Drawgasms: Playing with expectations and experiences of pleasure through multimodal accounts

: Lehtonen Mikka J, Heljakka Katriina, Kosonen Krista

Publisher: SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC

: 2022

: Sexualities

: SEXUALITIES

: ARTN 13634607211067346

: 24

: 1363-4607

: 1461-7382

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/13634607211067346(external)

: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F13634607211067346(external)

Drawing on a study consisting of 29 multimodal accounts of orgasms, we make visible processes, emotions, and notions of playfulness that highlight the critical role of orgasms in transcending the fleeting distinction between reality and play. As sexual pleasure does not necessarily result from experiencing an orgasm, our data also reveals how playful strategies are enacted in order to mitigate ambiguity and societal norms. Instead of seeing the orgasm as a physiological or psychological change in an individual or as an epitome of "good" sex, the multimodal accounts employed in the study reveal attitudes, assumptions, and expectations related to playful pleasure.