Hey All,
We are looking for a little bit of feedback from you! We want to know how you think the approach to sex/sexual education has changed over the past 15/20 years.
Are we more open to talking about sex?
Has our education and knowledge on sexuality and gender changed?
Do we feel sex toys have evolved?
Let me know your thoughts down below!
I do believe we are more open to talking about sex as there is so much more information available
and it is all easily accessible. What were once taboo subjects are now more mainstream and accepted
as more the norm. You just have to look at what content is included in the media (TV programs
and magazines).
I think toys, and the appetite for them, has driven the demand for more and more inovation.
Not so long ago all you could get was a basic white plastic vibrator and maybe a dildo but the
range and choice now is staggering. Just about every whim is catered for in some shape or form.
Oh how times have changed. We are so much more open minded and accepting. But… sexual education in the UK is still stuck in the dark ages and more definately needs to be done. Although i dont mind answering my sons questions about sex, kink, consent etc i believe that our younger generations should be at least directed to secure safe spaces such as bishuk.com and scarleteen.com in the classroom. Not all parents are comfortable having these conversations unfortunatley. We know they are out there doing the things, experimenting with what they see on line but potentially being very unsafe and dangerous and more absolutely needs to be done!
Away from our younger generations, im able to start having conversations with my peers about sex, kink, toys etc and thats amazing. I would love a job in sex ed world so embrace these interactions and love the fact that people are having them at long last.
In regards to toys, i remember finding my mums when i was little. The plain white torpedo looking on that we all associate with the 80s and 90s. Now look at where we are. There are toys available everywhere for everything you can think of and some you cant!! No more trips to seedy underground sex shops. Sex toys are on so many programmes. If you watch Grace and Frankie on Netflix they have a sex toy business. Working moms… they openly gift toys to each other. Never would we have seen this on ‘normal’ tv a decade ago. Its just great!
Conclusion… i think theres still work to be done so people can openly and easily talk about sex like its not something seedy and to be embarrassed about but were definately moving in the right direction. It would be great to see this question again on another 10 -15 years 
I feel things have changed massively and people approach towards sex.
When I was growing up sex was something that wasn’t really spoke about and it was only about straight people having sex. When I think back to TV programmes having a gay person in the show was something quite strange and the characters was portrayed that way. Where now it is having characters in programmes that are gay, bi-sexual, non brinary is just the same as having a straight person in it. There is no surprise or shock to it as they are accepted exactly the same way. I feel that’s how far people acceptance towards sex has changed.
For how sex toys they were deemed to be something that was cheap and dirty to use. Where now to go onto lovehoney and view a new sex toy that we can consider to buy wheather it’s a dildo or male masturbators it for the fulfilment in our sex life not something that we shouldn’t be doing.
There is a big positive change in how far things have come in the last 20 years and more.
To some extent, yes sex education’s quality and sex toys being mainstream look like they have been better lately.
That said I’ve seen vintage ads about massagers that looked quite comfortable and mainstream about toys for women in married couples. I don’t really know how it was then, but it looked not so bad.
However, sex education has recently been made more taboo for teenagers in United States and now some schools are actively hunting for students who don’t conform to their assigned gender. True, we have better laws for lgbtqia like marriage, transition, against conversion therapy and a few countries have a law against intersex mutilation, but there are still a lot of countries where being gay is illegal and “correcting” intersex kid’s bodies is seen as the thing to do, and now some states make afab kids and trans girls submit to very intrusive tests to make sure they’re not trans or intersex.
As internet made it possible to share information, it also allowed to spread misinformation and to make people fear trans and non binary people. As internet made it easier for us to gather, to organize, it also allowed homophobes and transphobes to do so.
Another concerning point is that very recently, some teenagers have become very puritan but if you haven’t heard of that, here’s a whole thread that talks about it better than I could: Tumblr
I am worried about how they’re going to be when they’ll be adults, but I don’t think they’ll be as comfortable as us concerning sexuality and imagination related to it.
Concerning the quality, the range, the evolution of sex toys, undeniably yes. We learned which components are safe and which aren’t, we experimented with new shapes, new technologies, we explore more kinks and internet of course allowed people to voice what they want from a sex toy and what their imagination creates, which inspires toy makers. It’s kind of hard to go back, and easier to go forward in this matter, unless we’d become a puritan world that would banish sex toys, and even so, creativity would still win over these laws.
I do think things have moved on tremendously in the past 20 years. Growing up as a kid before that, it was a taboo subject and I think even 20 years ago, sex aids and toys were seen as disgusting or as a joke.
