Value Given to Pleasure: India Gets Its First Legal Sexual Wellness Shop In Goa
Sexual Pleasure is Important: First Legal Sexual Wellness Shop In Goa recognizes it
How difficult it is for you to say the words, ‘Orgasm’ or ‘masturbation in public? Or how difficult it is for you to take the names of things like condoms, vibrators, strap on or dildos? Well, let’s just accept that people aren’t very comfortable talking about sexual pleasure, and essentially sexual pleasure from external tools. And amid this conservatively hushed and shy attitude of people towards sexual pleasure, a shop in Goa has started a legal sexual wellness shop. It deals in sex-friendly products and sex toys that are products that can be considered as alien ideas for the majority of Indian Masses.
This shop essentially looks like a medical store with all the sexual wellness products and toys displayed. The shop was inaugurated on 14th February. While there aren’t any laws that outrightly illegalize the sale of sex toys, the archaic laws pose restrictions and unclear obstacles for the sale of such products. Hence, this is the reason why we barely happened to see any shop openly selling sex toys. As per The Vice’s report, the store looks absolutely like a normal store. the shopkeeper mentions “We have purposely not made it flashy or like a dark underground dungeon, which is how most shops like this abroad are. We have modelled it like a medical store, while all our [legal] certificates are on the wall. We do this to avoid any political backlash.” Reports The Vice.
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What is Sexual Wellness and how are sex toys used for the same?
Sexual wellness includes physical, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality. This can have multiple layers to it, with multiple ways of achieving sexual pleasure under the umbrella of sexual wellness. Sex toys and sexual wellness products are used for similar purposes. These are typically the objects or devices, specifically designed and used for sexual stimulation or to enhance sexual pleasure. Examples of it can be vibrators, dildos, strap ons, vibrating panties, etc.
But as mentioned, India is a land, where talking about sex and pleasure is equivalent to a crime or a talk that could lead to severe questions on a person’s moral and character, opening a shop for sexual wellness products is an interestingly special move.
According to researches, the three-month lockdown in India because of the COVID-19 pandemic lead to an increase in the sale of sex toys by 65% in the lockdown. The research was conducted by ThatsPersonal in July 2020, and the reason for recalling it here is simply to point out that sex toys are not something people aren’t aware of. In fact, the majority uses them, they just refuse to accept them in public because of the cultural taboo. The research suggested that approximately 3.35 lakh sex products were orders and a little below 5 lakh products sold during the pandemic.
“Some people feel awkward to physically shop for sex products. But at the same time, we have regular customers like a 60-year-old man who lives nearby and usually buys delay gels, which are like viagra or cialis without consuming any pill. While our BDSM products are very popular in smaller cities, we’ve also noticed that it’s mostly older couples in the 50-plus age range who come to buy roleplay lingerie or kink accessories.”
So can we say, this store’s opening is a move giving value to pleasure? Well, pleasure, especially sexual pleasure is not something that is respected in our society, but it is practised by everyone. And with the conversations around pleasure and orgasms, increasing in the social media sphere, it is great to find a shop that is breaking the stereotypical image and bringing out the conversation from the taboo zone.
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