From the sex shop to the mall: how sex toys became 'cute' products

• Sarah Bernard

  @saraber98_

  Madrid

Updated Monday,4July2022-01:56

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• 'The Time of Women'.

  A space on the female role in social change

In a narrow street in

, dark despite the June sun, a small shop stands out.

No big billboards or ads.

People follow his frantic pace, and the few who stop look both ways before pushing open the door and hurrying into the shop.

Its steep stairs could well lead to hell.

Black walls, red neon.

It smells of alcohol and humidity and, when you look up, vice in its broad biblical sense opens up before you.

"God is faithful, and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear."

Corinthians 10:30.

It is not known how long they will last in a sex shop like the one just described.

But the statistics indicate that little:

.

The main reason is discretion, followed by comfort.

And so locals that resist as they were are avoided.

As in a time machine, they transport, for example, to the most sordid of 1992.

VHS movies with naked girls are stacked on one of the walls, buried by the ample layer of dust from the cover.

- esque blonde wig

in

.

In a showcase decorated with artificial candles, what seems to be the flagship product is displayed: a hyper-realistic penis with well-marked veins made of hard plastic.

In black or white.

When you turn your eyes, four curtains cover what you can tell are... changing rooms?

As you exit, the dark street is brighter than ever.

A few meters away, in the same neighborhood, there is a large and spacious shop, with a pink and white facade that evokes the cotton candy of the fairs.

A group of friends walk in while they talk distractedly.

Behind the counter, a small and very smiling girl labels some jars similar to those of facial creams.

Its cursive letters in turquoise color indicate: lubricant.

The halls look shiny.

And on the shelves there are sex toys with a style similar to that of decoration items.

They could be placed on the table in the living room and would not clash.

-We have this one in green and fuchsia, says the shop assistant.

- Aunt, I like pink better.

-And then, we have this other one with double function.

-Ah, because of the price difference I'll take this one.

Formats and technologies change, as with mobile phones.

But in the end, it's all in the head

Jesús Miguel Pérez, owner of the Be Lover sex shop (Madrid)

The conversation comes naturally.

Three friends and a seller.

Like in a clothing store or a perfumery.

Nearby, a couple is browsing a book.

In colored letters, with watercolor illustrations, the cover reads

.

This time harnesses are also seen, but decorated with silver washers.

There are also pearl thongs and diamond bras in the purest Dior style.

.

As if it were a candy store, everything is suggestive, practically edible;

feel like

And you also want to touch, ask, look, quietly.

Between both shops there is a distance of 500 meters.

But the temporal distance is at least 20 years.

What has happened to us?

"Change is social," says

owner of the Be Lover sex shop.

"There is nothing new.

Formats and technologies change, as with mobile phones.

But in the end, everything is here », he says while pointing his index finger at his head.

In the last six years, the erotic game business has exploded exponentially

.

65% of Spanish women and 50% of Spanish men admit to regularly using these utensils.

According to a study by the INSEAD business school, in Spain,

, a key year in the sector due to the emergence of

.

"It was a social phenomenon," says Pérez, "from then on, there was a revolution."

The mentality has changed, but also the consumer offer.

.

The Platanomelón platform was one of the first to reformulate the concept of sex-shop.

Its most powerful advertising falls, like any other product, on the

who launch raffles and promote sexual products of different colours, shapes and sizes, promoting the image that the brand itself wants to give: sex is health.

Natural and fun.

.

We know that 63% of women "are looking for an erotic toy to use themselves".

The data is extracted from a sample made over three years also by Platanomelón to 65,000 people.

It also revealed that "72% of those surveyed seek deeper orgasms."

The sexologist member of the State Association of Sexology Professionals

says that "in the market the variety of products, the price range, the accessibility in their purchase have increased" and also that people spend more money than before on these instruments.

But he also wonders if this "increase in the sale of artifacts for erotica favors the opinion about the benefits of pleasure, predisposes to self-knowledge, encourages play in relationships and inquiry into the possibilities of our body."

According to the Platanomelón survey "there are studies that indicate that 60% of women have a vibrator at home, and that taking into account that many times the data is not 100% real due to the existence of taboos but, luckily, the The use of erotic toys is beginning to be understood as something as natural as going to the movies or going out to dinner", they explain.

(Almost) everything has changed.

Except for one thing: "It's somewhat hypocritical, really," Pérez begins.

"I can't let a teenager in.

He possibly knows a lot more about sex than I can offer him in my store but, by law, if the fine comes in, I pay it ».

Free sex.

Safe sex.

Sex without limits, and well-being... but only for people over 18.

During the year in which the pandemic began, the issue ended up skyrocketing.

, although less.

In 2021, the increase was 30%, according to research by Atida/Mifarma on the consumption habits and trends of Spanish sexual products in our country.

According to his x-ray, women are the ones who buy the most sexual wellness items, up to 70%.

And that was how erotic businesses populated the most intricate streets of Spanish cities.

Without hiding and without shame.

"It is the liberation of women," says Jesús Miguel Pérez.

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