How the Decline of Sex has Led to a Rise in kinky couture and risky ready-to-wear.
In recent seasons we have been plied with pictures of penis-inspired cosmetics, avalanches of Diesel-branded condoms, skirts with hemlines so short they may as well be belts and phallic graphics splayed across t-shirts, hoodies and socks. In the last few years, we have seen a rise in sex positivity, from your favourite influencers posting content sponsored by lingerie and sex toy brand Ann Summers to popstar of the moment Charli XCX singing the lyrics “You wanna guess the colour of my underwear, you wanna know what I got going on down there. Is it pretty in pink or all see-through?” on her critically acclaimed album ‘Brat’, TikTok is also full of chatter about a steamy carriage scene in the latest installation of Netflix show Bridgerton. But in stark contrast, studies have found that adults are having less sex than thirty years ago. YouGov reported in 2020 that only 27% of Brits were having sex in any given week and that three in ten adults are sexually inactive. So if we aren’t having sex what has led to the current rise in risqué fashions?
Sex has been a consistent source of inspiration in the fashion industry for years, take Vivienne Westwood for example, between 1974 and 1976 her King’s Road boutique in London was called ‘SEX’. The ‘punk’ designer often used shocking themes in her designs including penis pendants and her infamous ‘sex’ choker. In the nineties and noughties, Tom Ford’s tenure as Creative Director for Gucci earned him the title ‘King of Sex’. Ford’s designs alone were skin-baring and body-hugging, but what really made people gasp with either surprise or excitement was how the designs were advertised. Campaign photos featured a woman draped over a man’s lap with his hand on her rear end, models entangled together hinting at a ménage à trois, and most scandalous of all was a 2003 advertisement that saw model Carmen Kass baring her pubic hair, ceremoniously shaved into the shape of a G for Gucci, while a male model crouches down in front of her. The campaign was met with public outcry and was nearly banned in the UK with The Daily Mail labelling it as “no better than pimps and those who sell sexual services in phone boxes”.
Fashion has always been about creative expression and exploration, especially of taboo subjects, so it’s no surprise that time and time again designers come back to one of the rawest human forms of connection and emotional expression, sex. During the Fall/Winter 2023 fashion calendar, Glenn Martens chose to showcase the Diesel collection in front of a backdrop of 200,000 condoms created in collaboration with sexual wellness brand Durex, no condom went to waste with customers of the shop being given free branded condoms as a way of promoting safe sex.
It feels like phallic fashion is all around with Aries selling ‘Willy socks’, JW Anderson collaborating with Michael Clark on male genitalia emblazoned t-shirt and ISAMAYA Beauty peddling penis-shaped lipstick cases in black, silver, gold and hot pink. Meanwhile, brands like Mugler and Nensi Dojaka follow house codes that celebrate sheer body-hugging clothing that we have seen worn by the likes of Dua Lipa, Paloma Elesser and Emily Ratajkowski. While on the surface this latest sexual revolution on the runways may seem just to be a playful plea for publicity there’s always a deeper meaning whether it’s promoting safe sex in a time when the World Health Organisation is reporting that curable STIs are responsible for more than one million infections daily among those aged 15 – 49,or providing consumers with a way to feel self-empowered in a time where many feel powerless.
Former dominatrix, actress, author and all-around it-girl Julia Fox is known for wearing skin-baring styles and even included a dominatrix-led sex dungeon in her music video for her single ‘Down the Drain’ recently spoke out about being celibate. In an appearance on ‘Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Fox revealed she had chosen to abstain from sex for two and a half years saying: “I think with the overturning of Roe v Wade and our rights being stripped away from us, this is a way I can take back control”.
The overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022 saw almost 30% of women of reproductive age in the US lose access to abortions and according to the UN, if gender disparity continues how it is going currently, it will take 286 years to close the global gender gap. Often in times of changing politics and restrictive policies dressing can become a form of provocation and protest. We have seen this time and time again whether it’s celebrities attending the 2018 Golden Globe’s wearing all black to show support for the #MeToo movement, or in 2020 when members of Poland’s parliament adorned rainbow-coloured clothing in response to the swearing-in of President Andrzej Duda who is known for his anti- LGBTQIA+ policies.
Designer and artist Michaela Stark, known for her body-morphing lingerie is a designer who leans into the idea of sex and being sexy in a non-traditional way. Stark creates custom-made lingerie pieces that sculpt the body and enhance society-perceived imperfections, such as making the stomach protrude, creating the effect of rolls on backs or highlighting the unevenness of breasts. The designs are unexpectedly sexy and beautiful while rebutting against the idea of being stereotypically sexy or ‘perfect’.
People aren’t having as much sex, but they still desire fashion that is sexy, clothing is a way of expressing oneself, it’s a way of making a statement and a way of having fun.
While headlines tell us “Britons are Suffering from a Sex Drought” sexual wellness brand LELO ‘s 2023 sex census found that 70% of Brits were still touching themselves regularly, with one in ten respondents doing so once per day. So sex is still very much on the menu but people are just dining out alone. Much like designer Michaela Stark, it may not be the traditional approach to sex but the outcome is just as pleasurable.