Let me take care of you: domestic caretaking fantasies in boyfriend experience audio erotica

Abstract

Audio erotica is an increasingly significant sector of the porn industry, yet it has heretofore received little scholarly attention. This article presents research aimed at bridging this gap in the literature. We explore some of the unique affordances of audio erotica through an analysis of Dipsea and Quinn, two of the most popular contemporary apps that host this content. In particular, we present a reading of one of audio erotica's most popular genres: the male-for-female (M4F) boyfriend experience (BFE). The BFE's codes and conventions immerse the implied female listener in an eroticized domestic fantasy in which she is being taken care of by a man. The BFE cocoons listeners in an intimate audio encounter with a fantasy man who is defined by his capacity to engage in eroticized caretaking practices. We argue that these sonic scenes of eroticized masculine care and domesticity present an opportunity to understand contemporary notions of (and trends in) ‘porn for women’. More broadly, drawing from research on porn, erotica, the audio medium, and headphone technology, we offer a framework for understanding some of the alternative pleasures and intimacies specific to audio erotica.