🔐 What exactly is Locktober? 🔐

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QUEER WORD
Locktober

There seems to have been a little bit of confusion across the internet over the last few weeks about what Locktober is, so I thought it was high time I set the record straight (although perhaps 'straight' is the wrong choice of word here).

What it means:

Locktober is an annual challenge that takes place in the kink community, specifically focusing on chastity play.

The word is a portmanteau of lock and October, and those taking part wear locked chastity devices (often voluntarily, sometimes with a partner as their ‘keyholder’) for the entire month of October.

And, yes, it’s a silly challenge to test your limits, but it’s also more than that. It’s a deeper dive into power dynamics, self-control, and submission for those in BDSM or chastity circles.

Let’s use it in a sentence:

Teeny thought participating in Locktober would just be a fun way to embrace kink, but by day 10, they were reconsidering all of their life choices.

A little bit of history:

As kink traditions go, Locktober is a fairly recent development, having emerged from BDSM and chastity communities in the early 2010s.

Though the exact origins are unknown the concept quickly gained traction online, particularly through forums and social media, where participants could share their experiences, struggles, photos, and tips on how best to endure the month-long challenge.

But it seems not everyone got the memo, and there are now some unintentionally hilarious misuses of the term floating around the interweb.

Let’s take a look at them…

Exhibit A: Some Kind Of Weird Fitness Trend

Enter TikTok’s version of Locktober, where instead of kinky chastity play, it’s now about fitness goals and self-improvement.

Yup, you heard that right.

Fitness bros and influencers have co-opted Locktober into a month-long challenge encouraging each other to ‘lock in’ on personal goals like cutting out processed foods, hitting protein targets, reading books, and avoiding vices like alcohol.

I mean, in many ways it is kind of like chastity - you need to demonstrate self-control, abstention, discipline - there’s just no sexual thrill to keep you going.

Exhibit B: Celebrating Actor Joe Locke

Earlier this week the mega-blockbuster-making film studio tweeted a cheeky photo of Joe Locke, who’s currently starring in Agatha: All Along, and urged fans to celebrate ‘Joe Locke-tober!’

In all honesty I’m betting this is the brainchild of a sneaky Marvel Studios social media intern who is just trolling us all, but hey, it's still noteworthy!

So, now that we're clear on what Locktober is (and isn't), it's time to toss all that out the window and encourage you to celebrate these 31 days in whichever way you please.

You know I’m all for the evolution of language and concepts over time, so who am I to police what Locktober means to you?

Whether you're locking in your fitness goals, or locking up... something else entirely, you do you.

Just make sure you don’t lose your key. I don’t want to have to come and help break you out.

PODCAST
This week’s episode of Lost Spaces

Go-go dancing, late night smooching, and palm reading on the dance floor.

This week Manuel Skye took us on a trip to 1990s Montreal to explore his early clubbing days.