I just finished watching the first two episodes of Hung, a new HBO series about a high school gym teacher turned prostitute. I’m not sure what think about the show, either as a dark comedy or as a representation of sex work in popular culture. I do think they came up with a brilliant promotion for the show. Nonetheless, a few things stood out for me while watching. One was the repeated references that Ray, the lead, makes about Tanya, his sex-buddy-turned-pimp, being a “screamer”.
The screamer is a character type used in a lot of entertainment media, sometimes they moan, sometimes they scream, but it’s always about the person, not the sex. Because most of what we learn about sex comes from mainstream media and porn I began to wonder whether there was any truth to this particular characterization. Are there some people who moan and scream whenever they have sex and others who are silent? If so, what accounts for this difference? Is it religion, culture, biology, or something more obvious like how thin your walls are as an adult and how much privacy you had growing up?
In reality how much do vocalizations during sex have to do with the sex itself? If a screamer is someone who always screams, what would you call someone who could make anyone scream? I’m setting up a classic joke here, but also genuinely curious. Because family currently surrounds me I didn’t think it was a good time to use myself as a research subject, so instead I turned to the academic literature. Listen carefully, here’s what they have to say. And if you’ve got something about sex sounds to get off your chest (out of your voice box?) let me know.
Read more – The Sounds of Sex
Related – My Partner Is Silent During Sex
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