Now, attitudes are much more open and young people are able to get much more information from different sources. Personally, I was quite shy as a teenager but as I’ve got older I’ve realised that there is nothing wrong with sex and sexuality - it’s how we all got here, after all!
And people, certainly in the UK, are much more open about their gender and sexuality, and it is not seen as a shock to openly express this side of yourself. There will always be the haters, whose ignorance and fear can be to blame for their attitudes, but most people now are accepting.
And many workplaces openly promote an open forum on these topics.
As for sex toys, well - just browse the Lovehoney website to see how many different creations there are to help obtain a satisfying sex life!
Again, I think more people have a better understanding of what they want in their sex lives and sex toys are just seen as an extension of how they can achieve pleasure, without embarrassment or fear of being seen as ‘dirty’.
My own attitude to sex has evolved over the past 20 years and I do my best not to judge anyone on their sex beliefs or their sexuality - if it makes them happy and does not impact anyone else negatively, then get on with it and be happy.
UK centric answers from me:
Are we more open to talking about sex?
Yes, or at least most people in the UK are I think though obviously it is still only with certain people. I have some friends I can discuss almost anything sex related with and other that would look at me in horror if I broached the subject. One is a highly intelligent, very politically correct and broard minded high ranking HR person but looked at me and a couple of the other girls in absolute horror at the mention of sex toys and I can’t imagine her ever discussing her sex life with anyone. So I think it still depends a lot on personal circumstances and upbringing.
Has our education and knowledge on sexuality and gender changed?
I think the populations knowledge has hugely changed and I think a lot of that has come from a lot of media coverage of high profile legal cases and also a lot of celebrity stories. I think, or at least hope, that trans people are seen less as unusual and it is more accepted. I think in the TV series, The Umberella Academy, where one of the lead actors (Elliot Page) changed gender from female to male between Series 2 and 3 and the show just had his character Vanya change to Viktor early in Series 3. It was acknowledged but not made a big deal of by the other characters. I think that was good.
Sex education and understanding of gender within schools, I have no idea. It was very poor when I was at school and I hope it’s better now but don’t have any kids so don’t know.
Do we feel sex toys have evolved?
Yes! I first got into sex toys when Sex and the City informed me about the rabbit. It was this amazing revelation and apparently new development at the time. Since then I think the Sex Toy market has exploded and the research and development as well as high tech components going into toys now is fantastic. I think this is down in a large part to people being much more open about them and talking about them so the market and demand is now much higher.
Are we more open to talking about sex?
From my experience to be honest no, unfortunately we never discuss it at all. Even if we visit friends, it’s never discussed.
Has our education and knowledge on sexuality and gender changed?
When I was growing up we didn’t have sex education at school, and it was never discussed in our family.
When I read about sexuality and gender Today I find it very confusing, when I was young it was just Man and women = children.
Do we feel sex toys have evolved?
They seem to be a lot more advanced than the murky world years ago.
True, while I talk and read/watch about it on internet like here, I don’t talk about it in my family and not with a lot of friends. My OH would rather not hear about them either even if they’re okay with me having some for myself.
In ways yes it’s changed loads with sexual identity being more open and toys as it wasn’t even mentioned about let alone had tv ads a decade or two back!
Talking about sex I think has come along a bit but still in certain groups is kinda taboo.
@Lovehoney_Brenna We definitely think thinks have changed.
First of all we have the likes of social media , searches 
at the touch of a button to research all those things we are curious about. Eduction in schools etc Is needed , but little has changed to evolve this, the priorities in the curriculum should be about safe sex , diversity of people and being accepting / comfortable however we identify. In this area I don’t think the kink / variety needs to be discussed and the new generation can find this at their own pace / level at the click of a button.
Programs such as embarrassing bodies , sex education, naked attraction have helped relax the approach and not make it such a deep dark secret that cannot be shown.
Porn has clearly advanced , but has gone too far now and widely available that there are more dangers in over stimulating young minds on what sex should or shouldn’t be creating more social pressures / anxieties.
Toys have moved on so much and the access to get them again through a click of a button , such as the world of LH or now on a next day on Amazon. It’s not longer going into a back street shop with blacked out windows/door walking around a sex shop in shame or embarrassment and given everyone the market to explore / purchase.
Advancements have given us more fun then ever with more intense vibrations , bigger variety for men etc , opportunities to explore new areas such as prostate and are being designed to look more and more realistic / feel and coupes toys which bring new dimensions to the bedroom. They no longer look out of place on the bedside table being made to adapt into a modern world.
