Sex, Drugs and the End of the World - The Story of the Penis-Unicorn

Last July, I went down an internet rabbit hole and discovered a t-shirt design that I immediately had to have. The only way I can describe the design is that it's a penis-shaped unicorn, with a rainbow horn, defecating a rainbow with a thought bubble that read "Dreams do cum true". Aside from immediately ordering the design both on a t-shirt and a sticker, it also caused me to pose a question both to myself and those around me; How will sex change after a cataclysmic event? Whilst I will concede that this is a very unlikely event, the scenarios that were discussed were simply too good not to be written down.

The design that started it. I'm still not sure how it prompted me to ask the question.

The design that started it. I'm still not sure how it prompted me to ask the question.

Firstly, the scenario of a world ending event, be it economic collapse, a catastrophic natural disaster, nuclear holocaust or even the dreaded zombie apocalypse; it does not matter. The idea is that one way or another, the world as we know it has collapsed and people have begun to rebuild society in their own image.

  This then made me think about how sexuality would be effected, how would society's views change? What would stay the same? As desperation rose, how would society's conventions be tested? What would be normalized? What would become taboo? Would taboo even be an issue anymore?

  These were questions that I had theories about, but I knew that I was not the best person to be answering them, so I sought out answers from those who knew sex better than anybody else; sex workers. Putting out the call on both Twitter and Facebook, coupled with a handy assist from a couple of friends, I was linked up with a a cam girl and adult film performer in America named Riley.

 

After briefly setting the scene and filling Riley in on the kind of piece I was writing, I was able to get her opinion on the very questions I was asking myself.

Given the distance between Riley and myself, being on opposite sides of the world, the interview took place over twitter. Riley and I had a brief chat, I set the scene for her and let her know the kinds of theories that I had been thinking of and I must admit, I was quite surprised by her answers. Riley even had a few comments about my writing as a whole, which was very welcomed feedback and ideas.

 

After society degrades and begins to rebuild, how do you envision the role of the sex worker changing, if you believe that it will change at all?

I believe that sex work would become even more stigmatized and pushed to the brink of society.  

What do you think that the currency will become? Do you think that sex will become a type of trade or barter?

The currency would be the same as for other necessary goods such as food, water and clothing. I don't think that sex would become a type of trade or barter, because I believe that sexual encounters would be pushed aside in daily life. People would try to rebuild society, so dealing with essential things would probably consume more of their time.

Do you think the age of consent will become an issue?

Age of consent would probably stay the same as it is now.

Do you think that child prostitution and child brides will become common?

I believe the standards of child protection would remain the same as they are now if not even stricter. Mostly as a result of trying to keep the remaining population safer and more protected to ensure it's continued existence.

How will one protect against disease and unwanted pregnancy? Do you envision these becoming

more prevalent?

That would depend on what natural resources would still be available. Probably consumption of more natural vitamin C would increase as it reduces inflammation. And in case of unwanted pregnancies there would probably be a rise in consuming abortive plants like parsley, cannabis, wormwood etc. I do believe that since we do have condoms now, that the remaining group of people would probably find a way to get a natural substitute for them.

Do you think that access to contraception will change? How and why?

I believe that forms of natural contraception would probably become more popular, depending on the level of society degradation.

Post-collapse, would you consider giving up your profession altogether and finding a new avenue of employment?

Yes, because there would probably be a need to grow your own food and just take care of necessities like getting running water to your shelter. So I would imagine that I would probably have to take care of bare essentials first.

How do you envision your worth as sex worker changing?

I would probably be more stigmatized in the new social structure.

Will brothels become more widely available and how do you envision these brothels being run?

I don't think there would be an increase in brothels. They would probably be run in the same way as brothels in the past were run. Most likely similar to the way brothels in the 19th century were run.

Do you envision security becoming tighter or more relaxed in these establishments?

I assume it would be non-existent.

Will pimps and madams rise up again? Or is this a common misconception held by the public?

There will always be a certain amount of people who will try to make a living by exploiting others.

 I would like to extend my thanks to Riley for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions and allow me to speak to her on such a personal level. Whilst many of her answers took me by surprise, this is not a piece that I could have adequately completed alone and her help on the project is something that I very much appreciate.