What is ‘castlecore’? Why experts have issued warnings about the popular sex trend

Killing a dragon isn’t the only danger in the fantasy world.

Castlecore is an aesthetic trend inspired by medieval times – think the world of castles and dragons – that has made its way into the modern bedroom.

However, the growth of this increasingly popular sex trend can lead to injuries.

Experts have warned that period-themed corsets can impair people’s ability to breathe and cause digestive problems when they are too tight; you might want to rip that body.

They’ve also warned that sex toys — especially oddly shaped ones inspired by, say, dragon genitalia — can get stuck inside the body, leading to a medical emergency, an increasingly prevalent issue in recent years. .

British erotic retailer Lovehoney said its customers have been particularly excited by the fancy corsets and dildos, the Daily Mail reported.

The sex toy site said the interest in “castlecore-rotica” is due to the rise in popularity of “romantazi” or fairy tale novels, a subgenre that combines elements of romance and fantasy.

This comes as searches for “dirty books” increased by 78% between May 2023 and May 2024, with the A Court of Thorn and Roses (ACOTAR) series leading the trend, according to Lovehoney.

LA’s famous romance-only bookstore The Ripped Bodice opened a NYC location to meet demand.

“Let’s face it, reality can be a little boring sometimes, so who wouldn’t want to immerse themselves in a world filled with sex fairies and forbidden romance? Annabelle Knight, Lovehoney’s sex and relationship expert, told the Daily Mail.

“These fantasy explorations also provide a safe space to explore power dynamics. They give you the freedom to play with ideas set in a world of mythical creatures or otherworldly beings, which makes it feel more detached from the everyday,” she continued, adding that stories can “feel empowered , with strong female characters exploring their desires. and embracing their power, which resonates with many women.”

April Maria, a sex educator at sex toy supplier Hot Octopuss, agreed that “one of the driving forces behind the popularity of smut these days [is] pioneering focus on female pleasure.”

“Many of these books are written by women and for women, so it’s no surprise that they resonate with readers looking for stories centered on female desire and empowerment,” she told Elle.

Regardless of erotic intentions, intense exploration can come at a price.

Nearly 4,000 people are hospitalized with foreign objects in their rectums each year — with 55% of the objects being “sexual devices” — according to a 2023 study published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Of these reported cases, nearly 41% required hospitalization, and the average age of patients visiting the emergency room was 43 years.

Nearly 78% of those seeking treatment were adverse.

The researchers also found an increase in hospital visits for rectal foreign bodies during the period they studied, increasing from 1.2 per 100,000 people in 2012 to 1.9 in 2021.

So be careful if you want to mess with a pretty girl or a knight in shining armor.