We regret to inform you that @Cosmopolitan is promoting choking/strangulation ('breath play') as a great newbie way to spice up your love life, again.

(They link to a piece that says it can can cause stroke, brain damage, serious damage to neck, spine.)

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/love-sex/relationships/a32028742/things-to-do-as-a-couple/

Why are we pushing back when 'choking' of women is normalised? (And it is choking of women, by men, we're almost always talking about)

Here's a great, lockdown listen with @Lalalaletmeexp2 https://open.spotify.com/episode/08g8exzoi3k5Kofp9h6cmS?si=x85Vy54pSfatw8oy0fS9CA

We hear from young women who learn as teens that being choked - viewed in Domestic Violence policing as being the no 1 risk factor for future homicide by a partner - is something they should expect as an expression of passion

And it's not just Cosmo
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/social-media-make-girls-think-choking-during-sex-is-normal-0jlrgf2b0

...a number of other women's mags promote being choked by a sexual partner - one notoriously calling it a 'beginner's kink' and another comparing it to ravishment (that's the old for for rape, FYI) https://mobile.twitter.com/Wecantconsentto/status/1135615942615019522

And this is what the reality of sex and relationships is like for many of the young women who might read Cosmo - genuine Content Warning on this.

"I realise I am lucky to not have been brain damaged or worse"

https://wecantconsenttothis.uk/our-stories 

The original piece has now been edited - thanks @CosmopolitanUK

https://twitter.com/helenksaunders/status/1246409845529546752?s=19