New research commissioned by Durex has revealed that UK couples are more adventurous than ever before. The results reveal that over half of survey respondents (55%) are not-so-secret sex toy users and couples are increasingly keen on exploring together. It seems the purchase and use of sex toys and other sex enhancement products is becoming more of an everyday thing.
In response to this changing mindset, Durex is encouraging UK couples in this spirit of exploration via its newly launched website and online shop (durex.co.uk). The site has been designed with couples in mind, providing the perfect environment for lovers to tap into that spirit of exploration. As well as discovering a whole world of amazing sex toys the new site offers couples advice, tips, articles and guest blogs from the UK’s leading sex and relationship experts.
Gone are the days when sex toys were the reserve of the kinky extrovert, today using sex toys is no big deal. A far cry from the traditional view of Britain as a reserved, even prudish nation, it seems attitudes to sex and specifically sex toys have changed. A considerable 82% of Brits agree that they think using sex toys regularly is more acceptable than it used to be.
Tight lipped not pillow talk: Despite a new found acceptability, Brits are still maintaining their traditional decorum when it comes to spilling the beans on what they get up to in the bedroom. More than a quarter say they avoid conversations about using sex toys and confided that they may have bought a sex toy earlier in life if they’d felt more comfortable to discuss it with friends first – 26 is the average age for purchasing your first sex toy; the new coming of age, perhaps?
Men: They live to give – In the Durex survey, the top reason given for buying a sex toy is based very much on our partner’s enjoyment. 59% of men said this was the main reason for purchase. Also a staggering 62% of men rank pleasing their partners as the most important factor when considering a sex toy, suggesting that men perhaps aren’t the selfish lovers depicted in the stereotype.
Do sex toys improve sex lives? Well, maybe. According to the survey conducted by Durex, 38% of people bought sex toys for the first time to spice up their relationship. However half of sex toy users said they simply enjoy ‘good sex’ and that using sex toys was just a part of that. Almost a quarter of couples said their toys get a regular work out whilst a third said they’re saved just for special occasions – Merry Sexmas!?
Shopping for sex toys
It seems that Brits have become very discerning and sophisticated in their sex toy tastes and preferences; Purple and pink tones, discrete and reasonably priced are the main things Brits are looking for in the perfect sex toy. Regular size vibrators are the clear favourite with 30% of people saying that was their first choice. It’s not just about what they’re buying but how they’re buying it that is an influential factor for consumers. Discretion is king with anonymity (18%), online availability (13%) and partner’s opinion (26%) cited as the driving factors in choosing what and how to buy.
This significant shift in society’s perception suggests that the landscape and how we feel about sex toys is likely to change further. So what’s the future of sex toys? Only a small minority (16%) feel embarrassed about buying sex toys and 14% of people who have never experimented with them reveal their reasons for not doing so is their partners’ reaction.
Leading sexpert, Alix Fox urges couples to try them, at least once. “Once you introduce sex toys to your relationship, you open up a whole new spectrum of sensual possibilities. Toys give you both the opportunity to experiment with fresh methods of turning each other on, and they can positively support relationships in so many ways – for instance, by helping you both to become more orgasmic, and allowing you to explore your bodies and discover a wider range of sensations you’re capable of experiencing together. Through playing with toys, you may well be amazed at what you discover about your partner and yourself – for the better!”
