The other day, I went to a small party at my friends’ apartment. I was mingling and minding my own business when…
…a twenty-something woman walked over to me. “I have a story idea for you,” she told me, explaining that she read Cup of Jo.
“Oh, great, I’d love to hear,” I said, perching on the arm of the sofa.
“THE QUINN APP,” she said. “Everyone should listen to it, it’s life-changing — I want to shout about it from the rooftops!”
She told me that Quinn is an erotica app (similar to Dipsea and BLANCHEstories) with sexy short stories you can listen to. You can search for whatever topics you’re feeling into — say, secret admirers, co-workers, or historical — and, interestingly, each short story is told as if the speaker is talking directly to you, so you can imagine yourself in the scene.
Cut to the next morning: As I walked down the sunny street to get coffee, I downloaded Quinn. The main page featured Irish stories for St. Patrick’s Day, and since who am I to argue haha, I chose one called “Irish Hospitality” and pressed play.
At first, the story made me laugh. It kicks off with the sound of rain and thunder and footsteps, then an Irish Airbnb host welcomes you inside. “Lovely Irish weather as usual, huh?” he says. “I hope you found the cottage okay, the GPS has trouble out here in the country.” It felt a little goofy, almost like a spoof made for fans of The Holiday. I mean, good for her, not for me?
But then, you’ll never guess, the Airbnb guest bedroom springs a leak, and the ceiling over the sofa also gets a leak, so the only thing for you to do is… share the host’s bed. His Irish phrasing also kicks into high gear — think: “I’m grand” and “Darlin.'”
And.
Oh.
My.
God.
You guys.
As cartoon-y as the story was, I’ve got to say, it also got super hot. I realized I was literally biting my lip walking down the street and had to tell myself, “STOP BITING YOUR LIP JOANNA OMG.”
Afterward, I read a few articles about these kinds of erotica apps, and I liked how Gina Gutierrez, the co-founder of Dipsea, pointed out to the New York Times that they are intentionally marketed as sexual wellness. Female pleasure has long been seen as gratuitous or trivial, so instead, she said, “we wanted people to feel like they were making a choice that was good for them.”
Thoughts? I’m curious to hear more, like this one. Do you listen to these apps or similar ones? Please share your thoughts, recs, anecdotes, whatever! xoxo
P.S. My sex mixtape, and 15 great reader comments on sex.
(This post is not sponsored, I just wanted to share:) Photo by Alexandr Ivanets/Stocksy.)