I had breakfast Thursday morning with Claire Cavanah, co-owner of the Babeland stores, celebrating their fifteenth anniversay this year. She is one of my heroines; and I was delighted to find her as warm and charming in person as I imagined she would be. What fun to talk about sex toys over cappucino and pane chocolate!
I asked her what changes she'd seen in the industry in the past decade and she replied, "First, higher quality products.
"Toys are more luxurious and beautifully designed. As customers became more sophisticated and demanding, vendors responded by creating more luxurious products. Look at the JimmyJane line, Layla, the new Sasi vibe, Gigi, the We vibe and others Sex toys are beautiful little works of art now.
"Have you seen the stainless steel line from NJoy? Their vendor told me, 'Without Babeland, we wouldn't be able to make these toys,' and that was very gratifying because it says we have played a role in educating consumers and raising their expectations."
Babeland (along with their competitor Good Vibrations) is largely responsible for creating the luxury sex toy marketplace that is friendly to women of every sexual orientation and level of toy knowledge. Claire and her partner in the business are both openly gay women. Lesbians have led the way for the rest of us in many areas of sexual discussion and exploration, including toys, and in political activism for women's causes like reproductive freedom. We owe our lesbian sisters a great deal.
I asked Claire why she thinks lesbians have been in the forefront of sexual empowerment for women.
"Our sexuality is what makes us different. We are conscious of it all the time. Coming of age as a queer person definitely made me more open about women's sexuality. For straight women, we are like the sister you never had. You can tell us anything."
That is exactly the feeling I have in the Babeland stores and on the website. You can go there with any question, any concern and find acceptance. Nobody will judge you. They'll help you find the products that celebrate your own sexuality.
"The stigma surrounding sex toys has been greatly reduced," Claire says. "A woman enjoys shopping for them today."
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