Page 31 - AVN Intimate Winter 2017

Western Australia and the Northern
Territory were the biggest spenders, racking
up an average of $83.80 and $83.43 per order
respectively. Consumers in Western Australia
also purchased more items per order with an
average of 2.9 items. This was followed by 2.7
items per order in Queensland and the Northern
Territory and 2.6 items per order in NSW and
the Australian Capital Territory.
Drilling deeper into the sales data reveals
that Australians based in rural and remote areas
are far from sexually uptight and repressed—a
common stereotype among urban Australians.
Six of the top ten pleasure zones were located
within rural Queensland: Mackay (first),
Toowoomba (second), Gladstone (third), Cairns
(fourth), Ipswich (ninth) and Townsville (tenth).
Other areas within the “top 10” included
Sydney (fifth); Mandurah (sixth), Gosford
(seventh) and Melbourne (eighth).
Simultaneously, the outer suburbs—that
other space of supposed sexual conformity—
were also found to be hot spots for sex
toy consumption in metropolitan areas. In
Adelaide, for example, the biggest consumers
were located in outer suburban areas such as
Salisbury, Smithfield and the rather aptly named
Happy Valley.
Pulling a Rabbit Out of Your Sleeve
Nationally, the most popular sex toy was a
male masturbator or sleeve—the Tenga Deep
Throat Cup, to be exact. This was the number-
one seller in NSW and Victoria. In fact, half
of the ten best-selling products were male
masturbators/sleeves, with masturbators by
Fleshlight molded from adult performers also
proving popular.
The We-Vibe 2 and We-Vibe 3, specifically
designed for coupled pleasure, ranked second
and fourth nationally. The We-Vibe 2 was the
most popular toy in Western Australia, whereas
the We-Vibe 3 was the No.1 toy in the Northern
Territory.
Despite having been around the block for
quite some time, the rabbit-style vibrator is still
going strong, ranking as the third most popular
item. The rabbit vibrator was the No.1 toy of
choice in South Australia.
’Tis the Season to be Pleasured
There was significant month-on-month
growth in the number of orders for sex toys
and adult products between March 2012 and
January 2013. Notably, this coincided with the
release of the Fifty Shades of Grey books.
One might also expect that sex toys
purchases would spike before Christmas and
Valentine’s Day gifts. In overall terms, sales
of adult products were high during December,
especially in 2012 and through to January and
February 2013. So there would seem to be
some kind of correlation between sales and key
gift giving seasons.
Ultimately, however, August and May proved
to be the two most popular months to buy sex
Mapping Pleasure Drilling deeper into the sales data reveals that Australians based in rural and remote areas are far from sexually uptight and
repressed—a common stereotype among urban Australians.
toys. Why might this be? One possible reason
is that these months coincide with winter and
autumn in Australia.
So, it might just be that Australians are
snuggling under their blankets—alone, with
a partner … or two or more partners—and
getting their freak on with their favorite sex
toys.
According to the second Australian Sexual
Health Survey, conducted in 2012, 15 percent of
men and 21 percent of women had used a sex
toy in the previous year. I suspect these figures
have grown since then and we might be looking
at figures of around 20 percent and 25 percent
for men and women respectively.
A U.S. study of 2,056 women found that over
half (52.5 percent) had used a vibrator.
From Sexual Consumership to Sexual
Citizenship
When it comes to adult retailing in countries
such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the
United States, planners and elected officials
often adopt a negative or cautionary stance
toward this type of retailing. Sex shops,
particularly those that sell pornographic
materials, tend to branded as immoral,
polluting and even criminogenic spaces.
As such, policymakers have sought to
prohibit their establishment or render them
hidden or invisible via regulations governing
signage, window displays, opening hours and
zoning.
This is why, until fairly recently, many
established adult stores are to be found in
marginal or transitional locations within the
city and co-located with other so-called vice
land uses such as liquor stores.
It is implicit in the political rhetoric and
policy regulation toward adult retailing that
those who purchase sex toys are deemed
immoral and abnormal.
The geography of sex toys sales are not
merely an indication of the level of our sexual
Sexonomics 101
It is important to recognize that in addition
to bringing pleasure to millions of Australians
every year, the adult retail sector (including
distributors and wholesalers) makes a
significant contribution to the Australian
economy. The same is true for the U.S., U.K.
and Europe.
The multitude of adult stores across
metropolitan areas in Australia and elsewhere
around the world employ thousands of people
on a part-time and full-time basis. Hence, these
stores add millions of dollars to local, state and
federal government coffers through sales taxes,
property taxes, corporation tax, payroll taxes
and income tax paid by their employees.
It is arguably time to accept the simple fact
that adult retailing and sex toys are a normal
part of the retail landscape and our shopping
baskets in the 21st century.
The pursuit of sexual pleasure should not
be seen as a sinful activity. Rather, it should
be seen as a positive contributor to the sexual
health, happiness and well-being of society and
the economy.consumership. Rather, the consumption of adult
products may also be seen as a bellwether of
our exploration of sexuality and, ultimately, an
This article is by Paul J. Maginn, associate professor at the University of Western Australia School of Agriculture and Environment. He is editor-in-chief of Urban Policy and Research and on the editorial
assertion of sexual citizenship.
advisory board of Policy & Politics. Email him at
paul.maginn@uwa.edu.au. Twitter: @planographer.
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