Kinky History

History has A LOT to say about self-pleasure. From Ancient Egyptian gods creating the universe to Victorians believing cornflakes could stop you touching yourself, the history of self pleasure is genuinely one of the strangest stories humanity has ever told itself.Want more Kinky History?Book
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In an age of intense global disruption and economic anxiety... Is smutty fiction here to save the day?!
In this weeks episode of #KinkyHistory , I break down the history of erotic fiction and how it has been tied to political protest since its invention. The fandom of Heated Rivalry and the political protests currently happening in France may appear to be entirely unconnected phenomenon... But I am here to argue that they actually have far more interconnection than you may initially think!
(And big shout out to Texas, who turned blue in the middle of my recording session!)
Further reading for this episode:
Peter Wagner, Eros Revived: Erotica of the Enlightenment in England and America
Lynn Hunt, The Invention of Pornography
Lynn Hunt, The Many Bodies of Marie-Antoinette: Political Pornography and the Problem of the Feminine in the French Revolution.
L'Autrichienne en goguettes, ou, L'orgie royale : opéra proverbe
Justin J. Lehmiller, Justin R. Garcia, Amanda N. Gesselman & Kristen P. Mark. "Less Sex, but More Sexual Diversity: Changes in Sexual Behavior during the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic", Leisure Sciences 43, no.1-2, (2021), 295–304.
Read my thesis
And, of course, if you're looking for your next smutty read... Why not check out BECOMING VENUS by me!
To support my work:
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Chapter:
00:00 Introduction
03:03 Origins of Pornography
04:13 Turin Erotic Papyrus
06:12 Medieval Manuscripts
07:37 18th Century Literature
12:31 The French Revolution
17:12 What Does All This Mean?
21:03 Let's Get Deep
23:45 What's New Today?
27:38 Conclusion

Clips included from Audible's Dracula and The Guardian's coverage of the Paris Protests.

Did medieval women who brewed beer inspire the modern iconography of the witch? Pointy hats, black cats, bubbling cauldrons… according to a viral historical theory, the iconic image of the witch actually began with medieval alewives. But is there any truth to this tall and pointy tale?

This week, I am joined by medieval historian Dr Christina Wade to separate fact from folklore, uncover the fascinating history of women in brewing, and debunk this myth that is so believable, even I fell for it!
Grab a pint, witches. We've got some myths to brew apart.

Check out more of Dr Christina Wade's wonderful work:
Instagram: @braciatrix
The Devil's in the Draught Lines: 1000 Years of Women in Britain's Beer History (2024)
Filthy Queens: A History of Beer in Ireland (2025)

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In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it... And as it turns out, there’s actual academic research (and a long and kinky history) to back that up!
In this episode of Kinky History, sex historian Dr Esmé Louise James investigates the surprisingly complicated history of Halloween, from the Gaelic festival of Samhain and its supernatural folklore to the Christian calendar, Victorian fancy dress and Hollywood’s glamorous Halloween starlets.
Raise your spirits, put on your best resting witch face, and join me for the horny history of Halloween.
You can find a written transcript of this episode on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/DrEsmeLouiseJames
Instagram: @esme.louisee
TikTok: @dr.esme.louise
YouTube: @dr.esme.louise

Video edited by Connor Fantasia-Serve

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:20 Samhain
04:57 Spirits for Spirits
08:45 History is Kinky
12:51 Dress-up and Dating
16:16 How Did We Get Here?
17:42 Having a Ball20:31 Hollywood Gets Spooky
22:11 Putting the Queer into Fear
26:17 Conclusion

Reading list:
Hutton, Ronald. “The Celtic New Year and Feast of the Dead.” Folklore 135, no. 1 (2024): 69–86.
Rogers, Nicholas. Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Oxford University Press, 2002.
Lennon, Sharron J., Zhiying Zheng, and Aziz Fatnassi. “Women’s Revealing Halloween Costumes: Other-Objectification and Sexualization.” Fashion and Textiles 3, article 21 (2016).
National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin. Dúchas: The Schools’ Collection.
Markale, Jean. The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween: Celebrating the Dark Half of the Year. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2001.
Keating, Geoffrey. Foras Feasa ar Éirinn (The History of Ireland). Written in the seventeenth century.
San Francisco Planning Department. Eureka Valley Historic Context Statement. 2017.

Did you miss me? Because I’ve certainly missed you. 💋
After ghosting you since 2023 (rude, I know), sex historian Dr Esmé Louise James is BACK with a bigger and decidedly bustier Kinky History.
Welcome back to the podcast where we uncover the dirty secrets they probably left out of your history books. And this time, we’re doing things a little differently...
Introducing the Double D’s: Deep-dives and Debriefs. We’ll be diving headfirst into the horny history you know and love, unpacking contemporary controversies and curious happenings, and welcoming a few Doctors and Deviants along the way: experts and some truly extraordinary characters,
Oh, and we’re now a vodcast! So whether you prefer getting it in your ears or getting an eyeful, you’re in the right place.
I’m so happy to be back. Thank you for being here, for being patient, and for being part of this wonderfully kinky community. I’ve missed you terribly.
Now, let’s get back into bed together. 🖤
🎧 Follow Kinky History on Spotify so you never miss an episode.
💋 Want to know why I disappeared? Find my more detailed explanation over on Patreon.