Member Reviews
A really interesting history of sexuality!
Thank you to the publisher for letting me read and review!
I deeply appreciated the opportunity to read and review this book. I'll be using it's contents in my teaching and will make sure to keep an eye out for more works from this author and publisher.
Quite an in depth and scholarly approach to explaining the history of the sex retail industry intertwined with the advancement of feminism.
I learned a lot about the world of sex toy retailers and the unique ways in which they operate. I definitely recommend this book for any fellow sex-positive feminists.
By the early 21st Century, American society is more open about matters of personal pleasure than ever before. This has not always been the case, and Lynn Comella does a great job exposing the hidden history of these profound changes.
I absolutely adored this book, which was both a bit of a delightful surprise and the first step in laying a foundation of affection for everything that comes after this!
Really great read! Comella does an excellent job covering the history of feminist sex shops without glossing over the issues and problems both practically and ideologically. I especially appreciated the methods discussion at the end.
An academic text on the history of female sex-toy shops in the USA might not sound like a fascinating read but I really loved it. Comella references the length of time she spent researching this subject multiple times (was it 20 years?) plus how in-depth she went (working in Babeland's NYC store for example) and it really shows. I loved how comprehensive this exploration of the movement is and the fact that she managed to interview some of the sex-shop pioneers before they passed away. I really had a sense of how much has changed since the 70s - and even since I bought my first vibrator in the 90s! Quite amazing that a small group of women managed to take female-focussed sex-shops from a sidelined movement to a multi-million dollar industry. It made me want to do a pilgrimage to the West Coast of USA to visit some of the original stores, which may sound a bit weird but this book made me realise what a huge impact these shops had on female (and queer) sexuality in the Western world and how, generations later, we are all benefitting from this. I'd love to read about how the movement developed in other countries too. That's my wishlist for Comella's next book.
The cover makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. It just looks delicious and inviting, and that's what made me want to pick this up. Fortunately the content is interesting and well put together as well.
Going into this the only thing I knew about the history of vibrators was the way they were used to try to cure women's "hysteria" in the 19th century. I had never thought about how, why, and when they stopped being medical equipment and became sex toys. It was great to find out that vibrators and feminist sex shops have been closely intertwined with women's rights and LGBTQ+ activism.
What I especially like about this book is that even though it mainly focuses on the actions of individual people the author puts their stories into a bigger context. Although these revolutionary ideas changed some people's lives and created safe places, the book acknowledges that they weren't always accessible to everyone.
I was expecting more of a contemporary exploration of this topic, but it was bogged down with the history of women-friendly sex toy stores, classes on how to have an orgasm, etc. It was still educational, but not what I was expecting.
* I received this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review*
I am a fan of well written non-fiction and this book was both interesting and taught me a lot. This book is very thorough in its timeline as well as its look into the sex toy and sex store industry. I learned a lot about what makes a feminist sex-toy store and their highs and lows. I appreciated how the book went into more than just feminism but also information about race and class as well as LGBTQ+ and how all of those identities fit into the same space.
I love how much of the book involved interviews with the people who were on the front lines of this industry and helped it grow from the very beginning and the actual pictures helped to situate the book in the real life events that it was talking about.
Vibrator Nation by Lynn Comella is a fascinating look at the history of feminist, sex-positive sex shops and how they have changed how people, particularly women and female-identifying individuals, consider their own bodies and orgasms to this day.
"In the 1970s a group of pioneering feminist entrepreneurs launched a movement that ultimately changed the way sex was talked about, had, and enjoyed. Boldly reimagining who sex shops were for and the kinds of spaces they could be, these entrepreneurs opened sex-toy stores like Eve’s Garden, Good Vibrations, and Babeland not just as commercial enterprises, but to provide educational and community resources as well. In Vibrator Nation Lynn Comella tells the fascinating history of how these stores raised sexual consciousness, redefined the adult industry, and changed women's lives. Comella describes a world where sex-positive retailers double as social activists, where products are framed as tools of liberation, and where consumers are willing to pay for the promise of better living—one conversation, vibrator, and orgasm at a time."
