A swinger has explained what they mean when they're talking about a 'unicorn', as they're definitely not talking about a silvery horse-like creature with a horn atop its head.
There's all sorts of terminology to grapple with whenever getting into any kind of subculture, but thankfully there are all sorts of swingers on the internet who are ready to explain what it means.
They'll tell you what the symbols to look out for are, from the upturned pineapple to the black ring on the finger, and explain how swingers tend to induct interested types into the lifestyle.
That's the realm of 'soft swapping', which swingers use to get couples who are dipping their toes in more sensual waters used to the feeling instead of just chucking them in at the deep end.
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As for 'unicorns', that's referring to someone else entirely.
What does the term 'unicorn' mean?
According to TikToker @vistawife, when it comes to swinging 'a unicorn is a single woman that plays with couples and swingles in the swinging lifestyle'.
One assumes 'swingles' means 'swinging singles'.
While lots of the discussion around swingers is about couples looking to get involved in it together, it seems as though the mythical unicorn is a lone woman who is capable of joining in activities with others in the lifestyle.
The term 'unicorn' has been used in other relationship contexts, particularly polyamory, where a couple are looking for another woman to join in.
Other swingers have explained that another key component of a unicorn is someone who 'does not threaten the relationship', so even if they're down to clown, they're not looking to turn a couple into a throuple.
The TikToker said in other videos that there was a worrying trend among some swinging circles for something called 'wife snatching' in which a couple swings with another couple, but they're only really interested in the wife.
Getting a unicorn essentially gets around this problem as if the woman is single, then she's got no partner to feel left out.
Why are they called a 'unicorn'?
Unicorns aren't real, for starters, they're mythical creatures which even in the realms of fantasy were known to be rare and prized.
As such, that's how the term 'unicorn' has come to be attributed to a single woman who is willing to play with a couple without attachments in the lifestyle.
As VistaWife explained, 'single women are rare in the lifestyle' and since multiple couples are looking for someone like them, the name 'unicorn' has stuck.
So now you know what the term means for swingers.
Topics: TikTok, Lifestyle, Sex and Relationships
Joe Harker