'CNM' relationship explained as 'fetish of the year' now revealed

As 2025 draws to a close, many of us have been rounding up our favourite things from the year.

From Spotify Wrapped delving into our music history to noting the healthy habits you want to continue into the new year, it's definitely a reflective period of time.

Another thing that people have been looking back on is their sex lives and exactly what went down in 2025.

If you cast your mind back to the end of last year Clips4Sale, one of the leading platforms for ethical kink and fetish content, revealed its 'fetish of the year' prediction.

And as per Cosmopolitan, they said that 2025 would be all about chastity - citing a 71 percent increase in sales for chastity content on its site in 2024.

The 'fetish of the year' for 2025 was certainly an unexpected one (Getty Stock Image)

The Cambridge Dictionary definition of chastity is: "The state of not having sexual relationships or never having had sex," - so essentially, 'no sex' was the fetish of the year.

However, it's not as boring as it sounds.

Cosmo's 'Navigating Non-Monogamy' columnist Zachary Zan explained: "A chastity kink is where someone derives sexual pleasure from the idea of sexual restraint or denial."

While Dominatrix Countess Diamond told the publication: "At its core, a chastity kink revolves around control, denial, and the voluntary restriction of sexual gratification."

And almost at the entirely other end of the scale is consensual non-monogamy (CNM), which according to reports, is becoming more popular.

What is consensual non-monogamy?

Consensual non-monogamy is the practice of engaging in multiple romantic, and typically sexual, relationships with the consent of all the people involved.

Essentially, it's an umbrella term for relationships in which all partners give explicit consent to engage in romantic, intimate, and/or sexual relationships with multiple people.

To reiterate, these are consensual relationships, not to be confused with infidelity.

This is because all partners are involved in the decision making process, as opposed to someone being lied to or deceived.

Consensual non-monogamy can take a variety of forms depending on your specific relationships and boundaries.

It could involve partners engaging in sexual, but not romantic relationships, outside of their main partner.

Consensual non-monogamous relationships can take many different forms (Getty Stock Image)

Or it might include several people in a relationship who remain romantically and sexually exclusive to each other.

It can take many different forms, depending on the needs and preferences of the individuals involved in the specific relationships.

Common forms of CNM, also known as ethical non-monogamy, include polyamory, open relationships, and swinging relationships.

In 2024, a study that surveyed 5,000 adults in the UK revealed that one in six would consider a non-monogamous relationship if it were more socially accepted.

It also revealed that men are three times more likely to entertain the idea than women.

So there you have it, it's on the rise - now we just have to wait and see what the top fetish prediction is for 2026.