Stigma, Taboos, and Criticism

Although there is increasing normalization of sex toys, there is still some degree of taboo or stigma surrounding their purchase and use.

Conversations about sexual pleasure and sex education is often see as obscenity and profanity incidents such as these demonstrate that the stigma and controversy around masturbation is still bad.

Criticisms also exist regarding the trend to market sex toys as sexual health and wellness products as this may create a new standard for sexual satisfaction and could pressure people into “improving” their sexual health however, despite lingering taboos, the increase in online marketing and increasing sex toy usage has resulted in an industry that made 30.48 billion US dollars in 2021 alone, and this is projected to rise.

The demand for the online purchase of sex toys also increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, for both single people and separated couples, due to lockdowns and two-meter contact bans.

Notwithstanding their significant cultural history and continuous rising popularity, sex toys are under documented and under researched, furthermore, there is limited research into the features and morphology of the sex toys themselves.