Abstract
The use of vibrators, dildos and other sex toys for sexual stimulation and pleasure is common among women and is growing in popularity. While the phenomenon has positive benefits, it might equally present adverse consequences to users. This research aims to assess the popularity of sex toy use among women from different nations. Furthermore, the study aims to find out if the use of other household items for sexual stimulation is popular among women between the ages of 18 and 50. Finally, the study attempts to discover if sex toy users observe changes arising from the use of various sex toys and if such variations can be attributed to the assimilation of the sex toy used. I employed a convenience sampling in eight countries. The study observed that sex toys are popular among women between the ages of 18 and 50, but sex toy use appears to produce varying effects on users. It was also evident that a majority of participants use vibrating sex toys without a clinician’s recommendation. Some women observe changes in sensitivity levels of their sexual responses after using sex enhancements. It was observed that while there is a crackdown on the use of sex toys in Islamic nations, religion itself has a certain influence on the individual adherent’s desire to explore use of sex enhancements.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Bimodal neurones are neurones that combine sensory input from two different senses such as touch and sight. It is distinguished from unimodal neuron, which responds to one sense.
Schema is derived from the brain processes and the sensory system that keeps track of limb positions, which plays a role in various actions with the limbs.
There is a reduction of the cycle of up and down between vigorous and silence synaptic activities.
References
Allers, A. K., Richards, N., Sultana, S., Sudworth, M., Dawkins, A., Hawcock, B., et al. (2010). Slow oscillations in vaginal blood flow: Alterations during sexual arousal in rodents and humans. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 7(3), 1074–1087.
Archdeacon, T. S. (2008). The Riga’s sex festival, a reason for hope. Retrieved September 09, 2019 from https://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/19873.
Atsushi, I., Tanaka, M., & Iwamura, Y. (1996). Coding of modified body schema during tool use by macaque postcentral neurones. Neuro Report, 7(14), 2325–2330. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001756-199610020-00010.
Attwood, F. (2005). Fashion and passion: Marketing sex to women. Sexualities, 8, 392–406. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363460705056617.
Biesanz, Z. (2007). Dildos, artificial vaginas, and phthalates: How toxic sex toys illustrate broader problem for consumer protection. Law and Inequality: Journal of Theory and Practice, 25(1), 203–226.
BNN. (2017). Tallinn Airport back to normal after sex toy causes security scare. Retrieved September 7, 2019 from https://bnn-news.com/tallinn-airport-back-to-normal-after-sex-toy-causes-security-scare-174317.
Botvinick, M., & Cohen, J. (1998). Rubber hands ‘feel’ touch that eyes see. Nature, 391, 756.
Carlson, T. A., Alvarez, G., Daw-an, W., & Frans, A. J. V. (2010). Rapid assimilation of external objects into the body schema. Psychological Science, 21, 1000–1005. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610371962.
Coker, A. L., & Richter, D. L. (1998). Violence against women in Sierra Leone: Frequency and correlates of intimate partner violence and forced sexual intercourse. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 2, 61–72.
Cornwall, S. (2013). Theology and sexuality. Norwich: SCM Press.
Danaher, J. (2017). Should we be Thinking about Robot Sex? Donaher, J. & McAr-thur, (Ed.), Robot Sex, Social and Ethical Implications (pp. 3-14) Cambridge, Massachusetts, C&M: The MIT Press.
Davis, C. M., Blank, J., Lin, H. Y., & Bonillas, C. (1996). Characteristics of vibrator use among women. Journal of Sex Research, 33(4), 313–320. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499609551848.
Herbenick, D., Barnhart, K. J., Beavers, K., & Benge, S. (2015). Vibrators, sex toys are commonly recommended to patients, but does size matter? Dimensions of commonly sold products. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 12, 641–645.
Herbenick, D., Reece, M., Sanders, S., Dodge, B., Ghassemi, A., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2009). Prevalence and characteristics of vibrator use by women in the United States: Results from a nationally representative study. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 6, 1857–1866.
Herbenick, D., Reece, M., Sanders, S. A., Dodge, B., Ghassemi, A., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2010). Women’s vibrator use in sexual partnerships: Results from a nationally representative survey in the United States. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 36, 49–65.
https://www.berkeleywellness.com/self-care/sexual-health/article/risky-business-dangers-sex-toys. Retrieved May 02, 2019.
https://www.statista.com. Last edited Aug 23, 2018. Retrieved September 02, 2019.
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finlands_dildo_dealer_defends_state_funding/10642658. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
Keddie, P. (2013). Sex toys and uprising in Egypt. Retrieved September 09, 2019 from https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/patrick-keddie/sex-toys-and-uprising-inegypt_b_3508284.html.
Kwakye, A. S. (2016). Perceptions of homosexuality in Romans 1:26–27 in the Ghanaian Bible reading communities: What does the text say? E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies, 1(2), 125–143.
Longino, H. E. (1980). Take the night; Women of pornography. New York, NY: William Morrow and Company Inc.
Lieberman, H. (2017). A stimulating history of the sex toys. New York, NY: Pegasus Books Ltd.
Nalbant, P., & Dehmelt, L. (2018). Exploratory cell dynamics: A sense of touch for cells? De Gruyter, 399(8), 809–819.
Nicola, D., & Poeschl, S. (2019). Experiences with diverse sex toys among german heterosexual adults: Findings from a national online survey. Journal of Sex Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1578329.
Ornella, A. D. (2009). Posthuman pleasures: Transcending the human-machine boundary. Theology and Sexuality. https://doi.org/10.1558/tse.vl5i3.311.
Schick, V., Herbenick, D., Rosenberger, J. G., & Reece, M. (2011). Prevalence and characteristics of vibrator use among women who have sex with women. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 8, 3306–3315.
Smith, C. (2007). Designed for pleasure, style, indulgence and accessorized sex. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 10, 167–184.
Vicini, A., Brazal, S. J., & Agnes, M. (2015). Longing for transcendence: Cyborgs and trans- and posthumans. Theological Studies, 76, 148–165.
Wise, N. J., Frangos, E., Komisaruk, B. R. (2017). Brain activity unique to orgasm in women: An fMRI analysis. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 14(11), 1380–1391.
Wood, J. C., Cunningham, S., Money, D., & O’Doherty, K. (2017). A cross-sectional survey of sex toy use, characteristics of sex toy use hygiene behaviours, and vulvovaginal health outcomes in Canada. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 26(3), 196–204. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjhs.2017-0016.
Yount, K. M. (2005). Resources, family organization, and domestic violence against married women in Minya, Egypt. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(3), 579–596.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to members of the research team; Jones Abrokwa, Mohamed Mamdouh, Tõnis Rahe, Isaac Akwasi Appiah, Kristīne Ozoliņš, Andris Ziedonis, Adelita Schmidt, Ellen Afrifa for their selfless work during the field work. I am also grateful to the three blind reviewers for their elaborate reviews and encouragements.
Funding
This article was supported by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The author declares that he has no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were under the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and in accord with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by the author.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Appendix
Appendix
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kwakye, A.S. Using Sex Toys and the Assimilation of Tools into Bodies: Can Sex Enhancements Incorporate Tools into Human Sexuality?. Sexuality & Culture 24, 2007–2031 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-020-09733-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-020-09733-5