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Fictional Fantasies: Exploring Paraphilic Narratives in Literary Spaces.
Kayla M Gaw1, Hina Wain2, Artemis Igoumenou2
1Sexual Behaviours Clinic and Kurt Freund Phallometric Lab, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1001 Queen St. West, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H1, Canada. kayla.gaw@camh.ca.
Archives of Sexual Behavior
|April 27, 2026
Summary
Women explore atypical sexual interests, including taboo themes like masochism and coercion, through online fiction. This study suggests written erotica may serve as an outlet for female sexual fantasy expression.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Media Studies
Background:
- Limited empirical research exists on women's engagement with atypical sexuality.
- Previous studies suggest women may express paraphilic interests through fantasy rather than action.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the expression of atypical sexuality among women on Wattpad, a popular fiction website with a predominantly female readership.
- To identify common themes and motifs related to atypical sexual interests in popular online fiction.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a thematic analysis of 102 distinct stories identified using 123 search terms related to sexual interests.
- Focused on the 11 most popular stories, with reads ranging from 11.3 million to 196 million.
Main Results:
- Identified themes including masochism, exophilia, homoeroticism, age gap relationships, pseudo-incest, and coercion.
- Observed motifs of power, control, innocence, objectification, taboo, coercion, and otherness.
- Highlighted nuanced expressions of erotic desires challenging societal norms and personal boundaries.
Conclusions:
- Written erotica on platforms like Wattpad may provide an outlet for female expression of atypical sexual fantasies.
- The cumulative effect of consuming taboo or harmful sexual content may have implications for sexual development, particularly for vulnerable audiences.
- Further empirical research is warranted on paraphilic themes in written media and their impact.
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