Taboo to Mainstream: an Industrial Design Solution to Sex Toy Production
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Taboo to Mainstream: An Industrial Design Solution to Sex Toy Production Judith Glover Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Swinburne University of Technology March 2013 Abstract Despite the plethora of feminist and sexual history literature that addresses issues of current and historic marginalization of women and the literature that specifically addresses women’s sexuality, little work has been done to discuss or develop female- centric sex toys. Sex toys are not a topic one will find in the canons of design history. These products, lacking in authorship, are difficult to find within standard hagiographies of famous designers or design companies. Nonetheless, sex toys and their precursors have been manufactured in their millions for over 150 years. Surveys show sex toy consumers are more likely to be females, yet historically women have only been able to access products that are either socially camouflaged as medical or home appliances, or the male-centric products of the pornography industry of the late 20th century. Even at the end of the 20th century the mass produced products of the adult industry still display Victorian attitudes and understandings of female sexuality. The product genre, affected by commercial and social marginalization, operates in a vacuum of health, safety and design standards that is commonly applied to other product categories. In this thesis I argue that the use of industrial design processes and methods in the development and marketing of appropriate female-centric sex toys has the capacity to make sex toys a socially and commercially mainstream product. I argue that, in doing this, not only will greater opportunities be opened for such products to exist outside the retail environments of the adult industry but competition and innovation will create a variety of solutions more aligned with a contemporary understanding of female sexuality across a broad range of demographics and psychographics. In this thesis I review theory relating to mass produced objects and their socio- cultural meanings to develop understandings of the current dominant aesthetics and conventions of sex toys that keep the industry marginalized from respectable commerce. These understandings are used to inform the design and evaluation of a female-centric sex toy artifact and brand. In the thesis I also document a number of i other new sex toy producers using industrial design processes, methods and standards to create products that differentiate themselves from traditional and historical pornography conventions. Seeing this as evidence of a distinct commercial trend, in the thesis, I develop a final argument for using changes to this product group as reflecting contemporary socio-sexual zeitgeist. In this thesis, I ultimately position sex toy design and manufacture within the industrial and product design field, showing that by using industrial design processes and methods the genre can and should be designed and manufactured using standards equal to those for other commercial product genres. Arguing the application of these process and methods brings competition and innovation to the industry and develops safer, higher quality and more varied product with a contemporary understanding of female sexuality. ii Acknowledgements I am extremely grateful to my supervisors, Associate Professor Deidre Barron and Ms Kate Bissett-Johnson for their advice, editing and continual support. The following people I would like to thank for either helping me with the thesis or the development of Goldfrau. Thank-you to Professor Lyndon Anderson for allowing me to start this project at the Faculty of Design and Professor Ken Friedman for supporting its conclusion, Associate Professor Margaret Zeegers for the final editing, Ms Jill Glover for proof reading a whole draft, Ms Bridgette Engeler Newbury for advice on branding, Dr. Nicole Sallabank for giving me advice at a critical time, Gordon Turnbull for years of research support at the Swinburne Library, and all the academic and administrative staff from the Faculty of Design who have been supportive, encouraging and curious. The design project of this thesis, Goldfrau, had been greatly aided by the following people, Andii and Ariel at Pandarosa, Chris, Claire, Max, Fifi, Doug and Sue at Clayworks, Dominique Hall, Jelle at J Su Misura, Dr. Elissa Mailänder, Kirstin Knorr, Alice Byrne, David McDonald, Jess Hill, Kate Hannaford from Melbourne Design Festival 2006, Dr Laurence Power for years of support, and Jen, Bo, Billie, and Dan who helped with the events. Lastly, thanks to my family— Mum, Dad, Keith, Margee, Brook and Amelia for giving me quiet spaces to write. iii Student Declaration This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award to the candidate of any other degree or diploma, except