3 UK Community Sex Trends Emerging Amid The COVID-19 Pandemic

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JAKARTA - A new study of dating app Badoo reveals British attitudes toward sex, in a year that has changed the world of dating.

Surveyed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, 55 per cent of Britons admit 'prolonged drought' has a negative effect on their well-being, while a third of singles feel uncomfortable discussing their sexual preferences with their partners.

In a new report Let's Talk About Sex: 2020 by Badoo, it reveals three sex trends that are emerging in the midst of the pandemic. Here VOI explains based on information compiled from the Daily Star.

Body awareness

Despite positive conversations about body inclusiveness, 71 percent of those questioned felt insecure about their bodies during sex when comparing it to the bodies they saw online.

In fact, insecurity about body shape or body hair topped the UK's list of biggest sex fears, followed by pressure to come out and ask a partner to wear a shield.

Nearly half (48 percent) were concerned about the size or appearance of their genitals and whether they looked 'normal'. This figure jumps to 60 percent for the 18-23 year age category.

And, 59 percent of men and 67 percent of women said they felt embarrassed during sex because of social pressure about how they should look.

Sex as self-care

Research also shows that sex is important to our well-being despite restrictions around physical touch in 2020.

As many as 69 percent of Britons consider regular orgasms to be part of their self-care routine, such as going to the gym.

However, despite the benefits of self-indulgence, more than half (53 per cent of Brits felt that masturbation was shameful while 52 per cent of married people would feel guilty talking to their partners about it, afraid of hurting their feelings.

Unrealistic representation in pornography

Only 35 percent of the people questioned agreed that female orgasm was accurately represented in film and television and seven in ten (70 percent) agreed that it sets unrealistic expectations for sex in real life.

This led to 50 percent of teens aged 18 to 23 saying they wanted to quit or stop watching porn because they thought it was unrealistic.

Meanwhile, women are almost twice as likely as men to fake orgasm with someone they are dating, and 37 percent of Brits feel under pressure from society to have sex several times each week.

Commenting on the findings, Sarah Mulindwa, a qualified sexual health nurse and star of The Sex Clinic E4 said: “Covid has offered us a very rare opportunity to see how a lack of human contact and intimacy can affect us in various ways.

“Whether you are single, dating, or in a relationship, our attitudes towards sex and sexual intimacy will change for many of us during this 'whirlwind' year.

"This period of time may have given you the opportunity to explore, open up, and have new conversations about sex in your relationship, or caused feelings of loneliness and anxiety."