Culture and Media

Articles

• Hookup Culture on Campus Explained

  How the idea of hookup culture formed, and why perceptions of student behaviour often differ from survey findings.

• Queer Women in Canadian Media

  Web magazines for queer women emerged to address a gap in Canadian queer media, where funding shapes survival.

• Daniel Allen Cox in Canadian Queer Writing

  A look at novelist and columnist Daniel Allen Cox and the small-press and LGBTQ press tradition of Canadian queer literature.

• Art and Women's Sexual Self-Image in Toronto

  Audiovisual installations in Toronto have invited women to take part in representing their own sexuality.

• Sex-Positive Writers and Performers in Toronto

  Toronto writers and burlesque performers who treat sexuality as a creative subject, and the tension with public image.

• Erotic Romance Authors in Canada

  Erotic romance as a genre and a business, seen through an Ottawa author who published e-books across several levels of heat.

• Fetish Photography in Fine Art Prints

  Fetish photography treats desire as an artistic subject, with black-and-white series and limited-edition prints.

• Words, Bodies and Reclamation in Feminist Writing

  How feminist writing treats language for female anatomy, with a look at a well-known book on body acceptance and shame.

• Inside Sex and Kink Blogging

  How sex and kink blogs work: product reviews, personal reflection, shared authorship and differing perspectives.

• Boudoir Photography and Why It Endures

  What boudoir photography involves and why many clients describe it as affirming.

• Sex City and Community Radio Programming on Sexuality

  A look at Sex City, a Toronto community radio show, and the role of volunteer-run stations in public talk about sex.

• Art on Fertility, Birth and Sexuality in Canada

  A look at exhibits joining birth, fertility and female sexuality in visual art, set against Canada's erotic art scene.

• Sex Columns in Canadian Media

  How sex columns in newspapers, books and blogs became part of Canadian media, and how the genre has changed.

• Explicit Art, Age Warnings and Museum Policy

  How galleries place explicit art in separate sections, and the wider debate on warnings versus censorship.

• Seeking Simone and the Online Dating Web Series

  A look at a Canadian comedy web series about lesbian online dating, and what its creators said about making it.

• The Economics of Homegrown Adult Content

  How independent and couple-run adult sites earn or fail to earn a living, and how they differ from large corporate producers.

• Blogging About Sex: Posting and Perception

  How bloggers weigh posting sexual humour online, professional stigma and the pull of creative side projects.

• Humorous Songs About Sex and the Novelty Tradition

  Why some songwriters choose sex as a comic subject, how taboo affects bookings, and where the limits of the genre sit.

• Adult Stage Hypnosis in Canada

  How adult-themed stage hypnosis works as entertainment, including performer training, audience limits and what researchers say about trance.

• Writing Erotica: A Canadian Author's View

  How ebooks widened the readership for erotic fiction, and what a Canadian indie author says about craft and inspiration.

• Sex, Media and Open Conversation

  A broadcaster and photographer on sexual imagery in advertising, consent, and talking about intimacy.

• The Cougar Label and a Toronto Dating Book

  How the cougar image entered popular culture, and how a Toronto writer treated it in a book of comic dating tales.

• Performers of Colour in Adult Film

  A neutral look at racial stereotyping in adult film and a Toronto screening night that spotlighted performers of colour.

• Sexuality in Public Advertising: How Canada Sets Limits

  An overview of how Canadian standards, law and media owners shape ads that refer to sex and sexual health.

• Composition in Erotic Photography Explained

  Photographers often analyze sensual images through composition elements such as pattern, texture, depth of field, lines, space and balance.

• Art and Sexuality: Body-Positive Projects

  An overview of art that explores sexuality, body-positive portrait projects and the historical figures often cited in these discussions.

• Documentary Films on Tantra and Sexual Healing

  Why documentaries about Tantra and sexual healing are hard to make, and how workshop Tantra differs from older traditions.

• Understanding Female-Friendly Porn

  What people mean by female-friendly porn, who makes it, and why its audience and distribution differ from mainstream studios.

