The Golden Age of Giddiness: The 2020s Cultural Shift on Sex Toys

Lovelies! Lola has missed you! Have you been well? Did you remain as naughty as I know you cuties can be?

Good. I’m all a-quiver with excitement to discuss some sex toys with you. Wink.

Now, I won’t be covering specific toys today. My lovely friends Richard and Scarlett have got you covered there. Instead, your lovely, luscious Lola is here to cover something topical. No, silly goose, not topical cream! You know I always prefer it sensual and smooth. Rather, I’ll tell you about how regular folks perceive sex toys today.

Buckle up, my adorable little sex scoundrels; this is going to be a bumpy ride.

The Not-So-Good Old Days

“The sanctity of our bedrooms is as important as the sanctity of our freedom of expression. Nobody gets to say what we get to do there – even if we’re doing it alone.”

My sweeties, you all know me. Talking about sex is both a profession and a pleasure. But what Scarlett, Richard, Vlad and I do is fairly new, when you think about it. Our little corner of the internet is one of many that talks about the thrills and titillation of toys. Even as little as twenty years ago, sex toy review sites were rare.

Now, I’m not a cultural anthropologist, lovelies, but I’m far from being out of the loop. I know how much stigma still tends to surround sex toys. Even some of you sex-positive cuties have trouble talking to your loved ones about the frequent use of your favorite pink gadget. Sometimes, not sharing that you have a passion for self-pleasure can even lead to devastating consequences.

From Prude to Pride: Sexual Liberation

Did you know that sex toys have existed since the dawn of civilization? That’s right, the ancients spent their leisure time with some cute little gadgets of their own!

I mean, look at this lovely article I’ve found! Some of those toys from Ancient China look incredibly realistic! In fact, I can even see myself using a couple of those. Or doing a review on it.

The truth is, my sweeties, that humans have played with themselves since we’ve become sentient. The only real difference between then and now is the level of technology invested.

Unfortunately, another similarity is the stigma. Up until the early 20th century, nearly all the places around the world had a negative view of sex and masturbation. Not to sound like a downer, but did you know that in the US, at the turn of the century, a man could end up in an asylum just from caressing his member? Apparently, back then, masturbation was thought to lead to homosexual behavior and that was a huge no-no back then.

However, with the advances of the women’s rights movements in the early 1900s and the general anti-government attitudes after WW2, the sexual revolution was well on its way. The hippie movement alone was responsible for promoting free love. And yes, with all that liberation came the open-mindedness towards sex toys.

Naturally, it was a process that was slower than my lovely magenta vibrator when the battery stagnated. It took us a while, but here we are, winning! (And wink-ing).

Progress Makes Me Purr: What Made Sex Toys More Acceptable?

So, a century later, you get to enjoy my cutesy, sweet articles on the glitz and glamor of sex. And sure, it’s tempting to say that it’s only the revolutionary acts of our predecessors that helped us get here. But even though I like to tempt, I’m always turned on more by intelligent insight.

So, allow me to enlighten you cuties about everything that made the public go from “nuh-uh” to “yes!” regarding the interactive props for the bed, bath & beyond.

Forego the Digits, Go Digital!

We humans are smart cookies, you know? We can figure stuff out quickly. I mean, the pyramids are proof enough of that.

As centuries went by, our society became more and more inquisitive. I can list several different fields of science that only became established in the past century. But that’s not the kind of article you want from your Lola, now is it?

Instead, let’s focus on the sex industry innovations. Well, firstly, we’ve learned that there are many wonderful materials that we can use to create neat toys. I mean, silicone, the kind we use for modern dildos, the kind that remains soft and velvety even after a hot bath, that’s a fairly new invention. And it’s only one of many.

Next, we can’t forget about the hands-free options of our splendid new sex toys. Modern tech is a wonder, babes and it will never cease to amaze me…or please me.

Oh and as is the case with everything, our smart, ingenious inventors considered a little sexy thing I like to call – safety. Sex toys today come with proper lubrication, safety switches and instructions on proper care. Moreover, each design is carefully explored so that it doesn’t chafe or sting when we apply it to our gentle nether regions.

The More You Know, Babe

What do you do when there’s an awesome bit of news that you simply can’t contain to yourself? Why, you spread it, of course! And what better way of spreading information than with word-of-mouth, coupled with some words by experts?

Today, more and more mainstream media are discussing sex toys. Magazines with huge customer bases, such as Cosmopolitan, Dazed and Medium, often have wall-to-wall coverage of the latest trends in the industry. There are scientific studies on the topic and even entire books published for your reading pleasure.

But that’s not where it ends, my lovelies. As somewhat of a famous person myself, I often communicate with you adorable readers via social media. The other industry professionals I follow are SWAMPED with so many new messages and followers daily!

And bear in mind, it wasn’t always like that. In the early 2000s, very few pages about vibrators would appear on MySpace or Tagged (shout out to anyone who remembers those! Wink.), so staying informed was hard. Nowadays? Browse through TikTok, Tumblr, Threads or even Instagram and you’ll find dozens, even hundreds of posts about the subject!

With this new media attention, sex toys finally got the positive recognition they deserved. As did their reviewers and frequent users, such as your adorable Lola, writing here in the third person.

Financial Boom from Fun with Boom-Boom

Allow me to just briefly, ever so slightly, bore you with numbers, my babes. Did you know that, according to official statistics, the sex toy market will reach a global net worth of almost $75 billion in just six years? That’s a lot of money!

And yes, I do mean “global net worth”. Across the world, more and more people are accepting sex toys. Even countries with prior taboos on sex toy usage, such as India, the United Arab Emirates and China, are opening their doors (and their naughty bits, Wink) to new sexual exploration, including plugs, strapon dildos and teledildonics. Now, call me silly, but I do believe that a huge part of that sudden interest lies in the massive amounts of money the industry generates.

Oh, Honey, We’re Not Done Yet! Future Issues to Tackle

Okay, so we’re on our knees, deep into progress, my sweeties. We can breathe a raspy, sultry sigh of relief, then? Is it about time we light that post-finish cigarette?

Well, not exactly, no. After all, as is the case with any progress, there’s still more we need to do. For example, nowadays, more and more men are open to the idea of using sex toys, but it’s still not as widespread as it should be. There are still some residual taboo issues with us ladies as well, don’t get me wrong. And we can’t ignore the fact that the sex industry is a business. Proper regulation is still far from being a reality.

Summing Up the Current Sex Toy Trends: The Best Way to Finnish!

Broadly speaking, babes, the culture at large, even across the two ponds, seems to have embraced sex toys. Granted, there are still fights to win and fields to explore, but I do love exploring. More importantly, the new generations will hopefully take our message of sex positivity and teach their own children that they ought to be free to utilize some extra tools – for extra pleasure.

FAQ