The Top Sex Trend You Probably Already Know About

The year is far from over, but we've seen enough to know what's getting people hot in 2015. Sex may be older than the human race, but our tastes - along with our sexual culture - shifts over time. Yup, the seven or so billion people on the planet can now agree that, sexually speaking, a few things are way cooler than others. (Thank you, Internet). And, hey, while we'd never knock anyone's personal preferences, kinks or sexual choices, we like the fact that sexual trends tend to run pretty deep; they often affect how our culture perceives certain sexual practices or sexualities just by drawing attention to them.

If we had to pick one - just one - thing that's receiving an ever-growing amount of interest, press and, as a result, acceptance, in the sex world, it'd have to be anal play. We publish something about this topic every month and, without exception, articles about the ass get the most traffic, comments and shares. You guys are really interested in butts! So what's going on here?More Couples Are Getting More Adventurous

Research compiled by the Centers for Disease control suggests that participation in anal sex among heterosexual couples has been growing over the past decade or so. A study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2014 found that by 2010, 46 percent of women had tried anal sex at least once, compared to just 33 percent in 1992. Sex advice columnist Dan Savage called it "the new oral," and noted that the number of letters he was receiving about anal sex - and how to do it - was multiplying. And we certainly see it here at Kinkly; articles about anal play are some of the most popular pieces we publish. While it's hard to pinpoint exactly why interest in this area is growing, we think it's because the taboo around anal has been shrinking. And that makes bringing this particular fantasy up with a partner a little bit easier. (You can read more about some of the hangups people have about their butts in Butt Play: Your Ifs, Ands and ... Buts.)The Male Sex Toy Market Is Growing

While there is a growing number of women and heterosexual couples who are venturing to test the backdoor, anal play is often especially pleasurable for people with prostates. The prostate is the male version of the female G-spot, and it's best stimulated anally. In recent years, this has gotten a lot easier as high-quality, well-designed prostate stimulators have entered the market. For example, this year, LELO released BRUNO, HUGO and LOKI, three powerful prostate massagers designed for solo or partner play. Today, they're stepping things up again with the release of the LOKI WAVE, a vibrating prostate massager that moves back and forth, mimicking the motion of a finger. While prostate play has always been an option, the new wave of male sex toys entering the market have made that exploration easier, more intense - even hands-free. (Learn more about prostate play using a toy in Guys, Here's How to Hit the P-Spot Using a Toy.)

LELO's LOKI WAVE

Anal Play Is Losing Its "Gay" Label

People have sexual orientations. Activities don't. Anal sex is just sex with your butt and, as we've learned, people of all different genders and orientations are increasingly giving it a go. And, while anal sex has often been associated with homosexuality, the interest we've seen in anal play crosses are kinds of boundaries. And that's a good thing. We think sex educator JoEllen Notte put it best when she said that just like eating tacos doesn't make you Mexican, enjoying anal sex doesn't make you gay. (Read "If Anal Sex Makes You Gay, Do Tacos Make You Mexican?) There's nothing wrong with exploring all the paths to pleasure that are available to you. Anal sex is just one of them. We think most our readers already know that, but we're glad to see anal getting its moment in the spotlight. Especially if it means this sex act drops some its taboo.