• Feminist Porn Awards Week in Toronto

  What a Feminist Porn Awards week in Toronto typically includes, from screenings and a panel to the ceremony and social events.

• Body Size and Perceived Attractiveness

  How researchers study body proportions and attractiveness, and why cultural context complicates the findings.

• Montreal's Edgy Portrait Photography Scene

  A look at a self-taught Montreal photographer known for raw, high-contrast portraits of people on the margins.

• Designing for Toronto's Queer Nightlife

  A Toronto designer of queer party posters illustrates how sexuality and professional creative work can coexist.

• Sook-Yin Lee and Year of the Carnivore

  A Canadian comedy about learning intimacy, and its director's view that vulnerability matters more than skill.

• Pregnancy Assumptions and Body Shaming

  An explainer on why guessing that someone is pregnant can hurt, and how such remarks relate to body shaming.

• Canada's Adult Products Industry

  A look at how Canadian makers of adult games, gifts and silicone products developed, and how the retail market works.

• Infidelity on Screen: A Documentary Series

  A four-part Canadian documentary examined why people have affairs, how society judges them and whether polyamory is an answer.

• Sex and God and the Religion-Sexuality Debate

  A look at the book Sex and God and the long-running discussion of how religion shapes sexual attitudes.

• Vulva Portraiture and Body Image

  An overview of art projects that paint individualized vulva portraits, and how they relate to body image and healing.

• Adult Film Production in Canada

  Neutral background on how independent adult production, distribution and retail connect in Canada, and the law around them.

• Sex Talk on Canadian Radio

  How relationship and sex-themed radio shows developed in Canada, with Ottawa as a general case study.

• Women's Sexual Imagery in Media Art

  A Toronto media-art project invited women to represent their own sexuality through images and sound, away from stereotype.

• How the Online Porn Industry Is Structured

  The online adult industry can be sorted into homegrown, mainstream and corporate sectors, each with its own business logic.

• Small Groups, Large Influence on Sexual Content

  An opinion piece on how few complaints can decide what media and officials allow.

• Halifax and Its Reputation for Sexual Conservatism

  Halifax is often called conservative, and local reader polls show why self-selected surveys have limits.

• The Business Side of Adult Video: Standing Out

  Feature themes: myths about performers, crowded markets and branding as survival.

• Recurring Sexuality Topics in Canadian News

  A weekly digest of sexuality headlines shows how identity, health, education and rights recur in the news.

• Why Backgrounds Matter in Erotic Photography

  Backgrounds can shift attention away from the subject, and items left in frame can also reveal personal information.

• Sex Blogging, Humour and Public Identity

  A look at personal sex blogging in Canada, covering humour, stereotypes, anonymity and privacy.

• Making a Living Writing Erotica in Canada

  A look at erotica as a genre and a trade, drawn from Canadian authors' accounts of ebooks, niches and self-promotion.

• Why sex talk thrives on Canadian radio

  How call-in radio gives listeners an anonymous way to raise sexual questions, with a Montreal show as an example.

• Fetish Performers and the Niche Video Market

  How fetish is defined and how independent performers build niche adult video around fan interests and humour.

• Learning to Write the Erotic: Workshop Methods

  What erotic writing workshops aim for, from easing self-consciousness to telling sensual writing apart from sexual writing.

• Lady Porn Day and the Debate It Started

  Lady Porn Day was a one-day social media campaign inviting women to discuss pornography openly.

• The Critique of Sex and the City

  Feminist criticism of Sex and the City questions its character types, consumer culture and claim to speak for all women.

• Common Themes in Sex News Coverage

  An explainer on topics that recur in sex-related headlines, from online dating to marriage law and Pride.

• Lighting Basics in Erotic Photography

  An explainer on how natural light, on-camera flash and household lamps shape erotic and boudoir photographs.

• Economics of Sex and Love

  An explainer on how economists study sex, dating and marriage, based on an interview with a Canadian professor.

• Sexual Frustration, Consumerism and the Environment

  A neutral explainer on a fringe theory linking sexual frustration to consumerism and environmental damage.

