Some of the topics presented in this series might sound pretty out there to some, but humour and playfulness are central to the Slutever approach and key to what makes the show so infinitely watchable. It doesn’t matter if you have no clue about any or all of the topics introduced in season 2 – host and self-identifying “professional slut” Karley Sciortino also looks slightly bamboozled by the subject matter at times.
Oozing charisma, Sciortino manages to walk the line between being very clever, very funny and very respectful to all her guests and whatever it is they are into. Sciortino’s use of humour is the perfect entry point to discussing the sometimes uncomfortable subject of sex, particularly the types of sex she often talks about.
Born in New York, Sciortino started her blog “Slutever” when she was 21 years old and living in a squatting commune in London. She initially intended it to be a journal of her life and her sometimes bizarre group living experiences, but it turned into being mainly about sex and relationships. It wasn’t long after she took a job as an assistant dominatrix that Vogue magazine came knocking and offered her the role of sex columnist.
Although Sciortino admits it’s hard to think about sex without thinking about feminism, she doesn’t think of Slutever as being a political show and says it’s “a show about sexuality from a feminist perspective, rather than it being a feminist sex show”. But one thing she is certain of is reclaiming and disempowering the word ‘slut’, and using humour and irreverence as a type of resistance against gendered sexual double standards.
‘Slutever’ season 2 covers a lot of ground. Source: SBS
Sciortino takes us to “slutty” places that some of us didn’t even know existed without being preachy or judgemental. She is certainly not shy about getting in and trying everything she is investigating on Slutever, making it feel OK for everyone, particularly women, to be into a variety of other-than-heteronormative sexual practices.
Season 2 “slutty” topics
In episode 1, Sciortino examines whether it is possible to have an open relationship with more than one person without becoming crazy jealous. She goes to a poly wrestling class to get to the bottom of how it feels to take part in "Poly Love".
As a former Sugar Baby herself, Sciortino is well qualified to lead us into the "Sugar Baby" realm of episode 2. Don’t know what Sugar Babies are? You’ll be well versed in all things Sugar Baby after this episode.
In other episodes, Sciortino probes the question of whether bisexual men are rarer than bisexual women. Or is the stigma attached to male bisexuality more culturally unacceptable than female bisexuality? Is that what keeps some bisexual men from openly identifying?
Not even Sciortino has tried "Pet Play" before – a type of role-play where at least one of the participants plays the part of a non-human animal. Like a horse, for example. Or a cat. Or a dog – any animal apart from a human animal.
On the road to vaginal empowerment, Sciortino meets a variety of vagina worshipping activists including a Sacred Yoni Alchemist and an 89-year-old professional masturbater who teaches other women to masturbate in "Vagina Power".
The perfect host, Karley Sciortino. Source: SBS
With technology expanding our idea of what sex actually is or can be, Sciortino experiments with VR sex, and introduces us to the fascinating and somewhat potentially confusing world of ‘teledildonics’.
In the past, school sex education curriculums have often been based in fear and the promotion of abstinence. "Alternative Sex Ed" investigates the options that offer education around all things sexual and don’t involve learning your moves from standard online porn.
In the "Strippers" episode, we learn that stripping seems to have gone from being the job you left off your resume, to something you now list under special skills. Have societal views about strippers changed so much that they’re now the new “it” girls?
Slutever is a fun as well as informative look at the more alternative aspects of the expression of sexuality, with the perfect host to lead us into the unknown. This show is for those with an open mind and a sense of humour, so tune into Slutever, engage your curiosity and have some fun.
More from The Guide
Be whatever you want in the world of 'Slutever'
