If you're unfamiliar with the term "spicy audio," then hi. I'm excited to be the one to corrupt you.
Spicy audio is an umbrella term where erotica and audiobooks meet. Basically, listeners can tune in to hear their favorite sexy stories read to them, but with breathy voices, moans, and sometimes method acting instead of the typical stodgy read-along.
And though readers can and do choose passages from novels like 50 Shades of Grey, the audio is also often based on steamy fanfictions or storylines written by the multi-hyphenate creator-reader-producer who regularly posts audios for thirsty fans to satiate themselves with.
Under the large spicy audio umbrella, listeners can find specific themes, genres, and interests. A popular example are boyfriend/girlfriend audios, which are a POV-style ride where the reader speaks as though they are talking directly to you, their romantic partner, and simulate a suggestive — or outright sexual — ASMR conversation or encounter with you.
In conclusion, spicy audios will have you like:
In a skit that has reached nearly half a million viewers on TikTok, Flavia reenacted a real moment when she was enjoying a spicy audio in private...
...and suddenly the clip stopped playing and instead connected to the bluetooth in her car when her mother stepped inside.
"We are Cuban immigrants, so my mom did not quite understand what was said because I play them at a faster speed than normal," Flavia told BuzzFeed. "We have a very close relationship, so at the end of the day I told her in detail what the audio was and we laughed about it."
Not everyone's experience is as un-embarrassing, though. Throughout the comment section of her video, people shared their own instances with accidentally playing or hearing spicy audios.
"[This] happened to me while I was waiting for my oil change," one viewer shared. "The mechanics got an EARFUL."
"I was listening to a spicy audio at work when my boss came up to me. [They] took out my earphone and it started playing on my phone full blast," another commented.
"God, the embarrassment when my brother ran back into the house 'cause my blue[tooth] connected to the car and he heard my spicy audiobook," someone else commented.
"I work at a hotel with valet," another said. "I was pulling a guest car once and their spicy audiobook started playing. She tipped me well and we laughed about it."
"My husband screams from the garage, 'Turn your bluetooth off.'"
When speaking to Flavia, she said the only way to get over the embarrassment is by owning it. "It is 2023, no one should be ashamed for the books they like to read, whether it’s YA, fantasy, murder mystery, or erotica."
"One's first instinct is always to apologize in an awkward situation, but instead we should be giving out book recommendations. You never know whose life you may change with one. As Rachel Green once said: 'It’s just a healthy expression of human sexuality.'"