When making your New Year resolutions, don’t forget to add your sex life to the list, too. Allow 2025 to be the year to be the one where you center your pleasure and step fully into your power. Sex and relationship expert Nikquan Lewis would like us to remember that whether you’re deepening intimacy with yourself or exploring with your partner, prioritizing pleasure is an act of self-love and empowerment.
She also believes that 2025 is going to be all about breaking barriers and embracing the fullness of our sexual wellness. “As Black women, we’re stepping into a season of reclaiming our pleasure, prioritizing our desires, and dismantling shame. Here are a few trends transforming how we connect with ourselves and our partners this year,” Lewis states.
To help you accomplish a fun and vibrant sex life in 2025, we’ve compiled a list of sex trends that’ll guide you in the right direction.
Breanna Lewis, Sexual Health Educator and Wellness Coach:
Sex During Pregnancy: Normalizing sex during pregnancy. As a postpartum doula and intimacy coach, I have created and shared resources to help pregnant individuals and their partners navigate changes in desire, explore safe positions, and embrace pleasure as a way to bond and reduce stress.
Postpartum Intimacy: Increased emphasis on intimacy during the postpartum period. Postpartum care is expanding beyond physical health to include emotional and sexual intimacy as a part of the healing process after giving birth. This includes pelvic floor therapy, doulas, and sex coaches focused on prioritizing intimacy and redefining pleasure in a way that supports body changes and the new relationship dynamics.
Dr. Lexx Brown-James, Sexologist:
Leave the Lights On: Try leaving the lights on during sex because enough has been done in the dark. Bonus tip: Add a mirror and keep your eyes open, glasses on, etc. Deep eye gazing, watching a lover be aroused, and appreciating body parts and your own body can all be ways to increase pleasure. If you’re a person who is sight impaired, ask for physical descriptions of action parts and explore with the senses that make sense for you. This year, we are feasting on pleasure.
Go Natural: Dump the honey packs and pill boosters, and eliminate the pineapple juice. In 2025, we’re getting back to the basics to establish pleasure. Instead, try to increase your water intake, grab a water-based lube, and take a slow teasing approach to your desire. In such a fast-paced world, I find people are rushing to the peak of pleasure, and it’s not only short-lived but also not as satisfying. Slowing down, teasing, edging, using grinding, rubbing, and hands with varying speeds, tension, and rhythms can be key to having longer-lasting pleasure.
Nikquan Lewis, Relationship and Sex Expert:
Enhancing Pleasure with Edging: This year is about slowing down and taking your pleasure to the next level. Edging, the practice of building up to orgasm and then pausing, is becoming super popular as a way to heighten intimacy and deepen pleasure. While physical, it’s also an invitation to understand what your body craves, savor each sensation, and connect with your partner or yourself on a new level. Edging is about control, self-awareness, and making every moment count. Trust me, the finale is worth the wait!
Prioritizing Pleasure as Self-Care: We’ve been conditioned to prioritize the pleasure of others; those days are over. Pleasure is not a luxury; it’s a core part of self-care and self-love. Whether engaging in solo play, prioritizing intimate moments with your partner, or simply exploring what brings you joy, this year is about claiming your right to feel good unapologetically.
It’s 2025, and Tech has Met Intimacy: Listen! The bedroom is getting a whole tech transformation this year! From AI-powered toys to long-distance intimacy tools and even virtual reality, technology is changing the game. For Black women honoring their power and redefining intimacy, this opens up new, exciting ways to connect and prioritize pleasure, no matter where you are.
Exploring Soft Dom/Sub Dynamics: Gone are the days of rigid stereotypes about dominance and submission. This year, couples are leaning into “soft dom/sub” dynamics rooted in trust, emotional connection, and mutual exploration, allowing both partners to tap into various desires. These dynamics are less about control and more about surrendering to the moment, being in tune with each other’s needs, and deepening your connection.
Sexual Honesty: 2025 is the year of honesty in the bedroom—no one is a mind reader, right? Black women claim the space to be upfront about what we want, need, and desire, whether on a first date or in a long-term relationship. We’re having open, honest conversations about fantasies, preferences, sexual boundaries, and everything in between because sexual transparency is the foundation of real compatibility and intimacy. This is about showing up authentically and ensuring our pleasure gets the priority it deserves.
Awaken Your Senses: 2025 is all about slowing down and being present. To do this sexually, allow your five senses to lead the way. Black women are setting the mood with candlelight, old-school R&B, and textures that invite touch. From the taste of wine to your favorite scent, every detail is about creating an intentional and exciting experience. We’re not focused on the destination here; this is about thoroughly enjoying the journey, one sensual moment at a time.