where due reference is made in the text of the examinable outcome; to the best of the candidate’s knowledge contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text of the examinable outcome; and where the work is based on joint research or publications, discloses the relative contributions of the respective workers or authors. Judith Glover iv Table of Contents Chapter 1—Introduction p. 1 Understanding the problems of sex toy production p. 1 The research question p. 4 The significance p. 7 Background to Project p. 9 Timetable and scope of project p. 11 Placing of this topic within the Design field p. 14 A summary of sources and method p. 18 Structure of Thesis p. 31 Chapter 2—The Historic and Current Taboo Nature of the Sex Toy Industry p. 47 Historical Background: Sex Toys and the Adult Industry p. 48 Pornography Debates and Morality Wars p. 51 Examples of Legal Restrictions and Censorship p. 61 Common Product Standards and Safety p. 68 Summary p. 71 Chapter 3—Symbols and Conventions of Adult Industry Sex Toys p. 74 Sexual and Health Survey Evidence p. 76 Summary of Sexual Survey Information p. 87 v The Adult Industry—is it Male-centric? p. 88 The Size and Scope of the Sex Toy Industry: Traditional p. 92 Networks and Future Trends Symbols and Conventions of Pornography: as Evidenced in p. 100 Adult Industry Sex Toys Adult Industry Conventions Reflected in Sex Toy Production p. 105 Phallus Objects p. 106 Body Parts p. 107 Novelty Products p. 107 Techno Styles p. 108 Aliens p. 109 Simplified Products p. 109 Pornography Conventions in Sex Toys p. 110 Evidence of a Shift toward Female-centric Products and Services p. 115 Summary p. 121 Chapter 4—From the Victorian Medical Vibrator to the Adult Industry Recreational Sex Toy p. 167 The Victorian Vibrator Industry p. 169 Hysteria Treatments and the Androcentric Model of Sex p. 171 Victorian Attitudes to Female Sexuality p. 178 Gender Representation and Sexual Politics through p. 182 Consumption From Medical to Beauty Device: the Demise of the Victorian p. 186 Vibrator Industry Vibrators and Sex Toys 1930-1970s p. 189 vi Shifts in Sexuality across the 20th century to the Sexual p. 192 Revolution Effects of the Sexual Revolution on the Adult Industry: Sexual p. 197 Liberation, Feminism and the Establishment of the First Female- centric Retailers Summary p. 201 Chapter 5—The Relevance of Industrial Design Methods and Processes in the Production of Sex Toys as exemplified in the p. 229 Thesis Design Project Outcomes of Goldfrau Industrial Design Process and Why is it Important to Thesis p. 230 Outcomes Research Design Project: the Goldfrau Brand p. 237 Target Market Considerations p. 239 The Importance of the Reflective Consumer p. 244 Project Brief: Product Design and Product Values p. 247 Branding: the Goldfrau Project p. 253 Project Outcomes: Creating Identity and Product Branding p. 256 through Design, Placing Goldfrau in Events and Retail Outside of the Adult Industry Networks Project Outcome 2: Events Outside of Adult Industry Networks p. 258 Melbourne Design Festival July 2006 p. 258 Paris Lingerie Fair (International Salon de la Lingerie) February p. 260 2008 Project Outcome 3: Retail Outside of Traditional Adult Industry p. 263 Networks Summary p. 265 vii Chapter 6 —Trends in the Next Generation of Sex Toy Producers and Female-centric Retailers 2000-2011 p. 297 Changes in Sex Toy Design and Consumption in the New Millennium p. 299 Discussion of New Product Design Companies and Sex Toys p. 299 New Generation Product Development Late 1990s-2011 p. 302 Attributes and Examples of Product Company Trends p. 305 Retailers: The Growth of Female-centric Retail Environments p. 322 Attributes and Potential of Market: Hewson & Pearce (2009) p. 330 Report Attributes of the Female-centric Sex Store Retailer p. 334 Summary p. 243 Chapter 7—Exploration of Socio-cultural and Economic Trends for Western Females Since 1970s Explaining Conditions for Changes to Sex Toy Production and Retailing p. 387 in the Decade 2000-2011 Technology and Domestic Porn p. 388 Parallels with the Growth of Women’s Erotica p. 391 Technology and the Domestic Environment p. 395 Sex Toy Machines and Feminist Masturbation Discourses of the p. 396 1970s Talking about Sex in the New Millennium: Raunch Culture, p. 402 Pornification and Porn Chic viii The Female Consumer in the New Millennium: the Female p. 411 Consumer and the ‘Female Economy’ Consumers, Brand Culture and Design Culture in the 90s p. 418 Sex and the City: Mixing Raunch Culture and Designer/ Brand p. 424 Culture Summary p. 434 Chapter 8—Analysis of Chapter Findings and Conclusion p. 445 Answering the Aims of the Research Questions p. 445 Contribution to New Knowledge p. 454 Limitations of Research p. 458 Further Research p. 459 References p. 463 ix List of Figures Figure 1.1. Typical example of Adult Industry sex toy, Phallus type p. 41 Figure 1.2. Julier’s Domains of design culture diagram p.