Have you ever seen an upside-down pineapple at someone’s house and wondered what that was all about? Sure, pineapples can be a wonderful addition to your tropical decor, but the upside-down pineapple means something a whole lot sexier.
For many, the meaning of pineapples is a celebration of warmth, and hospitality. Flip the pineapple upside down, however, and you suddenly have the international symbol for swinging.
Yes, Pineapples.
For many years, pineapples have been used as a way to honor guests in businesses, hotels, restaurants, and more. In fact, pineapples were prominent in the 18th and 19th centuries when the hospitality industry used them as central parts of large food displays. Since then, they’ve also been used to decorate tapestries, napkins, and even pineapple-shaped string lights to set the tone at a summertime soiree.
In more recent years, however, pineapples have been used as symbols of swinging. No one knows precisely how this use of pineapples came to be, but these days, seeing an upside-down pineapple is a telltale sign that swingers are near.
All About Pineapples
This article isn’t a book report on pineapples, we promise. But if we’re to understand how the use of them as a symbol for swingers came about, we should take a brief look at the history first. Pineapple has been cultivated in South America for centuries and was introduced to Europe sometime in the 17th century. After it arrived in other parts of the world, commercial growth started, and they became more prominent in greenhouses. The fruit is good for health, has a lot of fiber, and possesses anti-inflammatory properties. It’s also a little-known fact that drinking pineapple juice makes bodily fluids taste sweeter when consumed regularly.
Pineapples are associated with wealth, luxury, nobility, hospitality, royalty, and beauty. In addition, being a unique fruit, people love the playful attitude it brings as a decoration or embellishment.
All About Swingers
Swinger, as a term, is commonly associated with couples in the lifestyle. However, the term swinger can also mean “a fashionable and lively person who goes to a lot of social events,” as well as “a married couple or individual who engages in group sex, wife swapping, or the swapping of sexual partners.”
As for how swinging got started, Wikipedia suggests it was American military communities who began swapping partners during the 1950s. As time progressed, the Summer of Love and Swinging 70s ushered in a new era where “key parties” made partner swapping even more acceptable in sexually liberated circles.
Where Do Pineapples Fit In?
Though no one can say for sure how upside-down pineapples became the symbol for swinging, some think it’s because pineapples have long been associated with welcoming environments, warmth, and hospitality. The same symbolism is associated with swinging and like-minded people who want to welcome new partners into their lives, explore new relationships, and more. So, for many, the pineapple is turned upside down in swinger symbolism to help correlate it with swinging rather than the typical symbolism pineapples usually have.
How to Use the Upside Down Pineapple as a Swinger
Some swingers wear pineapple print shirts to show their love of the lifestyle, while others do so simply because they want to look like the fun guy at the family luau. How you approach the conversation is essential if you want to figure out who is who. Asking, for example, whether the pineapples on someone’s shirt have significance can be a way to open up a conversation. This is one of many reasons people tend to utilize upside-down pineapples rather than those that are right-side-up. If you’re wearing a pineapple print shirt with an upside-down pineapple, you’ll likely be identified as a person looking for a swinger party by other swingers. Tact in conversation is always essential, though.
If you’re at an event, on a cruise, or want people to know you’re open to swinging no matter where you are, then the upside-down pineapple gets the message across. Putting an upside-down pineapple on your front door sends the message that a swinger party is going on inside or the people living in the household are interested in swinging. On a cruise, sometimes people put upside-down pineapple magnets or symbols on their cruise cabin door. This can also mean that people are looking for a swinger party or having one of their own.
Other Swinger Symbols to Know About
Pineapples on top of a mailbox or a front porch can signify a swinger party. Upside-down pineapples on jewelry, shirts, and stockings can mean someone is looking for a swinger partner. Some people utilize toe rings as a way to communicate that they are swingers as well. Also, some married couples or individual partners swap their wedding rings from their left hand to the right hand as another way to identify that they’re swingers.
Other symbols include garden gnomes, pink flamingos, metal stars on the front of the house, and more. There are many ways people can communicate that they’re a swinger, and many swinger couples use more than one.
How do you let others know you’re interested in swinging?
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