SO WHAT EXACTLY IS SWINGING? Swinging is a form
of recreational social sex between consenting adults, most commonly
consisting of male/female couples meeting other male/female couples for
sex and/or ongoing intimate friendships. Singles (mostly single guys) can
also become involved to a limited degree. Swinging in Australia, along
with most other English speaking countries, dates back to the 1950's.
Initially, personal ads were the only way to meet people in this
particular lifestyle. Anyone attempting commercial swingers parties back
then would have been shut down by the moral watchdogs almost immediately.
In the USA an umbrella organisation called the North American Swing Club
Association (NASCA) was formed to promote accurate information about the
lifestyle all across the country, but in Australia and New Zealand there
is no single group that promotes on behalf of the whole industry. Swinging
(otherwise known as "the lifestyle" or "the scene") can take a variety of
different forms. Although single women are generally welcome at swinging
events, the degree to which single men are accepted varies. Although
female bisexuality is very much accepted in the swinging community, the
degree to which male bisexuality is accepted also varies. Swingers parties
can be "on-premises" (which means that one may interact sexually with
others at that event) or "off-premises" (which means that one would
generally go back to the home or hotel room of other couples for sex,
after deciding to do so at the event). A party such as 'DEBAUCHERY' is an
on-premises party, while SAINTS AND SINNERS is officially an off-premises
event. The parties, along with magazines such as VIXEN, ACM and
SEARCHLIGHT are still the best ways to hook up with other people in the
scene. Swingers come from all areas and occupations, and tend to be in the
20-50 age groups. While many guys are keen to try the scene almost as soon
as they're out of their adolescence, women usually wait until their
mid-twenties or later.
WHAT MIGHT I LIKE ABOUT SWINGING? People may be attracted
to the swinging community for a variety of different reasons. Many couples
find the thought of having sex with other people to be very arousing, and
may find that swinging becomes a catalyst for improving their own sex
lives and relationship. Some people may feel stifled by society's
repressive attitudes towards sexuality, and may welcome the opportunity to
form friendships and a new social network with people of like mind. Others
may simply feel that sex should be a natural possibility in any friendship
in which there is mutual attraction, and so appreciate the relative
open-mindedness and pleasure-positivity with which the swinging community
views this subject. Although the swinging community is unfortunately not
always the best place right now for hetero men to explore their potential
bisexuality, it is currently a relatively good place for hetero women to
initially explore sex with other women, and this sometimes plays a role in
couples choosing to seek it out. In the past, the swinging community has
been somewhat unaware of or confused by alternative sexual practices such
as B&D/S&M. This appears to be changing, and these days you may
find many people in the swinging community who are knowledgeable about
such things (though forms of B&D/S&M much more extreme than
spanking or light bondage may make people uncomfortable, depending on the
event). If you're interested in doing so and spend enough time meeting
different people, you may actually find that today's swinging community is
becoming a somewhat fertile place to meet people with a variety of sexual
interests. It is certainly true right now that the scene has just exploded
in terms of the number of people attending parties, particularly over the
last two years, and particularly in Melbourne where there are probably
more swingers parties every Saturday night, then in the rest of the
country put together. Sydney also maintains a healthy party scene but in
Queensland the scene is virtually dead. Some women may find the swinging
community to be a welcome dose of sanity. Our culture can be quite cruel
to women who have an active interest in sex, often derisively labelling
them "sluts" - a term which stands in sharp contrast to the less
derogatory term for men, "studs". The swinging community may be especially
attractive to these women, who may feel their sex drives and/or sexual
assertiveness should be appreciated rather than snickered about or
reviled. Some people end up learning quite a bit about themselves and
their sexuality's through swinging. For example, most people find that
having their partner actively enjoy and appreciate what they are
experiencing during sex to be a tremendous turn-on. Swinging can be an
opportunity to learn to relax and appreciate sexual pleasure, and may help
one view sex more as a source of pleasure and intimacy and less as a
social bargaining chip or ego fuel. Although this may vary slightly from
group to group, in general the swinging community is quite accepting of a
variety of body types, sizes, ages, and shapes. Additionally, many
on-premises events provide an opportunity to dress sexily or go completely
nude, which can be a fun and sensual experience in and of
itself.
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