New York Times: Women love vibrators

The New York Times has some breaking news today: women love vibrators. They love vibrators almost as much as retail businesses like to make money. And so, popular condom companies have begun to — gasp — sell vibrators on the shelves of drugstores. Durex started the trend in 2008 with their Allure model, and now Trojan has jumped on board with the Tri-Phora, a multi-speed, multi-pulse contraption for the low low price of $39.99. Genius.

According to the Times, Trojan's decision to sell vibrators in drugstores came from an Indiana University study that found over half of American women use vibrators and almost eighty percent of them use their toy with their partner. While marketing VP James Daniel originally found the idea of selling vibrators to the masses laughable, the rest of the article is made up of interviews from female sexperts such as Dr. Laura Berman of OWN network fame and Carole King, Good Vibrations sexologist, taking the matter quite seriously. In fact, Dr. Berman makes an interesting point about the impact of vibrator visibility:

“Women are getting less and less caught up on an unrealistic and puritanical vision of what a good girl is. When they can embrace their self-stimulation, they can take ownership of their sexuality.”

The best example of Dr. Berman's quote actually comes from the same show that integrated vibrators into the mainstream consciousness: Sex and the City. Back in 1998, resident "good girl" Charlotte took to her toy to the point that an intervention was needed, while Samantha, the show's most sexually free character, was given an entire episode arc about her search for the perfect vibrator. Perhaps now that vibrators will be just as easily accessible for women as Playboys and Hustlers are for men, the barrier between good girls and bad girls will dissolve and all women will be free to be as open about their sexual desires as they please. Obviously, that was what Trojan was going for, right?