It sort of counterbalances the horrid modern day usage of 'junk' as synonym for genitals.
Does anyone else have any thoughts or ideas how long 'friends with benefits' has been in use or where it came from?
Yeah, I think that term is stupid too. Just like the expression "bumping uglies" to refer to sex.
As for where "friends with benefits" came from, I knew about it in 2006 when I was asked and had such a relationship. The web shows :
Etymology
Possibly first used by Alanis Morissette for her 1995 song “Head over Feet”, although in the original context it seems to refer to a committed rather than a casual relationship.
2003, Alexander Hart, Time in Question:
“I’m just saying that usually when you have a friend who’s a girl, it’s not just that she’s your friend. Either you’ve known her a long time, or she’s a friend with benefits.”
2003, William Marsiglio, “Making Males Mindful of Their Sexual and Procreative Identities: Using Self-Narratives in Field Settings”, in Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, volume 35, number 5:
Gender norms influence how young men orient themselves to sexual partners and girlfriends, and men’s procreative consciousness is sometimes affected by how they define a potential or actual sex partner (e.g., casual or serious girlfriend, “friend with benefits”, hookup).