We like to think we understand sex. We like to think we understand the world in general. We like to think that, but more often than not, we find out we don’t know a fraction of what there is to know. Sex, erotica, and romance are no different. I’ve learned through writing my novels that there’s so much to explore, far more than anything you’ll learn in a classroom or experience in your personal life.
As part of the creative process, and a healthy dose of lurid curiosity, I like to research different sexual practices. Some are found right here in the Western world. Others come from more exotic parts of the world. They’re all part of a diverse sexual landscape. While the biology of sex may be similar for most human beings, the culture that emerges around it is far more vast.
It’s easy for someone immersed in their own culture to think that theirs is the only logical way for sexual expression. That mindset tends to be narrow, rigid, and dull. It also tends to create a false sense of what constitutes normal. In the grand scheme of things, especially in the context of sex, there is no normal.
I attempted to explore that in my book, “The Final Communion.” In that story, I created a sexual ritual that is shocking, uncommon, and extreme by our standards. I won’t say it’s the most imaginative ritual, but it’s a fun exercise in the breadth of human sexuality.
That said, there are some real world sexual practices that are far more intriguing than anything in fiction. Thanks to the folks at MindChop, here’s a list of shocking sexual traditions, at least by our standards. To others, this truly is normal. So what does that make us?
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