• Men's Erotic Underwear as a Niche Market

  A look at the niche market for men's erotic underwear, its design conventions and its place in Canadian apparel.

• Male Nude and Erotic Photography in Toronto

  An overview of male nude photography in Toronto, its artistic lineage, collaboration with models and the legal context.

• Annie Sprinkle, Ecosexuality and Sexecology

  Explains ecosexuality and sexecology through a Toronto university lecture by artist and sexologist Annie Sprinkle.

• How Pose Shapes Erotic Photography

  Pose, posture and angle are central to erotic photography, and photographers and models discuss a set of familiar conventions.

• Women-Centred Sex Shops and Feminist Porn Awards

  A look at a Toronto shop founder's views on feminist porn, sex classes and shifting attitudes toward women's sexuality.

• Swingers Clubs, Naked News and Public Curiosity

  A look at how adult venues and nudity-themed media draw newspaper coverage and curious readers.

• Independent Adult Film Production in Canada

  An overview of independent adult film production in Canada as described by one producer, covering costs, free online content and crews.

• Shannon T. Boodram on Writing About Sex

  A profile of Toronto writer and host Shannon T. Boodram, her book LAID and her approach to discussing sexuality.

• Sex, Relationships and Internet Radio

  An overview of sex and relationship radio and podcasts in Canada and the role of anonymous question formats.

• Feminist Porn and Its Awards in Canada

  Feminist pornography and its awards are explained, with a look at independent creators who manage their own production.

• Erotic Emails as the Modern Love Letter

  Erotic email collections, user-submitted content and moderation are outlined as an example of the modern love letter.

• Canada's Small Adult Film Industry

  An overview of amateur-focused adult production, Canadian content rules and the limits of a small national industry.

• Career Paths in Gay Adult Entertainment

  An overview of entry routes, industry awards and career changes in gay adult entertainment, drawing on early-2010s profiles.

• A Canadian Women's Sexuality Magazine Concept

  A founder described a Canadian magazine concept treating women's sexuality in a sensual, thoughtful and open tone.

• The Erotic Engine: Sexual Media and Technology

  The Erotic Engine argues that sexual media often helped push new communication technologies into mainstream use, a claim historians debate.

• Understanding Slut-Shaming and Victim Blaming

  Definitions, history and social media dynamics of slut-shaming and victim blaming, including Canadian debates.

• Worn Clothing Fetishes and Online Resale

  An overview of worn-clothing fetishes, the online resale of such items and platform rules about adult content.

• Online Dating, Casual Sex and Ethics

  How digital tools changed the way casual relationships form, and how ethical questions about them are discussed.

• Why News Coverage of Sex Skews Negative

  An explainer on negativity in sex-related news, using disputes over school health resources as an example of framing.

• Inside Adult Website Review Sites

  How review sites for paid adult websites describe their process, and the debate over free versus paid content.

• Queer Erotic Art in Canada

  A neutral overview of queer erotic art in Canada: themes, venues, and the legal and social setting that shaped its visibility.

• Feminist Sex Radio and Community Media

  How feminist, sex-positive collectives use community radio to explore sexuality through talk, writing and sound art.

• Geek Pinup Photography and Fandom Culture

  How geek-themed pinup photography works, why it appeals to fans, and the debate over sexualized fan imagery.

• Firefighters in Erotica Anthologies

  How themed erotica anthologies use occupational fantasies, puns and familiar plots, with a firefighter collection as the example.

• Women-Only Spaces and Open Talk About Pleasure

  Background on women-focused venues for discussing sexuality, and the cultural stigma around female masturbation.

• Boudoir Photography Explained

  What boudoir photography is, how a typical session is structured, and why it is often linked to body image and self-perception.

• Understanding Sex Magic as an Esoteric Idea

  A neutral look at what sex magic means in esoteric traditions and how documentaries approach such subjects.

• Latex Fashion Between Fetish and Mainstream

  How latex garments sit between fetish wear and fashion design, and how small independent labels approach the material.

• Retouching in Erotic Photography

  How digital retouching is used in erotic and boudoir photography, and why heavy editing is debated.

