History of Swinger Lifestyle

It's important to understand the swinger lifestyle history as it gives you a working knowledge base as to why people choose the lifestyle as an alternative to a monogamous relationship. The original roots of swinging date back to ancient history with the Romans and Greeks and their mass orgies, but in relationship to contemporary civilization it has its own roots as well. The history of the word "swingers" was previously called wife swapping, but the "wife swappers" came from non-other than our very own British and US Militaries.

The word "swing" dates back to the 20's when the black community discovered a new form of music called Jazz and called it "Swinging Jazz." The reference described the form of dance where a man would literally "swing" his partner through a series of dance moves. Like the Charleston and the Lindy Hop were born, and so was the term "swing." Most conservatives couldn't believe it when they saw people shaking their hips and frolicking to this new underground sensual music.

In the 1930's wife swapping was part of air force life in England as fallen solders wives where accepted into neighbors relationships, the newly widowed wives would seek sexual swinger satisfaction from their hosts. This lead the way to the widows being "passed" around to other single men in the troop. In the years that followed it wasn't uncommon for a wife (non-widow) of an officer to accompany other men, married or single into a sexual relationship, although these relationships would be considered Polyamory at that time. As "the wife swapping lifestyle " gained popularity and media attention in the 50's, the activity was changed to "swinging" and more recently "The Lifestyle" or Polyamory. However, Polyamory is really nothing more than a subset of Swingers.

Swingers amongst U.S. Air Force fighter pilots during World War II was widespread do to that fact that their fatality rate was the highest of any branch of service. This led to an unusual social development in which non-monogamy between pilots' wives and other pilots became a suitable social behavior and paved the way for the "Lifestyle". Arrangements of this new social lifestyle behavior persist, even today as its not uncommon in military. The groups of pilots and their wives share each other sexually, but did not stray from their Air wing sexually, which is how most people define Polyamory, it's Monogamy, not between a couple, but between several Swinger couples. The pilot, and spouses do not stray from their Air wing because of deep-seated emotional bonds they share, which is what allot of Polyamorous couples; say is the difference between swingers a poly couples. The truth of the matter is that these were the first swinger relationship that slowly grew over time in to a more open type of sexual swinger relationship. It seems there is a subculture in the swingers' lifestyle community who wants to get back to the roots of swingers which was originally a polyamorous playgroup.

Swinging dates back to the 1950's. Initially, personal ads were the only way to meet people in this particular lifestyle; the first organization to be open about swinging was the Sexual Freedom League (in Berkeley, California during the 1960's). Eventually, an umbrella organization called the North American Swing Club Association (NASCA) was formed to promote accurate information about the lifestyle all across the country.

Currently the internet is becoming an alternative to printed personal ads, and a variety of large swinger's conventions are being held every year. Popular conventions include "Swgers Lifestyles" (the largest and most well-known), "Wind and Waves", "Campout", "Northwest Celebration", and "Visions".

My best guess as to the future is that as more people in this country begin to think of themselves as "open-minded" and "sex-positive", as our response to STDs becomes more rational, as more people from other sex-positive communities begin to explore swinging, and as more bisexual men in the swinging community "come out", the swinging community will grow and begin to attract a new generation of sexually adventurous enthusiasts. I suspect that the size and influence of the annual swinging conventions will continue to grow, and also suspect that "cyber-space" alternatives to real-life swinging (involving interactive video, sound, etc.) will become increasingly popular.

Besides, on the music subculture:

30's and 40's, band leaders like Cab Callaway, Duke Ellington, Glen Miller and Count Basie brought in the big band era and "Swing was King." The popularity of swing music faded after WWII until the late 50's when Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack redefined the word "swinger." The word's connotation reached beyond their music and started to represent their lifestyle. They were hip, fashionable, cool and sexy. They were swingers, man. Playboy magazine was first published and a new era of sexuality was born. "Swinger" had a positive connotation, everyone wanted to be called a "swinger." Of course the term was only relegated to men. Being considered a swinger would never be considered appropriate for a woman.

Of course the "shagedelic swinging sixties" followed and once again the term "swinger" took on a new, cartoon-type of character. Towards the end of the 60's, swinger clubs started to form. Publications were printed and different forms of alternative relationships like swinging, polyamory and communal living started to show up.

It wasn't long before the 70's and rumors of "key parties" and "wife swappers" became the common explanation of the "new swingers." Again, sexist overtones dominated the "swinger" scene, the very term "wife swapper" implies that the man owns his wife and can trade her at will for another partner.

The 80's saw a surge of new clubs forming until the AIDS scare forced many swingers underground and many clubs closed or dropped in membership. Eventually, swinging became a lot more open, clubs rebounded and national conventions like Lifestyles in California and Las Vegas gained in popularity and thousands of Swinger Couples came to meet other open minded couples. "Recreational swinging" became a powerful economic factor, in fact it became an industry. Today, you can find articles on "swinging" in Time magazine, the New York Times, Details, on HBO, MTV, Showtime, VH1 and most national and local newscasts, newspapers and magazines. Conventions and clubs have popped up in every state. Resorts and hotels now cater to "swing" groups like never before. Recently, in New Orleans, over 1,000 "swingers" paraded down Bourbon St. in the first ever "swinging parade" behind a jazz (swing) band with a police escort. Swinging has almost become mainstream.

It has become so mainstream that swing clubs and businesses finally have their own trade association. Imagine the effect of an organized effort to put forth positive images of this "swinging lifestyle." This is the first step in gaining acceptance and tolerance for a sexual minority that is steadily growing and we are being noticed.

the word "lifestyle" on the dictionary said:

"A way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group." When the term "lifestyle" became popular over a generation ago, it had many critics that objected to it as trendy and superficial because it was mainly used to justify habits of consumption, recreation or fads to categories in a system of social classification. Many different forms of sexual minorities all consider themselves to be living a different "lifestyle" from the mainstream. Nonetheless, the term has been useful, in fact, because they help explain ourselves when referring to social values and behavior.

Why the history lesson? Most people run into find the label "swinger" as a negative term with which they don't want to be labeled. While I understand their reasons, most do not understand that the terms "swing" and "swinger" have undergone many transformations over the last century and will continue to change over the next few years. other dictionary definition defines "swinger" as: "A person who actively seeks excitement and moves with the latest trends." Now that is a term we can live with. Maybe we should print that definition on shirts, come out of the closet and show the world who we are. OK, maybe not this week... but soon?

The International Lifestyle Association (ILA) is a nonprofit, member-controlled organization that exists to promote a positive image of alternative swingers lifestyles and to support lifestyle businesses, professionals, and participants. We will be contributing to Lifestyle Magazine with articles we hope you will find informative and most of all, interesting. Please visit our site at www.theILA.org for more information on the growing swingers community. You can support our efforts by joining today.