A tabloid that is a mere shadow of what it was recently headlined "Sex toys, the French love it! "( France Soir , September 14, 2006). And see some rays of Fnac, it seems there is a market literature or advertising ( Sex toys indulge by Christian and Anne Helary Foch, ed. Marabout, 2006; Toys Ploton Frederick, ed. Tana , 2004, or the most luxurious Sex toys forever Bertrand Stephan Ferrier and Levy-Kuentz, ed. Marabout, 2005).

The history of these gadgets is not well known: from the ridiculous to the doll and the seriousness of fetishes, these objects have escaped the historic election. Only Rachel Maines, a book praised and published in a prestigious collection of history of technology, had started to recover the prehistory of medical vibrators. Technology of Orgasm example of how medical technology pelvic massage, the good doctors 19 th century trying to control, was rapidly mechanized. But once the vibrators came in the first pornographic films, they came out so fast in medical history.

It's actually in the 1970s need to find immediate history of the vibrator-dildo. In one of these marginal academic journals, the Journal of Popular Culture , Professor Edward Kelly, in 1974, noticed the new image of the dildo ("A New Image for the Naughty Dildo?" he asked himself the title) by analyzing ads appeared in the New York Times . Indeed, these years showed new approaches to sexuality. On the one hand easier access to contraceptives (condoms, birth control pills, IUDs) or abortion allowed a stall between sexuality and reproduction (but installed the continued presence of technical devices within or around the sex ). The other the emphasis on equal access to the pleasure is perceived not only in the standard of shared orgasm, but also in the redevelopment of masturbation (no longer seen as unhealthy, but as training).

The dildo-vibrator comes to embody these new designs, but in a "camouflaged." In France, the popular press ( Ici Paris , Detective , France Soir ...) abound, from 1970, advertising for these little gadgets vibrating. Organizations Mail ( La Redoute , Neckermann , Trois Suisses ) offer at that time the same objects. But no promises immediate orgasm: instead, returning (knowingly?) With medical backgrounds, they promise - by not fooling anyone - healthy and improving the "blood".

The camouflage was probably still need to sell these things openly. Sign of the times, even the Court of Appeal of Paris, in November 1973, recognizes that "condoms, vibrators," form is not obscene "or even merely suggestive," can not constitute an obscenity. And that "we can not take the simple purposes for which this object is offered as likely to provoke an emotion pernicious" morals have evolved anyway, they look outstanding saves.

Over 70 years, the only opposition - rather reluctant - come sexologists: attention, the vibrations are too effective, they say. These vibrators will unbalance the wonderful balance of marital orgasms. Facilitating female orgasms (now fast without commitments, without emotion) the closer the vibrator orgasms "male". So do use these machines under control sexology. But in fact, it is in the domain of sex shops that are the vibrators and dildos. Sex shops in the male clientele, mainly interested in maximizing the male orgasm. And when they come out at the end of 90 years, to escape their evil reputation, they are re-appointed: dildo, we move on to sex-toy .

This change of word summarizes a relatively complex process.

First it signals a willingness to include sex (solo or in pairs) in the field of recreation or leisure activities, activities that sociologists know well how much access based on income, the degree and time " free ". These "sex toys" sexy toys, adult toys, continue around the sex technique by placing them in a commercial economy of leisure. Sexual intimacy, often understood as included in a model of "relational" (sex is the basis for building a relationship) takes on a flavor here "recreational" 1 . The intimate gaming experience is not immune to a form of commodification - the English would say commodification - the practices and desires, just destroy the naturality fiction sex.

Equally obvious is the attempt to do something "feminine" and "re-sexualize" the object (to make him change his gender ). This requires business tactics sometimes naive, often effective. If the pink flesh is vulgar, pink is feminine. If a naked woman on the package is vulgar, drawing pen is a female: the promoters of the new sexy shops , systematically, unpack and "repackagent" objects made ??by a few companies in Asia (primarily China). The change package is then a good indicator of commercial claims. Sex shops "traditional", whatever their age, do not practice this strategy of representation. By changing the package, the new stores offer then a sexy conceptualizing the differences between men and women, between male sexuality and female sexuality, they "consciously reject what they see as a limited version of feminine beauty and desirability" that would written on the packages - but not necessarily in the objects. This also requires the entry of these toys in women's magazines: a part of women's magazines has recently embraced the use of sex toys , proposing to make one of the things necessary for good bedside 2 , and proposing to make these purchases purchasing female (not male purchases).

Less obvious but perhaps more interesting is the will, powerful, to separate these gadgets "pornography" to reject the porn to dirty, unhealthy, the violation of human dignity and raise the ... object "sexy" to the healthy, beautiful, ethics. "We refused to sell basic representations of the penis. It was out of the question, "I said one former official. "I look for objects that are not figurative" offers another. "For women, sex is sold as a set of elements of fashion and design much more than as a set of publications ( media representations ): pornography is problematic, "writes sociologist Feon Attwood.

The sex toy - and its proponents - is strongly producer of sexual norms. Standards as well as subject to economic logic of the market and its customers, as expectations related to gender roles just subverted.