Choking during sex is nothing new, but research conducted in Australia this summer found that a large proportion of young people surveyed had participated in the act.
A study conducted by researchers from the University of Melbourne Law School and the University of Queensland and published in July in archive of sexual behavior they found that more than half of the respondents choked during sex. And now, a new report from The Guardian published on Sunday, September 1 explores why consensual sexual suffocation has become “mainstream” – with those who engage in it providing some insight.
An Australian survey of 4,702 “young people” — those between the ages of 18 and 35 — found that 51% had strangled a partner at least once during sex, while 57% had been strangled by a partner at least once during sex.
In addition, the study found that young people — who referred to sexual strangulation as “suffocation” — reported being strangled an average of 5 times during sex by 3 partners; whereby respondents were strangled for the first time (31%) or had strangled (30%) a partner between the ages of 19 and 21.
According to the study, 59% of men and 40% of women surveyed said they had strangled a partner during sex, while 78% of “trans or gender diverse” people said they had been strangled during sex. While there are no previous studies or statistics in Australia to compare the July study to, according to The Guardianthe researchers said they noticed an increase in the number of youths mentioning sexual strangulation.
“During the last few years, young people have been talking incredibly often about strangulation or ‘choking’,” said Maree Crabbe, co-founder of It’s Time We Talked, an Australian violence prevention project. The Guardian. “They often called it common practice, and that was new.”
Selita Ebanks learns what BDSM is Grand Cayman: Secrets in Paradise: ‘I don’t know anything about this!’ (Exclusive)
Photo illustration of a couple in bed.
Getty
Sexual strangulation carries a serious risk of death, and the Australian study also specifically points to the risk of brain injury and memory loss. “It doesn’t matter if there are no visible injuries or if the person is consenting,” co-author and domestic violence expert Heather Douglas of the University of Melbourne Law School said at the time.
“Brain injury can also be incremental – it gets a little worse with each choking – and the person may not know they have suffered a brain injury. The effects of repeated strangulation are insidious and compound over time, like the effects of repeated concussions on football players.”
The Guardian also reports that it can be difficult to give clear consent when engaging in such behavior, with Douglas noting recent research that a “safe word” or “safe gesture” can be difficult to convey during sexual strangulation. Alice Birbara, a 30-year-old actress from New South Wales, told the outlet that she once experienced a non-consensual sexual strangulation when a man on a dating app “assumed I had consent because we’d been texting about it two days earlier.”
Birbara added that the couple agreed to a “safe gesture” but he pinned her hand so she couldn’t stop him. “It’s all very complex, thorny stuff, but I can say with all my heart that there is no safe way to suffocate,” she said. he said, “And the risk just isn’t worth it because there are so many other fun things that aren’t nearly as risky.”
Speaking with The Guardiana man named Anthony told the newspaper that he strangles his partner — of 10 years — about every 10 times they have sex. “It was like, ‘Oh, OK, like, this is a cool thing,'” he said of the first attempt. “She likes this. And it kind of puts me in the mood.'”
Still, Anthony explained that knowing the potential consequences of sexual suffocation “drives him crazy” and that he’s talked to others “who are just like, ‘More, more, more, more, more, more.’ [pressure]. And I’m like, ‘Wow. No thanks.’”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(809x599:811x601)/couple-in-bed-1-1-3b9197bb6238401fba06c6709e08473e.jpg)
Photo illustration of a couple in bed. Getty Jack Harlow Says Missionary’s Favorite Sex Position Is ‘As Much As He Can’
According to the study, respondents most often discovered sexual strangulation through pornography (61%), while 40% learned about it through a movie, 32% learned about it from peers, 31% learned about it through social media, and an additional 29% learned about it through discussion. with partners.
Sarah, a 35-year-old single woman who also spoke with The Guardianshe said she believes people are “talking about [sex] more” and “watching TV shows that provide space to talk about it.”
The PEOPLE Puzzler has arrived! How fast can you solve it? Play now!
“We all make decisions about sexuality in our sociocultural context,” Crabbe said The Guardian. “And it’s not just about individual choice, we’re also influenced by the people around us and the culture around us.”
“Our brain is a really important sexual organ. If we repeatedly associate pleasure with, you know, a myriad of things, then we can eroticize it… That means we need to, I think, be able to think critically about what we’re allowing ourselves to be eroticized for.”
Douglas added that while “people should be able to get involved in whatever they want, if it’s consensual and it’s talked about and everybody wants to do it and it feels good for people,” strangulation is “a pretty special thing.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or go to thehotline.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education