Why more people are going for sex toys-Psychologist
BOOM! The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted world economies negatively. Its spread has left national economies and businesses counting the costs, as governments struggle with new lockdown measures to tackle the spread of the virus. Retail footfall has also seen unprecedented falls as shoppers stayed at home.
While the pandemic has also adversely affected different sectors of Nigeria’s economy, the sex toy business has enjoyed a boom in sales, footfall and online orders in the country, investigations by AF24news have revealed.
AF24news learnt that sex toy merchants are currently unable to meet booming demands because of the increasing rise in demand for different types of sex toys in the country.
When our correspondent visited sex toys shops in various parts of Lekki and Ikeja in Lagos State, it was revealed that demand for sex toys increased by 18% in the peak of 2020 COVID-19 induced curfews which led to restriction of movements.
It was further gathered that online orders “tripled” in 2021, after the ease of restrictions.
In an exclusive interview with AF24news, a sex toy merchant in Lekki Lagos, Ms Ifeoluwa Oladimeji, pointed out that her store is currently experiencing a surge in demand for sex toys and it is unable to meet demands while orders queue for delivery as phone calls run battery down.
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Oladimeji, responding to a question on the rate of demand for sex toys before the pandemic and the peak of the pandemic in Nigeria, said: “Yes, there has been so much increase in our sales and we are mostly even unable to complete all our orders.
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“Look here, pointing to a parcel, the owner has been calling since for a personal pickup when our dispatch rider couldn’t deliver it.”
Oladimeji who noted that sales have not been this high pre-COVID-19, said, “We are even currently out of stock. We make many sales everyday and the least price for any product here is ₦8,000 for an ejaculation delayer.”
Oladimeji said the popular vibrator goes for ₦27,000, though, it has been sold for ₦18,000 before.
She explained that the product later rose to ₦22,000, based on demand, in 2020 (lockdown year), again to ₦25,000, and it’s now ₦27,000.
“The giant king-size dildo is ₦33,000, it was ₦30,000earlier and we’ve sold it for ₦26,000 before, she further explained.
Another merchant in Ikeja, Erotic Adult toys, revealed that many people do not come physically for patronage, but said the online orders have been overwhelming since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The merchant, simply identified as Joy, said dispatch riders make money from the store as delivery pressure is a daily affair.
Talking to AF24news, Joy said, “My battery is always low, as you can see. I’m charging with a power bank, calls are always coming in.
“Men come to order for their girl friends and some present sex toys as birthday presents,” she said.
Talking about price, Joy said the popular vibrator is ₦26,000, and delivery charge is based on customer’s location.
In Wuse II, Abuja, a sex toy merchant who pleaded anonymity said her shop was initially diversifying due to poor sales, but in the peak of COVID-19 lockdown, “orders were just coming from everywhere.”
The merchant, (name withheld) said, “We were forced to open, dust our products and look for people to deliver. The COVID-19 period really helped us. Now, orders are coming smoothly.”
In Port Harcourt, a sex toy shop is currently closed due to lack of supplies as fresh supplies are being expected by the end of August, a merchant told AF24news.
As the COVID-19 spread globally, social distancing, self-isolation/quarantine, and national lockdowns have been some of the measures taken by many countries to control the spread of the pandemic. These measures have resulted in social isolation and loneliness, which could have led to an increase in consumption of sex toys.
In a similar trend, Insider data reveals that more people are watching porn across the globe since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. PornHub recently published insights tracking user engagement from the time global concern about COVID-19 began. Countries that closed thriving sex work industries like Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland saw an uptick in PornHub use.
A study has also noted an increased trend of interest in pornography website research on Google® for “PornHub” in Overall, there is an increased trend of interest in pornography website research on Google® for “PornHub” in China, Italy, Spain, France, USA, Sweden, between January and April 2020.
Speaking on the factors responsible for high demand in sex toys, Professor Oni Fagbohungbe, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Lagos, Akoka, in an exclusive chat with AF24news, attributed the high demand for sexual objects in satisfying urge, to the human instinct for survival.
He said survival optimisation, safety, fear and curiosity are responsible for high demand in sex toys during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Professor of Psychology explained that the rise in demand for sex toys could be as a result of human instinct for safety. It is generally assumed that people with underlying diseases are more prone to die from COVID-19 infection.
Fagbohungbe argued that many people out of fear of contracting sexually transmitted diseases might prefer to go for sex toys. Since sexy toys do not cause infections, people return to safety measures, he said.
Another factor is the cost of service. Professor Fagbohungbe said to keep a girlfriend or sexual partner is relatively expensive.
“The cost of transportation, hairdo and clothes demanded by partners may be outrageous, while a one-off outright buying of a sex toy gives satisfaction, he noted.
Perhaps, a major reason for the upsurge in the sales and demand for sex toys during the peak of COVID-19 in Nigeria is the factor of availability. At the peak of lockdown, there was inter-state restriction as the Nigerian government banned inter-state transport movement to curtail the spread of the pandemic. Airlines were also prevented from operating, thus preventing lovers locked in different parts of the country from seeing themselves.
Prof Oni Fagbohungbe said sometimes, partners tend not to be available for sexual activity either due to distance, restrictions or other reasons. He explained that human beings reasoned that the sex toy is available anywhere and anytime as people carry them in their purses and bags.
Another factor is curiosity. Many are curious to find out the rate of satisfaction by sex toys compared to human organs. The psychologist said that some people out of curiosity just want to know what it feels to use a sex toy having imagined what sex toys could look like.
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