Sex workers are using a secret code to talk about their jobs on TikTok

If you’ve seen the word 304 on TikTok a lot lately but have no idea what it means, let us decode it for you.

Due to strict content rules on social media platforms, its users have often had to find inventive ways to get around them. One way to do that is with acronyms and abbreviations.

In terms of some subjects that are more taboo, such as discussions around the sex work industry, which would likely get banned, the 304 reference is a way to refer to it without actually using the word.

Where did 304 come from and what does it mean?

The word 304 refers to a sex worker or woman who is promiscuous and originates from the word the number spells when typed into an old-school LED calculator and flipped upside down.

In the same way, everyone at school used to spell out “boobs” with the number 58008 turned upside down on a calculator, the number 304 upside down spells the word “h*e”. The word is sometimes used as slang for the sex work profession.

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While it may have derogatory connotations, on TikTok the word is being reclaimed by women in the industry.

Due to social media sites banning certain words or phrases, 304tok has also come up with other different terms in order to get around the bans.

The term “accountant” is largely associated with exotic dancers. Using the hashtag, they are able to make Q&A videos about their industry without being flagged and removed.

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