Sticky, Sexy, Sad
Swipe Culture and the Darker Side of Dating Apps
by Treena Orchard
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Pub Date Apr 30 2024 | Archive Date Apr 01 2025
University of Toronto Press | Aevo UTP
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Description
Lifelong luddite Treena Orchard was a newly sober woman coming off a much-needed break from relationships, reluctantly taking the digital plunge by downloading a dating app. Instead of the fun, easy experiences advertised on swiping platforms, she discovered endless upkeep, ghosting, fleeting moments of sexual connection, and a steady flow of misogyny.
In Sticky, Sexy, Sad, Orchard uses her skills as both an anthropologist who studies sexuality and a sex-positive feminist to explore what it feels like to want love while also resisting the addictive pull of platforms designed to make us swipe-dependent. She asks important questions for those searching for love in the modern era: What are the social and human impacts of using dating apps? How can we maintain our integrity and warm-blooded desire for intimacy while swiping? Can we resist some of the problematic aspects of swipe culture? Is love on dating apps even possible?
Revealing how dating apps are powerful social and sexual technologies that are radically transforming sexuality, relationships, and how we think about ourselves, this remarkable book cracks the code of modern romance. Told with humor and vulnerability, Sticky, Sexy, Sad is a riveting and inspiring guide to staying true to ourselves amid the digitization of love in the twenty-first century.
Treena Orchard is an anthropologist and associate professor in the School of Health Studies at Western University. She researches and engages in activist debates about sexuality, gender, and health among diverse cultural and digital communities. Deeply committed to public scholarship, she regularly writes for and is featured in leading online publications, including Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, and The Conversation.
Wednesday Martin is a cultural critic and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Primates of Park Avenue and Untrue.
Advance Praise
“In a warm, honest, and generously reflective voice, Treena Orchard writes an unconventional coming-of-age story about her journey as a single woman navigating today’s dating app culture. Her stories and insights are candid and will resonate deeply with anyone who’s ever wondered: ’What the hell am I doing on these dating apps?!’”
Joanne Orlando, author of Life Mode On: How to Feel Less Stressed, More Present and Back in Control When Using Technology
“Are dating apps designed to help us find love, or are they ingenious tools that hold out the prospect of love, while mostly delivering frustration and irritation? This engaging, smart book gives readers an insider look into how swipe culture is restructuring what sexuality and intimacy mean and how we think about ourselves in our digital age.”
Jane Boon, author of Edge Play
“Sticky, Sexy, Sad is a poignant and brave memoir that unveils the raw truth behind the enticing facade of modern dating. It’s a compelling exploration of intimacy, vulnerability, and the often-overlooked aspects of online dating and a must-read for anyone who has dipped into or contemplated swiping.”
Lori A. Brotto, Professor, University of British Columbia, and author of Better Sex through Mindfulness: How Women Can Cultivate Desire
“If you are a woman who has ever used a dating app or wondered what they are like, Sticky, Sexy, Sad is for you. Readers will laugh, relate, and think deeply about what it means to be a sex-positive woman in today’s world.”
Laurie Mintz, author of Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters – And How to Get It
“Midlife sex-positive feminist Treena Orchard takes us on a fascinating years-long anthropological adventure in which she hones her erotic knowledge with dozens of fascinating encounters with men (many of them much younger than her). In the process she becomes expertly attuned to the nuances of swipe culture and its messy and magnificent possibilities. Her head-spinning ride on the digital dating carousel is both exhausting and exhilarating as she valiantly seeks out the swipe of her life. I’m in awe of her unabashed lusty approach to life, love, and sex.”
Anne Bokma, author of My Year of Living Spiritually: One Woman's Secular Quest for a More Soulful Life
Marketing Plan
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- International review mailing
- Author interviews
- Book excerpts
- International advertising
- Social media campaign
- E-marketing
- Conferences
- Journals
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781487549305 |
| PRICE | CA$29.95 (CAD) |
| PAGES | 224 |
