h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I read recently in a national newspaper that there are over 7 million vibrators in the UK. If the population is just under 60 million, of whom say 30 million are women, that suggests that about 1 in 4 women has one. OK, some older and younger women will not have one at all and some may have more than one, but it suggests in a certain age group that the majority will have one. None of my friends have them or want them. Is it just that I belong to an age group where we have never had need of one?

I wonder though if all these vibrators languish in cupboards rather like woks and never see the light of day?

Are they really useful? Are there some people who cannot dispense with them? Or are they a gadget, that made the vendor rich, but which has since been discarded?

I would like to know what others think.

Jane

Most women I've known who have vibrators consider them to be useful. For a few it's a necessary prerequisite to orgasm during masturbation. I've only ever known one who bought a vibrator and only used it once.

I've no idea what age group you're in, Jane. I've noticed that the youngest and oldest women are far less likely to have vibrators.

The oldest women in our society tend often think vibrators are "dirty." They have very old conceptions of gender roles, where any slip into open sexuality seems slutty. They're not comfortable ordering online or from sex catalogs, and neither would they step foot into an adult shop.

The youngest women tend to suffer from lack of awareness about vibrators. Some aren't terribly experienced about sex either, so it's safe to say they don't know what they're missing. Until they know someone who has a vibrator, they may be hesitant to buy one themselves.

Women who do have vibrators may not reveal that they have them. They may worry others will think ill of them. They may simply be uncomfortable talking about sex in general. And if they're in a relationship, they won't want their partner to find out if they suspect it will lead to arguments about whether they've been satisfied in bed.

I think the first thing is that you assume that each sale is for one individual. I've actually got 4 in my cupboard now, and so far I've thrown one away as it stopped working, and had another removed when I finished with the chap who bought it for. So that's five other women who haven't had one, as I had theirs.

Like Frag, not knowing how old you are does make it difficult for us to think about why people your age don't want one. I'm 35, and have had these things since I was about 30. Younger than that, and it's perhaps more a confidence thing. Often women aren't confident enough to realise that they can have something like this and not be thought 'sad'.

In our 30s we're at our sexual peak. We're likely to be with men around our own age or older, who are 20 years away from theirs. That's not to say that those women are unhappy with their sex lives, but their partners are perhaps not so worried that they will lose out if their partners want to masterbate alone, or bring an electronic friend in to share the bedroom.

I have older friends who are happy with what they already have - settled in their ways due to age perhaps, rather than not being interested in this specifically?

I know an Ann Summers rep. I'll have to ask her two things:

What is the reaction of the different age groups at her parties?

and:

What age group order the most at parties?

Hello fragilis,

Thank you for your reply. I am 57, so perhaps that fits in with your comments about age groups. I still have an active sex life including masturbation as necessary and do not consider vibrators or consenting sexual activity in any way sluttish. I do not lack orgasms or satisfaction so have never felt it necessary to try a vibrator. Whether orgasms with a vibrator would be better in any way is a moot point. Depending on the balance of comments I receive I might even be persuaded to try one and find out.

Jane

Thank you for your reply. As you will see from my other response to Fragilis I am 57 so perhaps your comments on age are part of the answer. However, if you check my original posting you will see that i did speculate that some users may indeed have more than one vibrator. It will be interesting to see what your Ann Summers rep has to say. It would also be interesting to have your opinion of the five you have tried. Do you have certain ones for certain situations or method of usage, clitoral or more fully inserted for example? Certainly I do not consider such things or sex in general as sluttish per se (although of course behaviour can be sluttish) but rather as something able to provide a great deal of pleasure and fulfilment with or without a partner.

Jane

Well I guess I am here to represent the younger crowd. I am 24. I have currently 6 vibrators in my collection. All of my friends have at least one and many have more than one. I am very open sexually. I have learned the more sex is talked about the less it becomes dirty and something that can only be done in the dark and after 10pm at night. I have had many friends ask me to buy them vibrators because they feel strange going into "those kind of places" to get one. I one friend who uses their vibrator every couple of days and I have another friend that only uses it if she is really horny and boyfriend is not around. I have a man who I am planning on marring soon and I use my vibrator frequently not because of something that he is doing wrong but some times I would just like to have stress free sex with no attachment. I feel more relaxed and I don't have to worry about making sure the we are both satified

Hi, I am 16 and own 2 vibrators, which i use quite frequently, and several of my friends also own 1. I i agree with rouqie, and think that a lot of people are no longer feeling that sex and masturbation are things to be pushed aside, never to be acknowledged as natural things. My mum has taught me to have an open opinion about sex, but obviously reinforced safe sex, and I think that explains why i dont feel any of the hang-ups some girls my age feel. Who knows, if this attitude continues then maybe the next generation will be more open about masturbation and sex, and vibrators will no longer be viewed as dirty. As with previous womens issues, such as the vote, is liberation the way forward?