Sexual subcultures are, by their nature, a bit strange. They’re born out of a shared enjoyment for some sort of fetish and so they often focus on niche interests that

are outside the mainstream. Many of these subcultures do overlap into mainstream society. The best example of this is the mainstream version of the BDSM community. But there isn’t always a way for mainstream culture to adopt fetish communities. This collection of five sexual subcultures prove that some interests are simply too outlandish to ever be normalized.

CBT – Cock and Ball Torture

Ask most men if they want to have their cock and balls smashed and you’ll get a resounding no. But for a fiercely loyal group, that would be the invitation they’ve been dreaming of. These men not only get off on having their own genitals put through the ringer (sometimes literally) they also get off on photos and movies of other men being tortured.

CBT, the acronym most people use to discuss cock and ball torture, is primarily seen as an extreme niche within the BDSM community. Since it’s pretty impossible to just torture someone ‘a little bit’, it’s unlikely that the general population will ever see the practice as anything other than downright weird.

Mummification

Mummification has been growing in popularity thanks to the new options available in latex and even with vacuum sealing a person. Mummification involves any method that renders the person completely wrapped and unable to move. For diehard fans, it also means having no real means to breathe so air tubes must be used. These tubes can potentially be taken away at any time and with a person who is fully mummified, that means they’re giving their partner the ultimate trust. The combination of the extreme nature of being immobilized and the level of trust needed to have with a partner has kept this a truly niche subculture.

Golden Showers / Urine Worship

While the term Golden Showers crops up more and more often in mainstream media and pop culture, the actual practice of being peed on, drinking urine or watching people pee is still a fairly secluded subculture within the fetish community. As far as the mainstream sexual world goes, a fascination with urine is still seen as weird at best and downright creepy at worst thanks to the deeply ingrained cultural taboos about body waste.

Symphorophilia – Straight Out of Hollywood

David Cronenberg’s infamous and controversial 1996 film “Crash” focused on people who are turned on by being in or witnessing car accidents. This fetish is more than just the result of Hollywood brainstorming. The director based it on a real paraphilia called Symphorophilia. While Symphorophilia isn’t common, there are several websites and hundreds of pieces of fan fiction that cater to this niche group.

Pony Play

Pony Play is a strange subculture in the fetish world, but it’s one the mainstream world is becoming increasingly aware of. Pony Play participants dress up as actual horses and have their partners lead them around on tethers, have them perform horse jump and sometimes even ride on their backs. The fetish is all about giving into your animal side making it an attractive option for people who want to escape being themselves. Greater public awareness about Pony Play means it’s being mentioned more often on shows, in the movies and in books, but it’s far from being seen as normal.