Slaying a dragon isn’t the only danger in the fantasy world.
“Castlecore” is an aesthetic trend inspired by Medieval times — think the world of castles and dragons — that has made its way to the modern bedroom.
However, the rise of this increasingly popular sex trend could lead to injuries.
Experts have warned that period-themed corsets could impair people’s ability to breathe and cause digestive issues when tightened too far; you might want to rip off that bodice.
They have also cautioned that sex toys — especially oddly shaped ones inspired by, for instance, dragon genitalia — could get stuck inside the body, leading to a medical emergency, an invasive issue that’s been on the rise in recent years.
British erotic retailer Lovehoney said its customers have been especially excited by corsets and fantastical dildos, the Daily Mail reported.
The sex-toy site said interest in “castlecore-rotica” is due to the growing popularity of “romantasy” or fairy smut novels, a subgenre that combines romance and fantasy elements.
This comes as searches for “smut books” rose by 78% between May 2023 and May 2024, with the “A Court of Thorn and Roses” (ACOTAR) series leading the trend, according to Lovehoney.
LA’s famous romance-only bookshop The Ripped Bodice even opened an NYC location to meet demand.
“Let’s face it, reality can be a bit dull sometimes, so who wouldn’t want to dive into a world filled with sexy fairies and forbidden romance?” Annabelle Knight, Lovehoney’s sex and relationships expert, told the Daily Mail.
“These fantasy explorations also offer a safe space to explore power dynamics. They give you the freedom to play with ideas set in a world of mythical creatures or otherworldly beings, which makes it feel more detached from the everyday,” she continued, adding that the stories can “feel empowering, with strong female characters exploring their desires and embracing their power, which resonates with a lot of women.”
April Maria, a sex educator at sex-toy purveyor Hot Octopuss, agreed that “one of the driving forces behind the popularity of smut nowadays [is] pioneering focus on female pleasure.”
“Many of these books are written by women and for women, so it’s no surprise that they resonate with readers seeking stories centered on female desire and empowerment,” she told Elle.
Regardless of erotic intentions, intense exploration can come at a price.
Nearly 4,000 people are hospitalized with foreign objects in their rectum each year — with 55% of the objects being “sexual devices” — according to a 2023 study published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine.
Of those reported cases, nearly 41% required hospitalization, and the average age of patients visiting the emergency room was 43.
Nearly 78% of those seeking treatment were male.
Researchers also found an increase in hospital visits for rectal foreign items over the period they studied, rising from 1.2 per 100,000 persons in 2012 to 1.9 in 2021.
So be cautious if you want to get freaky with a fair maiden or a knight in shining armor.
