Sex Toys and the Sexual Revolution by Heini-Sofia Alavuo

Heini-Sofia Alavuo is a Finnish journalist currently living in Greece. She gets inspired by cats, saucy ancient Greek mythology and memes. Twitter: @heinialavuo

Generally, we like to to think that society is constantly progressing, and tackling issues that have bothered us since the beginning of humankind. The idea of sexual revolution fits this narrative perfectly – from oppression to liberation we have now entered an era of openness and acceptance. The huge growth of sex toy market seems to prove this – in 2017 it was a $15 billion-dollar industry.  Sex toys are mainly marketed for women, so one could think that women’s masturbation has been destigmatized. But, despite the huge variety of sex toys and erotica items, the so called revolutionary factor seems to be missing. Does the sex toy industry actually strive to empower women or is just an illusion? One way to study female sexuality is to examine the sex toy industry and its history.

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