So from our point of view we think things have moved on a hell of lot from our very weak battery operated/clinical looking and very plastic vibrator and my homemade fleshlight made from an empty toilet roll holder.
Are we more open to talking about sex?
From my point of view, not really. There’s still those that believe it’s a taboo subject and pull the 
face when you bring it up. I definitely think there is a desire to, but no one wants to look “dirty” or “weird” by doing so. In work, no one admitted to owning toys until I said I did. But then that’s expected because I’m the weird one, haha. Maybe online is better depending on where you go, but not so much face to face. In terms of sexuality, no one really bats an eye which is better than it was. But talking about sex, kinks or toys in general still seems to be in the “no no” area. Not just older folks like you’d expect either.
Has our education and knowledge on sexuality and gender changed?
Definitely. There’s a lot more acceptance nowadays on various sexualities and genders.
Back in my sex ed, it was just all about procreation. Nothing else 
But thanks to the internet and books, I’ve learnt a lot more about my body which I wish I knew sooner.
Do we feel sex toys have evolved?
100%. Toys are getting better and better. Not to mention getting more tailored to different interests (like all those monster dicks I have 
).
Firstly can I just say that Sex Ed is FAR more thorough these days than it ever was. Kids get to learn how to identify things being wrong/ right from an early age discussing yucky feelings and situations they might find themselves in and who to speak to / tell. This needs to be discussed in more detail really…
Kids learn the science behind sex and reproduction fairly early on, it’s far more extensive than was ever covered when I was at school. They also get to learn about the chemicals in their bodies and how these can control the brain to behave sexually - as well as being advised about safer sex, hormones, puberty, STDs, periods, and such-like.
Despite all this, I still feel children need even more education on the matter, especially in terms of protecting themselves and how to behave.
As for gender identity, sexuality and such-like, I certainly am aware that the ‘youth of today’ are far more open and easy going when it comes to accepting whatever goes. I think this is a good thing but needs to be discussed a lot more!
When it comes to sex toys, I don’t think there’s any real education on this unless you count the media and the internet of course. This is an area which needs to be ramped up as if youngsters were more aware of what’s available they may be less likely to try other things they perhaps aren’t ready for?
Just my thoughts…
I’m in Scotland and I would say from school education, there is still a long way to go.
In recent years more information about different genders and sexual orientations has been slowly finding its way into sex ed lessons, but only to say that they exist and it’s okay to not be straight.
The topic of male masturbation took up a lesson and a half when a family member received sex Ed at school last year. Talking about different ways males can masturbate and why they might choose to or feel that they have to, lengthy discussions about how it can relieve stress and how enjoyable it can be.
NO mention of female masturbation at all.
Sexual pleasure in general is still hugely taboo in lessons. Even though some contraception’s are discussed (condoms, the pill, the implant) abstinence is still pushed, even after the age of consent.
Edit to add:
I feel that outside of the basics, I gained most of my knowledge from online. Mostly in unverified scenarios which aren’t ideal though!
Most definitely has changed.Theres no awkward feeling when chatting bout it now as before you didnt dare be heard talking like that our ud of been look down a upon. Well thats the way i felt
Things have certainly changed but there is a long way to go. We are more aware of gender and sexuality but a lot is still taboo.
There are more sex toys but mainly because it is online and arrives in a brown box. Most of your customers would not buy the same toys from a department store!
Kink and polyamory are still taboo, vilified and poorly understood. Many in these lifestyles are in the closet like people with “different” sexualities used to need to be.
Let’s hope our country can continue to be open and accepting.
Hi Brenna,
My wife and I definitely talk more about sex and are more open and free to talk about it and our desires and that we watch porn when we’re solo and trying out new sex toys which have definitely evolved and gotten much better! 
Lots more information and discussion now about sexuality and gender and I can play and aim for a prostrate orgasm now without feeling bad / I didn’t even know of such a thing when I was younger.
I don’t think it has changed at all- just porn has increased
Massive changes in that timeframe IMHO. Sex education when I was at school was hugely focused on contraception and avoiding pregnancy. Not wrong but completely glossed over sex being pleasurable and a nice thing to do!
I think people, particularly younger generations, are much more open about sex, which is very healthy. I’ve noticed more friends in my age group (35-45) opening up too - a sense they always wanted to be open about it but didn’t feel it was right. Such a shame!
Toys have moved on massively too. Away from various sizes and colours of unhealthy porus dongs to such a great variety of innovative toys, including lots for men - with some of the stigma of men needing/enjoying toys falling away.
All in the right direction, further to go.