Okay I need to say this and I feel like people aren't prepared for it but here we go
And by that I mean William, Victorian man who grew up in the upper classes and had an education and went to parties and saloons, was absolutely part of the insane erotic kinky Victorian crowd.
And sure, say what you will about Angelus, Darla and Drusilla - they did certain kinky shit for sure. They did orgies, and fucking people in front of another, horror kinks like feeding together, etc. And Darla used to be a sex worker so who knows what she liked to introduce?
But I cannot stress enough that I think, in many ways, Catholic and repressed Angelus was not very kinky. I think he was a womaniser. I think he got off on certain kinks and things - the man tortured a nun until she broke and got with him.
But when we examine Victorian eroticism and sexuality we see this giant uptick of experimentation and even just discussion about sex.
- Victorians used to have marital sex guides. Why? It was believed that making women orgasm was the key to a cute and well tempered baby. If you had an ugly baby? You didn't have good sex with your wife. Best go read the manual on how to make her cum again.
- sex clubs were a thing! And for all orientations! Yes. There were gay and lesbian bars. High society used to have sex parties!! There might even be a theme and you come dressed up while hired dancers and sex workers perform in very little and the most beautiful sex workers (of either gender) is slowly stripped like a little show. Then you all do opium, fuck, have a seance, and follow it all down with some absinthe.
- sex work was technically illegal but it was "allowed". There was just so many brothels it was hard to police it all. "Decency laws" didn't come into effect until 1890s. There were writeups in certain magazines about who was the best sex worker in London over certain months. There were also tabloids for scandals.
- Condoms existed, they were made from sheep or pig intestines. Vibrators, dildos, anal plugs and strap ons all existed or were invented in the period as well.
- The Worlds Fair of 1851 had many naked forms on display to ogle at and examine.
- sex tourism was a thing in the Victorian era! We know from journals that this happened with both genders. For some men of well means it was almost expected for them to go travelling along a certain route while they were young (and to have sexual experiences all the while).
- Victorians had erotica and porn. They even had a whole street in London dedicated to erotic book shops. They even had pornographic/nude pictures in postcard format so you could easily travel with it!! Some of the Victorian erotica I looked up included themes of: BDSM, dom/sub, punishment and discipline, cross dressing, religion kink, orgies, feminisation of queer men, and humiliation. Also some had incest so do be warned to read up on things if you go looking.
- Male homosexuality was especially enticing in erotica and in brothels (male brothels were referred to as molly houses), despite the legal ramifications. Female homosexuality was not illegal and women often engaged in exploration until it came into law to discourage it.
And this is just what I could remember or dig up on the fly. There are lots of sources we can look into for more but the idea that upper class William would be prudish, repressed, virginal... is so laughable. He certainly had issues with anxiety and rejection due to the way society and peers treated him, and this and his self-worth is something he struggles with. But we see within the canon of the show that: he has no issue with the homoerotic way Angelus speaks to him upon meeting, he actively engages with it, and he tries to fuck Drusilla on a chaise at his home on their first night together.
In actuality I suspect he is the kinkiest member of the Fanged Four, but at least more kinky than Angel and has to introduce Angel to kinks and toys and new ideas about sex.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
Edited for more positive language around sex work, previously contained Victorian period terms.
