Swinging - or "The Lifestyle" is alive and well, and happening in a suburb near you.

Before watching "The Lifestyle", a new documentary about swinging , I had no idea that people in the suburbs "swung" with such intensity. Being an urban dweller all my life, I arrogantly imagined that the wildest parties and the most far out sex practices, happened in the heart of the city. "The Lifestyle" sets the record straight - the city has nothing on the suburbs. Suburban conservatism, at least when it comes to sexuality, is just a façade.

The most impressive thing about the documentary is how the filmmakers managed to capture the "action" within swinger parties. As a viewer, one gets the impression that the film's subjects have forgotten that cameras are rolling and are doing what comes most naturally to them. As anyone who has done any work whatsoever in journalism knows, this is an amazing feat. It's especially amazing in this case because it's the sex practices of ordinary people.

One of the interesting aspects about the sex practices of swingers, is the fact that there is a double standard when it comes to bisexuality. Women are allowed, and in fact encouraged to be bisexual , while men who are bisexual are not allowed into "the lifestyle." As one woman in the film says, "If a bisexual man entered our group, he would be asked to leave." Of course this is an extension of the general homophobia in our culture but I think it's also influenced by the conventions of porn. The film shows that the swinger lifestyle is hugely affected by Porn. We see porn videos playing at parties, and the sex these wild suburbanites have, seems as impersonal and detached as the sex in these videos. It's like porn without the fake boobs and long nails.

Karen Murray
Associate Producer, SEXTV