The dA-Zed guide to sex in 2013

Our experiences of sex is changing. In fact, it seems to be in a constant state of flux. The once simple act of love-making has evolved into its own strange culture. Sex in 2013 is like nothing else and nothing we could ever predict. Today, we have sexting apps, virtual prostitution and an over saturation of online pornography. But it also seems, that for the first time, we are considering the after effects of today's porn culture. Here we list twenty-six of strangest new sexual fantasies, erotic zines and online experiences.

A...ANONYMOUS SEX JOURNAL

In today's digital age can anonymity really exist? Alex Tieghi-Walker, founder of The Anonymous Sex Journal believes it can. Asking the public to submit personal sex stories online and in secret to an open-acess Gmail account, the zine reveals candid tales of fucking, foreplay and first time experiences in 2013. Submit your own anonymous story here.  

B...BITCOIN

During Dazed Digital's Sex Week, we asked how has Bitcoin - a digital currency that is not regulated by a central government – has changed our online experience of sex.  It seems that girls (and boys) have 'gone Bitcoin'. The currency has fuelled a new virtual culture where drugs, live sex shows and nude pictures can be acquired online through peer to peer transactions. Whats more, in Berlin's Kreuzberg district, Bitcoin has come off the internet and into the local economy, creating the first real life Bitcoin neighbourhood.

 C...CAM BOYS

A few days ago, we revealed a new generation of Cam Boys who are exchanging cyber fantasies for cash. Many of them spend over forty hours a week online, orgasming up to eight times a day in return for digital currency. Often performing for older 'lonely' men, these online fantasies can turn into real life sex and prostitution. 

D...DIGITAL SCHIZOPHRENIA

Is there a big distinction between our online selves and our real selves? In 2013, when much of our experiences of sex and porn take place in the virtual world, what are the after effects? Photographer Walter Pfeiffer believes “porn is killing our imagination” and that for our new generation of teenagers, whose first sexual experiences come from the carnal desires that dominate the online realm, it is going to have devastating after effects. Particularly when these online fantasies are realised in real life circumstances.

 E...END OF THE HOLLYWOOD SEX SCENE

Will 2013 mark the demise of the Hollywood sex scene? We have always been under the impression that sex sells, but Hollywood film researchers are claiming that when it comes to creating a blockbuster, sex scenes only result in films losing their younger audiences. Steve McQueen's candid tale of sex addition in Shame grossed approximately 4 million at the box office, while a film like Silver Linings Playbook brought in 127 million. 

F...FLESH LOVE

Flesh Love is a new body of work by photographer Haruhiko Kawaguchi, in which he has documented nude Japanese couples inside air-tight vacuum-wrapped bags. Seeking out his subjects in Tokyo's nightclubs, he then takes them to his studio, arranges them like meat and for 10-20 seconds removes their access to air – offering a  sadistic representation of love in 2013.

G...GREY GIRL

Former porn star Sasha Grey, who was best known for performing in hardcore sex scenes has reinvented herself as a novelist. Her first work, The Juliette Society, offers access into the often unspoken world of BDSM (bondage, discipline, sado-masochism) for mainstream society. Very much the Fifty Shades of Grey for 2013.

 H...HIGH ON HIV

Today we revealed the dangerous subculture of 'bug-chasing', where gay men wilfully seek out to contract the HIV virus through unprotected sex. Many claim that they are turned on by the risk element associated with it. We also took a closer look at a new drug for HIV and AIDS suffers called Efavirenz, which is a psychedelic and has similar effects as LSD, igniting another subculture of people using HIV medication to get a hallucinogenic high. 

I...INDIA DEBATES PORN BAN

In response to its problem with sexual violence against women, a debate erupted in India over whether its 1.2bn citizens should be banned from accessing pornography. Selling it is already illegal, but those pushing for a ban claim it would reduce the problem. Opponents question this logic and call the proposal nothing but a 'quick-fix'. 

J...JAMES DEEN

Brett Easton Ellis's favourite porn star.

K...KARAOKE FOR PORN STARS

It may seem like a strange concept, but a bar in Burbank, California has become the first place to host a Karaoke night for porn stars. Every tuesday night, adult entertainment stars perform to the public at Sandro's Bar and Grill offering their voices and free porn giveaways. 