When I first read the title of this book, I knew that I had to read it. This might sound a bit strange, but I find sex fascinating, particularly in the ways that attitudes have changed towards female-identifying people claiming and enjoying their orgasms. I definitely wanted to learn more about sex positivity and how feminist sex shops came about, particularly in a time when that phrase was a complete oxymoron.
Vibrator Nation mainly focuses on specific feminist sex shops in the US such as Babeland, Good Vibrations, and Self Serve. Throughout the book, we follow their conception in the 70s right up to the present day, discussing each store's particular successes and challenges. I loved that it focused on real stores and real people. It is so obvious that Lynn Comella really knows her stuff - she talks about working at some of these stores, as well as doing research into sex education. Her knowledge absolutely shone through, and I honestly couldn't think of a better person to write the full story of these shops.
I'm not going to go into everything that the book discusses, but here are a few topics that are integral to the feminist sex shop story:
1. How to run a feminist shop in a distinctly non-feminist capitalist environment
2. How to balance sex education and running a profitable store
3. How to ensure that it doesn't become a space for just straight, white women, but also caters to queer people of colour
4. The many opinions about pornography, and how to acquire/create feminist porn
In all, I found Vibrator Nation to be a fascinating look at the history of feminist sex shops and how sex education - from STIs to BDSM - can benefit society as a whole.
I learned a lot from Lynn Comella's in-depth examination of how feminist sex-toy shops influenced the industry of sex enhancing retail, sex education, and expression of sexual freedom. I could tell Comella understood her subject matter thoroughly, and while she more often than not presented the information objectively, her passion and field experience clearly shows. In addition to examining how sex-toy stores influenced the business of pleasure, an understanding of how the concept of feminism shifted and changed over the years, and how the pioneering and new feminist sex shops alike had to shift their missions to accommodate the ever changing socially structured ideas of gender and sexual identities, began to include POC women and eventually men, and expanded their own understanding and representation of how sexual freedom is not the same for everyone, i.e. not everyone is looking for a vibrator like the owner of a shop prefers, but may enjoy pornography, BDSM, or other offerings is presented to the reader. Comella's one on one interviews with owners and employees, as well as personal experience working in the retail stores, allows for the passion and dedication these women (and later men) have put into shaping how society and industry present sexual pleasure and sexual education flow from the pages.
I want to start out by saying thanks to NetGalley & Duke University Press for this arc. The following review is just my mere opinion which will be posted on Goodreads and my blog. I'll start off with my likes, shift to my dislikes, and give my final thoughts for why I ranked this nonfiction the way I did.
First off, this book qualifies for diversity.
What are my likes?
1. The author was extremely thorough with the topics discussed in this book.
2. I learned many things from this author that I didn't know about with regarding the sex industry.
3. This book is well-written.
4. This book was well-researched.
5. The author included many pictures.
6. This was well-cited.
7. To me, it was a short read.
8. I assumed the sex industry is male-dominated and was surprised to learn that there were women who are involved in the industry.
9. I knew there would be a Fifty Shades reference and hoped there would be.
10. It showed that stores weren't only created by feminist but people from the LGTBQIA community.
What didn't I like about this book?
1. It switched from feminism to LGTBQIA rights. I don't have a problem with it, but I expected it to be about women. It twisted itself into a whole another can of worms that I didn't expect.
2. It seemed at times to mock heterosexual, middle-class women.
3. I wish there was a way to bridge the gap that all walks of life, no matter their sexual/gender identity walk into a store and buy what they want without issues. Gender and sexual orientation should not play a huge part in selling or buying products for what people do in the bedroom.
4. Not male-friendly at all. Not all men think they stereotypical way that other genders or sexuality assume. It made all men seem like a threat. I highly disagree with that line of thinking. Not so from the author as much as the business owners.
