Page 20 - AVN Intimate Spring 2014

FEATURE
Celebrity ’ ’
s s o ob bs se es ss si io on n Buzz A Am me er ri ic ca a
w wi it th h s st ta ar rs s a an nd d t th he ei ir r t to oy ys s
By Sherri L. Shaulis
B
eyoncé and Jay-Z spent $6,000
on sex toys on a shopping trip at
Babeland. A maid displayed
actress Jennifer Lawrence’s butt
plugs on a hotel nightstand.
Barbara Walters created a media frenzy
when she joked on T he View that she
had a vibrator she nicknamed “Selfie.”
Celebrity gossip websites have posted
story after story of some actor, singer or
pop culture icon walking into or out of
an adult boutique. And the public eats it
up.
But why?
As long as there have been sex toy
stores and boutiques, people have been
shopping for pleasure products, and
celebrities are no different. It’s just that
their forays into adult boutiques tend to
be plastered all over gossip papers and
the internet.
“In my view, this is the result of an
interesting cultural synergy,” said
sociologist Chauntelle Tibbals, Ph.D. “In
spite of recent developments in social
justice and education, we as a culture
are still very uncomfortable with sex.
Discomfort, however, does not mean lack
of interest. Now, couple this tentative
sex-interest relationship with celebrity
fascination—from products to politics,
we all seem to be charmed, at least to
some degree, by their proclivities.”
“The media loves stories about
celebrities and sex toys because it’s sala-
cious and fun,” said Susan Colvin, presi-
dent and CEO of CalExotics. “Jennifer
Lawrence’s anecdote about the butt
plugs under her bed is an example of
how people in the spotlight become
more like everyday folks when they share
stories like these. They can relate to her
better. We all know people use sex toys,
and when the public hears about celebri-
ties who do, too, it gives them valida-
tion, and even permission, to do the
same. It strips away the taboo aspect.”
Our Cover Models For the front cover of this issue we picked out a few favorites that had just the right shape to look oh so cool
behind a pair of shades. This page, from top: the L1 from Jopen’s Lust collection and the metallic red edition of New Sensations’
Muse massager . Opposite page: the W1 and W2 from Ovo, and the Neon Luv Touch 5-Function Bullet from Pipedream Products.
20 INTIMATE SUPPLEMENT | SPRING 2014