Two Kinds of Sex Positivity: The Case of Sex Toy Designers Claiming Distinct Dignities

• In Event: 1480 - Section on Sociology of Sexualities Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 02. Sexuality and Space

Abstract

This paper explores how sex toy professionals articulate a moral justification for their otherwise suspicious work. The moral standing of the industry is arguably powered by sex positivity, the view that “as long as activities are consensual, sexual practices are inherent healthy and sexual variation should be encouraged” (Bakehorn in Weitzer 2010, 98; cf. Reich 1974 [1936]; Queen and Comella 2008). Through a sustained exploration of 75 respondents working in the sex toy industry, I find that respondents’ conceptions of sex positivity can be further distinguished into two kinds: what I call a “cardinal” sex positivity and an “ordinal” one. Cardinal sex positivity effectively “black boxes” sexual behaviors, celebrating existing sexual tastes and refusing to distinguish among them. Ordinal sex positivity, more frequently espoused by women and LGBQ respondents, takes a normative stance in promoting certain kinds of sexual behavior that have been historically marginalized or suppressed. These two kinds of sex positivity set up a central tension in the sex toy industry between the morally indifferent heteronormative center and the morally ambivalent periphery.

Author

• Shelly Ronen, New York University