Gulim in Kazakhstan keeps her very first one as a souvenir while Coco in Thailand breaks the law by having them, and Serena in Italy says they’re essential. But there’s still a stigma when it comes to talking about sex toys. That’s why Gabriele Galimberti’s images are so powerful, writes author and academic Roxane Gay (Warning: explicit content)
Most of us are taught to keep our sexual lives private. We’re taught to hide our desires, and all too often, to be ashamed of them. Cultural instruction about sex tends to be very prescriptive. Sex happens in our bedrooms, behind closed doors, between a man and a woman. Sex is for procreation rather than pleasure. Sex is for marriage. Sex should only happen when you fall in love. If you’re a woman, you should only have one sexual partner for the whole of your life. If you’re a man, the sky’s the limit.
Certainly, some of these mores have shifted over time, relaxed a bit. But mostly, we’re supposed to keep our sex lives to ourselves. And certainly, we aren’t supposed to partake of anything that would strain the strictures of “good taste”, like say, pornography or sex toys.
