Feature image of Cinnamon Maxxine and Amani Luxe in Crash Pad Series episode 243. All of the photographs in this NSFW Sunday are from Crash Pad. The inclusion of a visual here should not be interpreted as an assertion of the model’s gender identity or sexual orientation. If you’re a photographer or model and think your work would be a good fit for NSFW Sunday, please email carolyn at autostraddle dot com.

Welcome to NSFW Sunday!

Cinnamon Maxxine and Amani Luxe in Crash Pad Series episode 243

Your sense of smell is linked to your sex life, according to new research:

“[R]egardless of gender, the more sensitive someone’s sense of smell, the more likely they were to describe their sexual experiences as pleasant. Also, for women—but not men—having a more sensitive sense of smell was linked to orgasming more often during sexual intercourse. […]

The authors of this study suggest that certain body odors, including vaginal secretions, semen, and sweat, may ‘enrich the sexual experience’ by triggering greater sexual arousal. The researchers never came out and used the word ‘pheromones’ in their paper (I suspect because the question of whether human pheromones truly exist continues to be a controversial subject among scientists); however, their reasoning suggests that a pheromone-like effect might be taking place.”

Sinful Sweetheart and Tramp in Crash Pad Series episode 253

How does someone develop a kink identity? New research finds that it’s interest in kink when you don’t even know what kink is before about age 10, exploring alone, thinking about it in terms of your life and identity, finding other kinky folks, and exploring with other kinky folks. The research also touched on kink as a healing experience. According to researcher Samuel Hughes:

“Many of those who reported trauma and hardship talked about kink as a way to relive that hardship with a sense of healing and mastery over it. For example, a sexual assault survivor might initially feel afraid, weak, and powerless during their actual sexual assault. However, simulating that assault via consensual roleplaying with a trusted partner can help them feel powerful (because they consensually negotiated and agreed to it, and can use a safeword to stop the scene), strong (because they feel they can get through whatever physical pain or intensity comes their way), and brave, for facing what can often be dark times in their past head-on. It’s very common for kinky people to engage in ‘aftercare’ after a scene, which often involves cuddling, talking, rehydrating, and ‘recentering’ oneself, which can help those who are using kink to overcome hardships process their experience in a healthy and safe environment.

Other participants reported kink as a way to overcome other types of hardships in their lives, such as people on the autism spectrum who enjoy kink because it allows intimate sexuality and non-verbal communication to be laid out, scripted, predictable, understandable, and enjoyable. Likewise, some kinky people even reported using kink to help them process through depression and other mental illness.”

Barbary Rose and Bella Rossi in Crash Pad Series episode 251

“The changing room in Macy’s. A rest area bathroom. The hood of a sports car. If there’s a chance to get caught, I’ve probably fucked there,” opens Emily Smith at the Rumpus on writing and exhibitionism:

“Writers are natural pleasure seekers, hedonists. I don’t know of anything more satisfying than laying on the hood of a car, staring into the black night sky, and watching cold breath float slow from my lips like I’m lying at the bottom of the ocean, like the stars are shimmers of sun from the top side of waves. I love the ashy, flat taste of Cabernet a whole bottle in. I love the thoughtless, cliff-wobbling moment before an orgasm better than the orgasm itself. But this is not enough. A writer must push her pleasure into risk, expose herself publicly to strangers with no knowledge of how she might be received, and become something that must be seen. The best kind of writing lives at this intersection.”

Valentine and Calico in Crash Pad episode 232

Listen to sex workers. There are multiple events this weekend where you can support sex workers, now more than ever as they’re mobilizing across the country in the wake of FOSTA/SESTA.

Queer women flirt a lot less directly online, but spoiler alert: silently liking each others’ selfies doesn’t translate to getting a date.

There’s a sex toy inspired by classic 90s toy Bop-It Extreme.

It’s okay if you haven’t had sex yet. Really!

“For some women, not dating men means dating women exclusively.”

Here are the pop culture texts that get consent right.

There’s no such thing as a “summer vagina.”

Here’s how on-screen sex noises are made.

Here’s how to ask a monogamous partner for a non-monogamous relationship.

Don’t send Facebook your nudes. Doing so is meant to help Facebook find out if anyone has posted them non-consensually, but that means you a. have to have those photos yourself, b. have to suspect someone has posted them, and c. have to give a corporation with a shitty privacy and security record your nudes.

It’s okay to let go of your first love. Here’s how to do it.

Scout and Lew Pine in Crash Pad Series episode 227

It can be hard to prioritize your sex life in a long-term relationship. At Allure, Vanessa Marin writes about how to do it:

“If you want to have a more consistent and active sex life, your first task is to think about how often you want to have sex. People always ask me how often they’re ‘supposed’ to have sex, but what really matters is what feels healthy to you.

Then, it’s time to have a conversation with your partner. Say something like this: ‘I’ve been missing connecting with you in the bedroom. How can we clear out some time in our schedules to make sure we give ourselves the space for intimacy?’ Go over your commitments and responsibilities, asking yourselves, Is this more important than us having quality time together?”

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