Until a few years ago, the name of María Fernanda Vargas was only known on the adult platform "Onlyfans" as she was a model who made money by posting pictures of herself.
But now Mafer, as everyone knows the new mayor Simón Bolívar of Ecuador. On February 15, she easily won local elections, securing 47.76% of the vote in Simón Bolivar, a coastal area that is home to 27,000 people. Vargas, 32, is a journalist and law student, but before entering politics, she was known for creating adult content on the platform OnlyFans.
But that's all in the past as Vargas closed her account a long time ago and on May 14 she will take office and become the first woman to govern a canton in the province of Guayas.
Vargas' story with OnlyFans was a topic of conversation throughout Ecuador. Vargas first made headlines in 2013, when he was attacked by three armed women who mutilated his face. In Ecuador, a country struggling with widespread insecurity, Vargas' story gripped the country and sparked outrage. She used this to speak out about violence in the media and later created her own foundation, Una Mano Amiga, which is dedicated to helping women victims of violence. According to Vargas, she invested all the money she earned from OnlyFans thousands of dollars a month in the foundation for women.
During the election campaign, Vargas' opponents questioned whether a former adult platform model should become mayor. But there was no difference. Vargas secured one of the most convincing victories in the entire country. In February's local elections, in which voters elected mayors and councilors across the country, she won nearly 50% of the vote.
Although she deleted her OnlyFans account, Vargas says she's not ashamed of her past. She describes the disparaging comments about her past as "political violence". In May, when her term begins, she will face the security crisis in Ecuador, the same problem that made her famous 10 years ago and propelled her into politics.