[imagesource: YouTube / Harry Styles]

“More, more, more, orgy!” screams the narrator in the trailer for The Idol, the latest offering from Euphoria creator Sam Levinson.

Move along and you’ll see naked bodies writhe and thrust provocatively in Maya Hawke’s forest romp video for her song ‘Thérèse‘.

Somewhere along the line, you’ll have also come across what The Cut referred to as Harry Style’s “orgy trilogy”, with some subtle group exploration seen in the music video for ‘Late Night Talking’.

That’s all above and beyond the Eyes Wide Shut-esque art house films and A$AP Rocky interviews boasting about group sex.

Hollywood has ultimately been leaning into the zeitgeist, or the other way around, with an unprecedented number of references to group sex popping up all over the show.

The point is, orgy talk (and walk) has become wildly popular lately, per i-D:

Kenneth Play, who also authored Beyond Satisfied: A Sex Hacker’s Guide to Endless Orgasms, Mind-Blowing Connection, and Lasting Confidence, chalks the summer of onscreen orgies to a rise in non-monogamy. “As the world is becoming more sex positive, group sex is becoming more acceptable among progressive culture.”

“We can’t overstate the importance mainstream media visibility has on forming our perceptions about sex,” adds sexpert Zachary Zane, author of Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto. “So it’s necessary to dissect the way that sex orgies, sex parties and polyamory are being depicted in media.”

As fascinating as this all is to watch, it may lead to disappointment or discontent for newcomers swayed by the various Hollywood-glossy portrayals:

Harry Styles’ orgies might be  swaddled “in PG-ready bubble wrap” but the “provocative filmic device du jour” is starting to become almost as persuasive, and therefore instructional, as porn:

“Hollywood is as Hollywood does,” says Claudia Aguillar, founder of sex-positive travel company LLV. “You don’t know how to perform surgery after watching a medical movie — the same goes for sexual exploration on screen. There is a lot more to do before you go from watching a group sex scene in a movie to having friends over for a play party.”

Understanding that these are fictional portrayals of sex is fundamental to avoiding dashed expectations, Claudia says.

Over in Brooklyn, people like Kenneth are creating safe spaces to play with other people, with consent and education front of mind:

 

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He hopes to dismantle preconceived notions around sex parties.

Creating a sense of safety and consent is paramount in making newcomers comfortable, but also rewiring their learnings from the media’s depictions of group sex.

“People also think that it’s just a free-for-all and that everyone comes up to you and fucks you, which is absolutely not true,” Kenneth explains. “There’s more consent and safety at a sex party than at your average bar.”

While increased visibility on the topic is helping to reduce stigma, it is not necessary to push your personal boundaries just because you feel like you ‘should’.

The wave of sex positivity is blowing in whether one likes it or not. We better do it right, and mindfully, if we so choose.

Also, try not to “yuck other people’s yum”, as the Gen Zs like to say on TikTok.

[source:i-d]