Accountant

“Accountant” is a discreet way to dodge questions about one’s profession and is usually used as slang for “sex work.”

What is the origin of the viral TikTok trend “I’m an Accountant”?

The term “accountant” is algospeak for “sex work”, originating on TikTok as a way to skirt community guidelines and censorship. For example, if someone who creates content on OnlyFans, the adult content subscription service, attends a family BBQ and is asked by a family friend what they do for a living, they would say “Oh, I’m an accountant.” 

The phenomenon started in July 2020, when TikTok user Rocky Panterra, who described himself as a "struggling actor," sang about how it was easier to lie and tell people he was an accountant rather than explain his actual career. 

He sings: "I'm a struggling actor, but if I'm asked by a stranger what I do, I'd rather smile and simply state that I have a full-time job—as an accountant. Nobody asks you questions when you say you're an accountant." Panterra implies that the accounting profession is too complicated to ask questions about. 

The term is now widely used by those who create adult content or are in the adult entertainment industry to discuss their profession.