Whether you know about it through the 1996 film Swingers or the recent Mormon #MomTok scandal on social media, chances are you have head of swinging. But how much do you actually know about it?
The practice—which is, at its most basic, a kind of consensual non-monogamy where couples engage in partner-swapping—is both well-known and often misunderstood.
Swinging generally—although, not concretely—involves romantically monogamous couples (ie. they are each other’s primary partner) who engage in partner-swapping, group sex or voyeurism within a consenting community. It can also involve singles (more on that below), but the label “swinger” is more closely associated with partners.
Certified Sex Educator, Emma Hewitt explains, “Swinging involves no-strings-attached sexual activities outside of the main relationship as a shared experience with their partner. Swinging typically happens with both partners in the same place. Sometimes they are in the same room, or just the same house, depending on the boundaries set out by the couple.”