L...LONG LIVE THE SLUT

Today we uncovered the 21st century sluts that are embracing the once derogatory term and emerging from the underground music scene. These post-feminist pop babes, such as Brooke Candy are reclaiming a language once reserved for men to use against women. “Slut is now a compliment,” Candy says.

M...MUSIC FOR SEX

We give you thirty panty-dropping slow jams on the Dazed Digital Foreplay list. 

N...NEW YORK'S TOPLESS PULP FICTION APPRECIATION SOCIETY

Director John Walters once said, ““We need to make books cool again. If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t fuck them!” With the intention of “making books sexy again” a new group of topless readers have formed. They can be found hanging out in Richard Prince's book store Fulton Ryder, reading his collection of pulp fiction which include titles such as: Pussies and Pot, LSD Lusters and Sluts of The SS.

O...OUTDOOR DOGGING TALES

During the 1970s, Japanese photographer Kohei Yoshiyuki began visiting parks in Tokyo late at night. There he encountered the sexual exploits of strangers making love and sharing partners, whilst voyeurs watched and masturbated from the bushes. These black and white images were one of the first social documentations of this very secretive world, capturing nameless people mid-act. Earlier this year, Channel 4 exposed the British world of Dogging, a very different world where Yoshiyuki fantasy images are replaced with a bleak reality of English truck drivers shagging in the forest wearing animal masks. 

P...PORN STUDIES

In recent years, pornography has become a growing area of study. Routledge has just announced that they will publish their first Porn Studies, an academic journal that will approach the subject of porn and the representation of human sexuality with a new found focus. The interdisciplinary journal will address the context of the subject and also consider sex work, the regulations of sex and the media.

Q...QUIDS

Quids, something we use to buy trainers. But this year a new cult of sneaker slaves emerged online, offering a very different take on more classical shoe fetish. Known for licking, worshiping and sniffing trainers before posting images of them doing so online.

R....ROIDS

The new cult of non-body building heterosexual males injecting themselves with testosterone are best described as “men dragging up as men”.  This strange new phenomenon aims to increase the motivation to engage in sexual behaviours, as odd as it might be.

 S...SNAP CHAT

Snap Chat has revolutionised sexting. The mobile app which allows users to send images knowing that once opened, their image will be permanently deleted from the recipients device. Basically, it has removed our fear of exposure. No more cropping your face from dirty sex shots.

T...TUMBLR PORN

There was once a time when pornography was confined to seedy hidden sex cinemas or expensive magazines. However today, with our easy access to streaming smut, it seems that Tumblr is offering a very different experience of porn. Often consisting of GIF's and still images, many of these Tumblr porn sites claim they are offering 'romantic pornography' – think of Ryan McGinley's nudes running alongside hazy black and white videos of slow penetration.

U...UNDERWEAR

Durex have just unveiled a new range of vibrating underwear that can be controlled solely by smart phones. Not yet available for consumers, it claims to revolutionise the term 'phone sex' and provide relief for long-distance relationships.

V...VOTES FOR ITALIAN MALE PORN STAR IN ELECTION

Earlier this year male porn star Rocco Siffredi made headlines when he received a vote in the Italian election. The performer who features in over four hundred triple X-rated films, gave us a reminder of Italy's history of electing porn stars, most notably with Ilona Staller, better known by her stage name Ciccolina, who was a member of Parliament  for four years during the late 1980s. 

W...WET MAGAZINE

Old porn magazines have become collectable again. One of the best is WET: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing, with headlines from a 1981 issue reading, 'Sex with the Dead' and 'Scientology’s Two Week Drug Flush'. 

X...XXX

Hardcore - does the term still exist? If so, what do we consider to be X-rated? Porn has made its way into mainstream culture and it doesn't appear to be moving. In 2013, very little is considered shocking. Porn has infiltrated art culture, literature, pop music and it is has taken over the internet. 

Y...YOUR FIRST TIME

During Dazed Digital's sex week, we revealed anonymous stories of first time fucking. Taken from the next issue of The Anonymous Sex Journal, these secret submissions uncover tales of carpet burns, premature ejaculation and of course, the painful loss of innocence. 

Z...ZINES

This year we have seen the rise of the sexy zine. Erotic publications like Baron, have redefined sex in print, offering candid tales of Soho prostitutes and sexy art by collective AIDS-3D. Their online counterpart, which takes the format of a simple Tumblr, reveals daily dirty images, art works and obscure sexual fantasies.