Naughty or nice? Here's how the adult toy scene in S'pore has changed over time

For as long as I can remember, I have always associated adult toy shops in Singapore with sleazy slogans, scantily-clad women and gaudy neon signs.

This is probably due to my own experience of seeing these adult toy shops situated in shady, nondescript corners of shopping haunts like Bugis Street or Lucky Plaza, as well as my own upbringing in a religious, Christian household.

So when the chance arose for me to write an article about the adult toy scene in Singapore, I jumped at it, hoping that some of my long standing questions would be challenged and put to rest.

After all, nothing more exciting than a prudish Singaporean exploring a lascivious topic, eh? Hurhur.

Most Singaporeans do not know much about adult toys, or have conservative ideas about them

It's probably safe to say that most Singaporeans, especially the older generation, might view sex shops and adult toys with disdain.

This viewpoint is even more prevalent in conservative or religious households like mine, where I grew up being taught that sex is a sacred act between a married man and woman, and should not be subject to "worldly immoralities".

As I grew older and developed my own set of opinions, however, I couldn't help but wonder if sex between a married couple need always be limited to boring "vanilla" varieties, or if things could be "spiced up" in other ways: for instance, through the use of adult toys.

I also wondered if all sex shops were as dodgy as I thought they were, and if the use of adult toys was a "perversion" of healthy sexuality or simply just a way to fulfil a need.

Why don't more married couples in Singapore use adult toys?

According to a 2019 survey conducted by Women's Weekly, only one in five female readers said that they were satisfied with their sex lives, with 60 per cent of these survey respondents confessing that they wanted their husband to be better in bed.

When it came to the topic of adult toys, figures dipped even further, with only 15.6 per cent of these women introducing adult toys into the bedroom.

One reason married couples do not try to improve their sex lives with adult toys could be because the topic of sex is still considered taboo in many local communities, as mentioned by adult toy consultant Janice Lee:

"Somehow, it has never changed. It's something that parents shy away from. In (most) schools, sex education is limited to the biology or the prevention of it... No emotional, no mental.

How would you expect sex toys to be accepted when we don't normalise conversations around sex and sexuality?"

Another reason could be due to the stigma associated with sex shops and adult toys, given that many sex shops in Singapore have sleazy looking appearances, leading some, including myself, to think of adult toy owners as sexually-depraved addicts or perverts.

Paradigm shift for adult toy industry in Singapore

Thankfully, the adult toy scene in Singapore has evolved quite a fair bit since they first entered the local market more than a decade ago.

Perhaps aware of the negative impressions people have of sex shops here in Singapore, some businesses have switched to marketing adult toys as health and wellness products that can be purchased in regular retail stores.

One example would be PinkLifestyle, a pleasure product distributor that has recently opened on level 2 of department store Isetan@Scotts.

Tucked in a neat corner near the lingerie section of the department store, PinkLifestyle marks a significant paradigm shift for the adult toy industry in Singapore.

Gone are the dim, dated and sexually provocative decors one would traditionally associate with a local sex shop.

Replaced with them instead are clean, bright and spacious interiors with neatly categorised sections offering a variety of adult toys, personal massage equipment, lubricants and more.

Visiting on a weekend evening, I genuinely felt that this was a safe space in which I could explore all the products PinkLifestyle had on display without judgment, and did not feel like I was partaking in a "shameful" or seedy act.

Compared to the adult toy sections in other retail stores I've come across, PinkLifestyle also felt like a trendier and more upmarket boutique store, with a wider range of items and popular brands.

Adult toys enhance the sex lives of married couples and can be used in family planning

While many Singaporeans continue to adopt conservative attitudes towards adult toys, a growing number are beginning to regard them in a positive light.

For instance, there was once a lady in her 50s who visited PinkLifestyle's booth at Isetan and exclaimed excitedly: "Finally, there are these products in the department store, it should have happened sooner!"

Additionally, the brand saw around a 50 per cent increase in online sales during the Circuit Breaker period this year, with the majority of this figure coming from local customers alone.

Some Singaporeans have also started to view adult toys as a useful tool in family planning and an effective method to ease the process of conception.

Case in point: PinkLifestyle sells non-medical pumps that help men who have erectile problems, as well as performance-enhancing lubricants for women who may suffer from vaginal dryness.

Couples who are in long-distance relationships might also be inclined to use PinkLifestyle's range of LDR toys such as the Lovense Lush 2, which enables sexual interaction across different locations through an app.

Apart from family planning, married couples who have been together for a long time may want to use adult toys to help keep the spark alive, while newly-wed couples could use these toys to fulfil their sexual needs if they feel that their partners cannot fully satisfy them.

For example, a non-intrusive clitoris stimulator like the iroha+ could help enhance pleasure, whilst a vibrator is a great form of foreplay and can even relieve sexual anxiety.

As the adult toy scene in Singapore progresses and changes with the times, I've learnt to keep an open mind and refrain from making hasty assumptions about the industry.

If more people do so, perhaps there will truly be a normalisation of sexual knowledge and wellness in our society one day.

This sponsored article by PinkLifeStyle made this writer more aware about sexual wellness and the adult toy scene in Singapore.

Top image via FourSquare and Melanie Lim