s noticed companies becoming less rigid and more willing to step outside carefully curated boxes.

“I think they’ve realized they don’t have to be a certain way as a brand to fit [in] with everybody,” she says, making note of the women’s products she uses. “Most women aren’t gonna be like, ‘Oh, I’m not buying that because she does [adult content].’”

Ari Kytsya
Credit: Tamara Fox

Kytsya hopes to continue seeing female creators post what they want while staying true to their personality, without succumbing to societal expectations.

When it comes to her personal life, it occasionally intersects with her content, including her relationship with rapper Yung Gravy, but she says the key to making it work is keeping their dynamic lighthearted and fun.

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“I think that we are able to have a really good balance with our work and our relationship, because we’re able to just have fun doing stuff with each other,” she says.

“It’s never like, ‘Can you do this and it’s going to help me, and I’ll do that, and it’ll help you.’ It’s more like, ‘Yeah, I want to be in your music video, that sounds so fun,’ or he’ll do a stupid little TikTok with me or help me film something.”

Both work in highly visible creativity industries, and Kytsya says that shared understanding helps them navigate the pressures that often come with such public-facing careers.

“I think it does help that we’re both in industries that are somewhat similar,” she explains. “We understand certain parts of each other’s work and social media.”

Constant exposure can blur the lines in ways most couples don’t have to navigate, but Kytsya says having that mutual understanding of each other’s work makes all the difference, “especially with things like jealousy,” she adds.

Ari Kytsya
Credit: Tamara Fox

Their dynamic also extends to supporting each other behind the scenes, where they often lean on one another’s strengths in both creativity and the business side.

“We both have different things we can help each other with,” she says. “He’ll help me when it comes to money things — he took a class in the university and knows how to do all that stuff. Or he’ll ask, ‘Can you help me make TikToks?’ and I’ll scroll and find ideas and help him. It’s always really fun.”

Most recently, Kytsya was appointed Chief Marketing Officer of Hidden, an emerging platform designed to give adult content creators a space to build community freely, without the restrictions common on mainstream social media platforms.

“It’s very inclusive — it’s kink and fetish friendly, so it’s not like anyone has to feel shame about doing what they want to or even consuming the type of content that they want to.”

Read the original article on People