• Sex-Positive Writing and Blogging

  How blogs, forums, reader columns and erotica anthologies make up sex-positive writing in Canada.

• Dark Erotica and the Presses That Publish It

  A look at dark erotica publishing, commercial caution at big houses, content warnings and the debate over taboo fantasy in fiction.

• Sexuality Educators and Researchers in Canada

  How Canadian sexuality educators combine academic research, community organizing, teaching and writing.

• Sex and Shame in Toronto Solo Theatre

  How a one-person Toronto show framed sex, power and shame within a long-running festival of new performance work.

• Couples Who Produce Their Own Adult Content

  An explainer on couple-run amateur adult sites and the questions of image control, workload, privacy and a changing market.

• Amateur Adult Production: Roles and Pressures

  An explainer on the multiple roles in small amateur adult productions and the market shift during the 2000s.

• Strip Club Nights in Canadian Cities

  How strip clubs work as nightlife venues in Canada: atmosphere, performance, pricing structures, patrons and dancers' work.

• Critiques of Sex and the City

  A look at criticism of Sex and the City over stereotypes, fashion marketing and media myths, and at how fans respond.

• Short Skirt Butch and Poly Heartbreak on Stage

  A look at a one-person Fringe play about a polyamorous breakup, queer labels and the identity questions that follow heartbreak.

• A Short History of Sexuality in Canada

  An outline of how laws, institutions and attitudes toward sexuality have changed in Canada, and how historians study them.

• Fetish Photography in Montreal

  Fetish art photography and how one Montreal photographer and director balanced commercial adult work with personal projects.

• Writers in Adult Media and Sex as Creative Fuel

  A neutral look at how writers working in adult media link sexuality to their creative work.

• Sexy Halloween Costumes and Pop Culture

  An explainer on sexualized Halloween costumes, their link to news and pop culture, and the debate around them.

• Couples Vibrators and Canadian Design

  A neutral overview of couples vibrators, their materials and design, and the Canadian role in the category.

• Rock Music and the Link With Desire

  How a Montreal rock musician describes the place of sex, gender and politics in creative work.

• How Teen TV Dramas Portray Sex and Sex Education

  A neutral comparison of how Degrassi, Glee and Skins treated youth sexuality, and what a columnist made of each.

• Bisexual Women's Erotica as a Genre

  What anthologies of bisexual women's erotica show about how bisexual women appear in erotic writing.

• Erotica Anthologies on Submission and Power

  How anthologies of submission-themed erotica work, with Serving Him as an example and a queer reading of its power themes.

• Year of the Carnivore: A Canadian Comedy

  A look at a Canadian comedy about learning intimacy, and its creator's ideas on vulnerability.

• Sexuality in the News: Why Conflict Wins

  Why controversy dominates sexuality coverage, with a Nova Scotia school booklet dispute as a case study.

• Common Themes in Sexuality News Digests

  Weekly sexuality news digests keep returning to law, gender, relationships and doubtful viral stories.

• Claudia Dey and the Bush Pilot Sex Guide

  A look at a Canadian humorous guide to bedroom skills and what its author said about research, honesty and humour.

• Sex-Positive Blogging and Personal Writing

  A look at sex-positive blogging in Canada, its unpaid workload, and the personal risks of writing openly about sexuality.

• Sex Talk on Canadian Television

  Canadian television has long carried frank sexuality programming. A Toronto live talk show offers one past example.

• Why Awkward Sex Makes for Good Storytelling

  Awkward sex is common yet rarely discussed; zine projects collect first-person accounts of its emotional and situational forms.

• The Feminist Porn Awards in Toronto

  The Feminist Porn Awards in Toronto honour erotic film that includes female pleasure and diversity.

• SlutWalk Toronto and the Fight Against Victim-Blaming

  SlutWalk began as a Toronto march against victim-blaming and slut-shaming and went on to inspire similar events in many countries.

• Erotica Writing and Self-Publishing in Canada

  How erotica authors think about craft, heat levels and independent publishing in Canada.