THE RISE OF SWINGING

With over 1.5 million couples swinging in the UK, a new app is set to make it even easier for like-minded people to connect…

- SARAH WHITELEY

For decades it’s been a cliche of keys in a fruit bowl, wife swapping, and pampas grass by the front door or an upside-down pineapple (the not-so-secret symbols of sexual curiosity). But swinging has come a long way, and experts say there’s been a post-pandemic rise in the number of people participating in group sexual activities.

With more than 1.5 million couples swinging in the UK, and 15 million worldwide, the practice of swapping partners, or indulging in group sex, is at an all-time high. And honing in on its popularity is a new dating-style app for swingers, called Pineapple, which is set to launch this summer. ‘The community is beyond the growth stage. It’s already huge,’ says its creator, Carl Shephard. Yet the surge has been driven by the younger generation, with older couples more content in monogamous relationships to try swinging, according to reports.

However, there’s no denying that sexual exploration, and having more than one partner, is gradually losing its taboo, so Woman’s Own investigates the world of swinging and what you should consider before indulging yourself…

‘It’s impossible not to feel jealous’

Hannah De Silva, 30, lives in Bournemouth with her partner, Zacc Richards, 30