Ann Wason Moore says Gold Coast influencer Anna Paul is a good influence for the younger generation

Gold Coast social media influencer Anna Paul is the icon of teen girls and columnist Ann Wason Moore says mums shouldn’t be turned off this unlikely role model. See why

Joan of Arc, Mother Teresa, Marie Curie … and Anna Paul.

All are part of an elite club called ‘role models for girls’.

But the difference between the first three figures and the last is that the former group are what mothers would choose for their daughters, while the latter is the icon of choice for Gen Z girls.

For those living under a rock, or without social media, Anna Paul is a Gold Coast influencer with 2.4 million followers on Instagram, 7.2 million followers on TikTok, and has been described as Australia’s answer to Kim Kardashian.

Like Kim K, Ms Paul has an astute business mind, launching her own best-selling affordable skincare line called Paullie, as well as a new flavoured toothpaste collab with the Gold Coast’s own Hismile, founded by Young Rich Listers Alex Tomic and Nik Mirkovic, and a collab with clothing brand Stax that was so popular an in-person launch had to be cancelled due to crowd safety concerns.

Gold Coast social media influencer Anna Paul. Photo: Instagram

But there’s one other area in which Ms Paul has made her mark – a performer on Only Fans.

In fact, she’s not only the top creator on Only Fans in Australia, she’s in the top 0.01 per cent of all Only Fans creators globally, and she’s previously described her ‘official’ job title as a sex worker. Now, as a woman, I have no issue with that at all. It’s her body, her time and her money.

But as a mother, I’ll admit I was a little weirded out to hear my daughter and her friends express admiration for Ms Paul.

To be clear, they are NOT watching her Only Fans content, but her Instagram and TikTok feed, where she documents her daily life – ranging from photographs of her with her cats and horses to the meals she has eaten and even running errands. Still, they know what she does as her job.

And they are not alone in their adulation.

Just look at photos of Ms Paul’s visit to Sydney to launch her Hismile collab, or of her in the audience at the Taylor Swift concert, it’s masses of young girls swarming the 20-something, not men who subscribe to her Only Fans account.

Gold Coast social media influencer Anna Paul in Sydney for her Hismile collab pop-up. Photo: Instagram

In fact, a quick search on the internet showed one cherub, who was seeking homework help from online source Bartleby, was writing an assignment on Ms Paul.

“In religion we are writing an essay about our chosen role models. My chosen role model is Anna Paul, who is an Australian social influencer. While she is criticised about being a ‘more mature content’ worker, she still spreads body positivity and other various things about her personal life that make her more relatable than other ‘influencers’.”

Bless.

Lord, I would love to see the look on that religion teacher’s face when the assignment is submitted.

But even Ms Paul has professed surprise at her own mainstream success: “I don’t know what it is,” she said. “I have mums coming up to me, and then I have the daughters saying, ‘My mum loves you’. I don’t know what it is, but I’m glad people like following my day.”

Gold Coast social media influencer Anna Paul promoting her Hismile collab in Paris. Photo: Instagram

While I’m not quite at that level, my preference is strictly cat videos, I’ve decided I don’t have a problem with my daughter admiring Ms Paul’s message.

Of course, this comes with the caveat that I’d prefer her not to consider a career in Only Fans – for starters, the vast majority of ‘mature creators’ make less than $200 per month.

But, as for any woman, Ms Paul is much more than only one aspect of her life. Just as I may not love all of Sussan Ley’s politics, I’ll readily admit she can be a positive influence on our daughters.

And despite her sexy profession, Ms Paul once revealed during an Instagram Live that her former long-term boyfriend Glen Thomson was the only person she’d been with sexually ‘in any way’.

Gold Coast social media influencer Anna Paul. Photo: Instagram

Beyond that, just as the young girl writing a report on Ms Paul mentioned, the social media star has some healthy content, particularly around food and body image, saying: “I hope that you see your body not as something that has to be perfect, but just as something that keeps you alive.”

That’s a lesson that some women take a lifetime to learn – and many women never learn. So if my daughter is hearing that at an early age, I’m on board.

Consider me a fan.