LOS ANGELES — In a recent InStyle article, “Fifty Shades of Grey” actress Dakota Johnson, who also serves as an investor and co-creative director of sexual wellness brand Maude — explained why the term “sex toy” makes it more difficult for people to take their sexual health seriously.
“For too long sexual health has been poorly marketed, hyper-aggressive and highly gendered,” Johnson told InStyle. “Maude is a company based on universal design making modern, body-safe, high-quality essentials for before, during, and after sex, with yourself or with another lovely human. The caliber and aesthetic of these products is excellent and elevated.”
To promote the brand’s message, Maude has launched the “This Is Not a Toy” campaign. According to Johnson, the campaign’s aim is to “activate hearts and minds in an effort to destigmatize sexual and intimate tools.”
“Often the use of language surrounding sexual products is antiquated, gender-specific and belittling,” Johnson said.
Maude founder and CEO Éva Goicochea said that calling pleasure products “toys” trivializes their benefits.
“By reducing them to juvenile novelties, people’s needs and satisfaction are often being unmet and overlooked,” Goicochea noted. “Moreover, stigmas are being perpetuated. A vibe is not a toy — it is an essential.”
Maude is also creating its own selection of pleasure “essentials,” including a new gender-neutral egg-shaped vibe.
