The contrast is surprising. While sexuality has never seemed so free in discourse, certain practices formerly reserved for very codified worlds have become established in the privacy of some young French women. A vast Ifop survey for JOYclub carried out on 2,210 people aged 18 and over, highlights the massive diffusion of gestures associated with “trashy sex”, particularly among those under 35.
Trash sex: a practice that has become common among young women
The study’s figures demonstrate a spectacular progression of practices previously considered marginal. Among French women aged 20 to 29, 71% say they have already been spanked during sexual intercourse.
The trend doesn’t stop there. In total, 61% of young women say they have already been slapped, spanked, scratched, bitten or had their hair pulled in a sexual context.
More extreme practices follow the same trajectory. According to the survey, 44% of women under 35 have already been tied up using ropes or handcuffs. Even more striking, 37% say they have already been strangled or gagged by a partner.
Long associated with certain BDSM circles, these practices now seem to be part of the ordinary sexual repertoire of some young people. Their diffusion appears particularly marked in the generation which grew up with permanent access to pornographic content online.
© Ifop for JOYclub
The explosion of chocking questions new sexual norms
Among all the practices identified, sexual strangulation, often referred to as “choking”, particularly attracts the attention of researchers.
The proportion of young women affected has now reached an unprecedented level. More than one in three say they have already had this experience. Several international studies have also identified this practice as one of the most significant developments in sexual behavior observed among young adults in recent years.
According to Ifop’s analysis, this trivialization is part of a specific cultural context where scenes combining physical domination, humiliation or symbolic violence occupy an important place in the most viewed pornographic content.
The phenomenon now goes far beyond the framework of practices considered alternative or transgressive. It tends to become a familiar element of certain sexual scenarios among younger generations.
Always more extreme practices, but late female pleasure
One of the most striking realities of the survey lies in the gap between the growth of these practices and the figures on female pleasure.
Today, only 40% of women report having an orgasm every time or almost every time they have sex, compared to 67% of men. Among those under 35, the gap is even more marked: 33% of women systematically reach orgasm compared to 75% of men of the same age.
Dissatisfaction also remains present in the bedroom: more than one in two women, or 56%, say they have already been bored during sexual intercourse.
For the authors of the survey, this coexistence between the diffusion of the most spectacular practices and the persistence of difficulties in accessing female pleasure outlines one of the great paradoxes of contemporary sexuality. While sexual behavior is diversifying at an unprecedented rate, inequalities in enjoyment between men and women remain firmly established.