Nonchalant digital cover, September 2026
Rollers in, bubblegum out, stacks of CDs and a copy of Girl on Girl lying face-up in the sun. Sophie Gilbert’s book is about how pop culture spent the early 2000s teaching a generation of women to turn on themselves.
September’s cover shoot takes Megan Barton-Hanson back to that Y2K world, and asks what advice she might give her younger self now.
Fast-forward to today, Megan has spent years being one of the sharpest voices in the UK on sex work: writing for Vice, arguing for decriminalisation, speaking up for creators when OnlyFans tried to ban explicit content. She talks openly about cosmetic surgery in an industry that would rather she didn’t, and she has been out and visible as a bisexual woman on mainstream reality TV since 2019, something TV still hasn’t worked out how to handle.
We first interviewed her back in 2020, a year on from when she came out publicly. Six years on, we wanted to catch up again, with a shoot to match.
“Healing your inner child” is spoken about a lot these days. What does that mean to you, and what does it look like for you day to day?
“I try to make time during the week to do things that switch my mind off. With my ADHD I find it hard to practise mindfulness, but I like to try new things that allow me to tune out of life’s stresses. I don’t take myself seriously. I love trying new things: rage rooms, inflatable assault courses, playing The Sims. I love a colouring book. I recently got a new bike and I’m getting into airsoft, although I’ve only done target practice atm. I’m slowly building the confidence to do a proper game, as I’ve heard the pellets can be pretty lethal!”
You grew up in the Y2K era, the same one where magazines put red circles around women’s bodies. What would little Megan, flicking through those magazines, make of the woman she is now, living entirely on her own terms?
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“The red circle era was crazy, looking back. How was that ever acceptable? It blows my mind. I saw one when I came out of Love Island. There was an entire piece titled ‘Megan From Love Island Has A Toe-Thumb’. I was mortified, and that was only 2018!”
We last sat down with you in 2020, right after you’d come out publicly. Six years on, what’s the biggest thing that’s changed for you since that conversation, and how does it feel looking back?
“It was intimidating, but I felt I had nothing to lose. I wasn’t really publicly liked at the time, so when I was asked to go on Celebs Go Dating I just felt like, if I’m going to be given the opportunity of having agents hand-select people for me, let me be transparent: gender isn’t a thing for me. And it was kind of an easier way to come out to family and friends, announcing it rather than telling them face to face.”
Back then you were one of very few openly bi women in mainstream reality TV, and you’ve spoken since about bi-erasure and bi women being packaged for the male gaze. Has the way you carry your queerness changed since 2020? And what more needs to be done?
“I think I’m just much more comfortable with it now. I don’t feel the need to prove or even really label my sexuality, I just like who I like.
“I’d love to see more genuine queer relationships on mainstream TV, particularly bisexual women being shown as actually falling in love rather than it always being sexualised or played into the male gaze. And definitely more representation for bi men too, because there’s still such a stigma around that.”
You’ve been really open about the double edge of OnlyFans, that it cost you mainstream jobs while it also bought you your home and your freedom. Looking back on those years now, what did that work actually give you, and what did it cost that people don’t see?
“It gave me complete financial independence, my home and the freedom to be my own boss, which I’ll always be grateful for. But it definitely put me in a box too. I lost mainstream opportunities and people sometimes reduced me to just being an OnlyFans girl. I don’t regret it at all, but I do think it came with sacrifices I probably didn’t appreciate at the time.”
You’ve become one of the loudest voices on sex work in the UK, calling for decriminalisation, condemning the OnlyFans ban, writing about how to actually be an ally. In 2026, what do people still get most wrong about it?
“I think people still assume sex workers need saving, or that you can’t genuinely choose to do it. Obviously exploitation exists and those people need protecting, but that shouldn’t take away another woman’s right to choose. For me it’s always been about choice, safety and having control over your own body.”
You’ve always been refreshingly honest about surgery in an industry where some tend to hide it. How has your relationship with your body changed since the villa era, and what does being comfortable in your own skin mean to you now?
“I’m much more comfortable in myself now, but I’ve always been honest about having surgery. I actually think it’s really damaging when people deny having work done, because it sets unrealistic expectations, especially for young girls. There’s nothing wrong with having surgery if it’s your choice, just be honest about it. And I’ve learnt that you can change the outside as much as you want, but real confidence has to come from within.”
Every queer woman has one: the Y2K icon you had on your bedroom wall and told yourself you just really, really wanted to be. Who was yours, and when did the penny drop?
“Growing up I loved Christina Aguilera, J.Lo and Rihanna, all for completely different reasons. I’ve always just found women so much more physically interesting and beautiful. At the time I probably thought I wanted to be like them, but looking back, I definitely fancied them too!”
The important one: who’s your celebrity crush at the moment, and what have they done to deserve it?
“Rihanna will always be at the top of my list. It’s not just her looks, it’s the confidence, the style, and that effortlessness.”
If you could sit ten-year-old Megan down and tell her one thing about how it all turns out, what would it be? And what do you want the next six years to give her?
“If I could sit ten year old Megan down, I’d tell her that everything she’s worried about won’t define her, and that she’ll grow into someone stronger, more confident and more herself than she can imagine. I’d tell her to trust her instincts and stay kind.
“Over the next six years, I want life to give her room to explore who she is, take risks, make mistakes and discover what genuinely makes her happy. I want her to feel supported, proud of how far she’s come, and excited about the person she’s becoming.”
Thanks to Megan and the team behind this shoot,
Nonchalant x
Your next read: Interview: Megan Barton-Hanson (2020)
Talent: @meganbartonhanson_
Creative Director & Stylist: @wohiviacreates
Photographer: @beccageden
Makeup & Hair Artist: @saph.hmua @saph.art
Styling Assistant: @styledbynicolamorgan
Set Design: @wohiviacreates & @styledbynicolamorgan
Fashion intern: @hysterical1zzz
Talent Management: @ipagency.co @tomrwlands
Editor: Abi Martin-Hill @abimartinhill
Wardrobe: @atsukokudolatex @roberto_cavalli @vickisarge @remass @slumbalondon @pleasershoes @pebble.london @isabella.vrana @wohiviacreates
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Abi is the Founding Director of Nonchalant Magazine. She’s previously had a 7-year career in Digital Marketing within the eCommerce and Travel Sector. Aside from running Nonchalant, she’s a Lead Software Engineer and has worked on large scale projects for some of the biggest tech giants and was recently shortlisted on the Google Startups and Computer Weekly ‘Women in Software Powerlist 2020’.
Find me on: Instagram
