Experts caution that the rising ‘castlecore’ trend may lead to serious injuries
They say that wearing those period-style corsets can actually mess with your breathing and digestion if you tighten them too much. Yikes! And then there are those quirky sex toys shaped like dragon parts. They could get stuck, leading to some serious medical issues. Not exactly the kind of adventure you want.
A UK retailer, Lovehoney, mentioned that folks are really into corsets and fantasy-themed dildos lately. Apparently, this interest is linked to a rise in “romantasy” novels, which mix romance with fantasy. Searches for “smut books” shot up by 78% recently, with the “A Court of Thorn and Roses” series being super popular.
Even a romance-only bookstore in LA opened a new spot in NYC to keep up with the demand. Annabelle Knight from Lovehoney said, “Reality can be dull, so who wouldn’t want to escape into a world of sexy fairies and forbidden love?”
These stories let people explore power dynamics in a fun way, making it feel less serious. Plus, many of these tales feature strong female characters who embrace their desires, which resonates with a lot of women.
April Maria, a sex educator, pointed out that the focus on female pleasure is a big reason why smut is so popular now. Most of these books are written by women for women, so it makes sense they hit home for readers looking for stories about female empowerment.
But here’s the kicker: while exploring these fantasies can be exciting, it can also lead to some serious consequences. Nearly 4,000 people end up in the hospital each year due to foreign objects in their rectum, with a good chunk of those being sex toys.
A study found that the average age of these patients is 43, and most of them are men. Hospital visits for these kinds of incidents have been on the rise, so if you’re planning to get adventurous, just be careful out there!
