Award-winning sex historian and author Dr Esme Louise James has made it her mission to answer raunchy questions about historical moments
It’s history class as you’ve never seen it before. Inside Gen Z’s obsession with TikTok lectures on the risque side of history.
Lifestyle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Award-winning sex historian and author Dr Esme Louise James has made it her mission to answer raunchy questions about historical moments.
Known for her tongue-in-cheek “Kinky History” series, the Melbourne-based academic shares the spiciest stories from the past on TikTok.
Inspired by art historian Marie McGillivray, she began posting offcuts of her PhD research on the history of pornography on the platform in 2020.
Dr James said she gained her first 10,000 followers after posting a risque photo “with wine in hand”.
Since then, she has amassed more than two million followers on TikTok alone, with her series spawning a book, podcast, spin-off and live show.
“I just did a bit of a debunking of the carriage scene in Bridgerton. The author of Bridgerton got in touch and does love the video…” she said.
Delivering education “with a side of frivolity”, she is one of many creators taking social media by storm by using her expertise to make history fun and accessible for gen Z.
There is an undeniable appetite for educational content from TikTok videos with the hashtags “#LearnOnTikTok” and “#historyfacts” garnering billions of views worldwide.
“TikTok (has become) a place very quickly for education in ways that we haven’t seen before because there is a desire from the younger generation in particular to engage with education in a way that’s far more tangible and also explores niches and taboos that don’t often get spoken about in traditional classes,” she said.
“So when you hear about things like the fact that spanking became such a popular vice in the 18th century that they had to put laws in place to stop people getting hurt, it shows what feels like a … conservative idea of the past in an entirely different light.
“The past isn’t clean, it’s about as dirty as most people’s browser histories.”
But she said her niche history lessons also served as “messages of inclusivity”.
Flat and fabulous: Why women are embracing life without boobs
There is an emerging collective of Aussie women who are proudly embracing their status as “flatties” – after overcoming the unimaginable.
Exposed: The issue fuelling ramping no one is talking about
South Australia has the highest rate of patients stuck in hospital limbo in the nation and a leading doctor warns the cause is a problem no one is willing to fix.