The adult entertainment market is thriving and diverse. Part of this market diversification is the category and pleasure products. sex toys are more important than ever in modern conversations about sexual health, pornography, and sex in general. How did we get here? Like the history of pornography and the internet, the history of sex toys is not only fascinating, but it has had a lasting impact on today’s retail pleasure products market. In this post, Adult Marketing takes a brief look back at the history of sex toys and explains why they are relevant today. is particularly excited about this blog post because we have experience with a variety of sex businesses, including pornhabbit and e-commerce sites that sell sex toys.
Evidence of the use of sex toys dates back centuries to antiquity. It was common knowledge that ancient societies such as the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians used a variety of objects for sex. For example, dildos were made by the ancient Egyptians from easily available materials such as stone and wood. These primitive sexual objects sometimes resembled a phallus or penis, a symbol of sexual intercourse and reproduction.
The ancient Greeks made widespread use of dildos and other sex toys. They were often made of wood, leather, and even dough. These particular objects were used for sexual intercourse by both men and women, as seen in artwork. In the pornhabbit the prevalence of sex toys decreased as the influence of the Roman Catholic Church increased.
The church believed that it was wrong to have sex for pleasure with one’s spouse or with another person outside of a specific marital relationship. Priests categorically rejected any sexual activity that did not contribute to procreation or family growth. For this reason, the use of sex toys was frowned upon and their manufacture and distribution was restricted. The early 18th century saw a shift in attitudes towards sexuality and sex. The Enlightenment emphasized people and therefore established a much more permissive attitude towards sexual pleasure. This newfound openness led to an increase in the use of sex toys. The Industrial Revolution of the 19th century allowed for the production of sex toys on a much larger scale than before. As a result of this discovery, the market for “medical devices” grew. For example, a growing independent market emerged in Victorian pornhabbit. At the time, doctors recommended sex toys to relieve “female hysteria”. Many of these early vibrators were powered by steam or a hand crank, while others were mechanical. Finally, the development of new products was fueled by electricity. In the early 20th century, sex toy technology made further great advances. For example, the electric vibrator was invented and became a pornhabbit popular and expensive household item. Early electric vibrators were advertised as massagers and cures for various ailments such as anxiety and fatigue. This kind of marketing offered orgasmic catharsis, even if it reminded some of old-fashioned scam tactics. Despite such “secret” marketing, it was a well-known secret that people were using “personal massagers” for non-medical purposes. Despite laws and cultural standards that deemed some products immoral and illegal, sex toys and entertainment items continued to be invented, especially in the United States.
The U.S. Congress enacted the Comstock Act of 1873, which banned the mailing of materials that the government deemed pornographic at the time, such as information about birth control and contraception. Eventually, this came to include adult toy catalogs, pornographic films, and reproductive health and education pamphlets.
The Supreme Court declared the Comstock Act and other similar federal and state bans illegal. The feminist movement and sexual liberation movement ushered in a new era.
These changes led to the expansion of the sex toy business, which eventually came to cater to a wide range of sexual preferences, genders, and identities. The emergence of the adult film industry, later accelerated by the Internet, fueled the growth of the sex toy business in the decades that followed.
Thanks to e-commerce, people can more easily and discreetly purchase a wide variety of adult toys from the comfort of their homes. As a result, sex toys became more popular and more accessible, with a wide range of products for