5. You want to be accepted in the community, but you don't want to include everyone. To me, it is no different than a Christian-based company trying to keep out the LGTBQIA community. This is the part which nobody wins. Do you want to be like that Christian-based company or do you want to be better than them? "Sorry, we exclude heterosexual, white males.
My personal thoughts?
To me, you want to include everyone. It shouldn't matter what a person looks like or what gender they wish to be. Forcing others to accept your ideals, but excluding people doesn't make you any different than the bakery who refused to serve the couple wanting a cake in Oregon. You stooped to their level. I understand there is a need to feel safe, but not every "white male" is a threat. Just like, not every person who identifies with the LGBTQIA is a threat. But unfortunately, this isn't the world we live in these days. I am thankful for this book. I think everyone should read it. It's highly informative, and I learned things that I didn't know about. The point is that we shouldn't exclude people from shopping where they want to shop at. My gender or sexual identity should take a backseat to my needs and wants.
Lynn Comella's in-depth look at the history of feminist sex-toy stores examines how the ground these stores broke, the challenges they faced, how they mixed business with sex education, and how these stores changed the face of the sex industry. This book both fascinated and amused me and I spent most of the time I was reading it rattling off random facts about sex-toy shops to my husband, who probably didn't care nearly as much as I did. I feel like I learned a lot from this book and my appreciation of the changed sex industry (and societal approaches to sex) has grown immensely.
The thing that most impressed me about this book was how in-depth it was. Comella researched this topic for a couple decades - starting her initial thoughts and investigations in 1998. She worked at a feminist sex-toy store for a time, interviewed and met with countless owners, sex educators/sales associates, managers, and patrons of these stores. Comella really knows what she's talking about and that bled through in all parts of this book. Her treatment of some difficult topics felt both academic and objective in many ways and other times felt personal - like when Comella shares some of her experiences working in a sex-toy store. This balance was fantastic and made Comella an interesting character in her own research.
For anyone who is looking into working at/opening a sex-toy store, this is a must-read. For anyone with an interest in the intersection of education and business, I'd highly recommend this book as well. Anyone with an interest in the changing sexual ideals of America will also enjoy this.
I received an ARC from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for a honest review
Vibrator Nation is an interesting and educational book that explains the feminist movements and the history of lesbian pride. It is written in a way that it is informative but still entertainingly written so that it doesn't feel like reading a textbook.
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This was a really fascinating and important read. I know that this book won't be everyone's cup of tea, simply because of the topic, but I can't help think that this book will have a profound impact on some readers; both young and old.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this book. While I won't be using it in a classroom setting, there were certainly bits that will contribute to discussions in the (relevant/appropriate) courses. Looking forward to more on the topic.
This ethnographic study of feminist sex shops is full of inspiring stories from the innovative retailers who ventured outside their comfort zones to empower women's sexuality (a.k..a. sell vibrators). Sometimes the author veers into sex positivity cheerleading (which, by the way, I appreciated), but mostly she provides a balanced, dispassionate document of the tensions and challenges that face the women who run these businesses.
The book explores the dilemma of feminism coupled with capitalism: do sex stores commodify pleasure (and is that a bad thing)? What I found most fascinating was the inner workings of running a small business. Highly recommended for all libraries.
In Vibrator Nation, Comella discusses the relationship between sexuality and public culture, including the fascinating history of the feminist revolution in the 1970’s that helped redefine economic and cultural aspects that lead the sex industry to begin catering to feminine needs, wants and desires. This remodeling of the sex industry altered the market place for sex toys, with vibrators geared toward women beginning to dominate the products sold.
Comella not only looks at this industry academically as an ethnographic researcher, she has, in her own words, also been a vibrator clerk, a central experience that involved interacting with consumers at a sex shop where she gathered data that was of great value to this text.
I really enjoyed her analysis of sexual entrepreneurs, a women’s market place, and how cultural acceptance of sexuality and gender has provided individuals greater sexual freedom. As an advocate for a good orgasm, I found the text intriguing from a historical, economical, and consumer perspective.