The History of Swinging
On April 22nd 1587 a formal arrangement was signed by John Dee, his wife Jane, Edward kelley and his wife Joanna which permitted the couple to engage in “conjugal relations” with each other.
In the 18th century, the only known documented group of swingers were European intellectuals like Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, and her husband Percy Shelley.
In the mid 19th century, the Germans were said to be big advocated of spousal-trading. This was seen as very hypocritical since communists were rather anti-sexual and were “not to speak of common prostitutes” but took pleasure in seducing each other’s wives.
In the 20th century, the sexual uprise in the 1960s is said to have played a huge role in the comeback of the swinger lifestyle. Online swinging took off in the late 1990s due to free sex online dating sites.
Terry Gould’s The Lifestyle: a look at the erotic rites of swingers states that swinging began among American Air Force pilots and their wives during World War II. The mortality rate of pilots was high, so it was encouraged for a close bond between pilots and their wives to ensue, that way if something were to happen, the widow could be cared for by the other husband.
Eventually the media dubbed swinging as “wife swapping”. This gave the lifestyle a negative, overtly sexual connotation which has changed the meaning of it for some individuals forever.
