As more opportunities emerge to enjoy safe and consensual sex, is society shifting its sexual attitudes?
The rise of hedonistic parties in London suggest that society is becoming more open and less judgemental towards sex. Besides, the incorporation of topics such as fetishes or BDSM to mainstream books and films indicates there is much more acceptance to talk about sexuality and other issues considered taboo.
“Fetishes have always existed but before people would often hide them because they worried they could be weird or abnormal,” says Alex, "the curious master", a sex-positive practitioner focused on tantra, BDSM and counselling.
For Alex, curiosity is the “ultimate necessity to anything in life”, and also for sex and fetishes. Each person will find out what thrills them and in which way it does. Alex says: “Wherever is your fetish, it is fine, [as long as] you don’t hurt anyone.”
However, despite the progress made by older generations, there is still a feeling of shame around certain sexual practices, and to express your sexuality freely could cause social rejection.
Sue Sutherland runs the Feel Institute and is a somatic sex educator. For her, the root of the problem is that we live in a “heteronormative, white and monogamous” society, where multiple gender identities are not understood and respected. Even at considered minority communities, inclusion is not a reality and prejudices are still present.
“Back to before the agricultural age, we were living more in communities, non-monogamy was more prevalent, there was a wider acceptance of multi-gender and we were more disconnected than we had ever been,” she says. “In many ways I think now it’s harder.”
Just through sex education, not just designed towards procreation and STDs but towards pleasure and tolerance of diversity, the social understanding of sex will change.
Pablo is our print designer and writer, follow him on Twitter!