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How Sex Toys Became Sexy

Once objects of embarrassment, sex toys have become a multi-billion dollar industry. Laurence Knight explores how this came about.

Do you own a sex toy? And if so, would you admit it to your friends? Increasingly, the answer to both questions is yes. Once a seedy mail-order product advertised in the back pages of porn magazines, sex toys today are marketed as a fun way for couples to enhance their relationships. And in the process, the global sales of these objects of arousal have grown exponentially into the billions of dollars. Laurence Knight explores how this came about, speaking to industry pioneers such as Sam Roddick, Doc Johnson and LoveHoney. And he travels to China, where many of them are manufactured.
Produced and presented by Laurence Knight.

Picture credit: Shutterstock

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28 minutes

Podcast