VIBRATORS ARE POPPING UP EVERYWHERE: “For years, vibrators were bought quietly in sex shops, and later online, arriving in discreet unmarked packages. They were rarely discussed, other than perhaps during a late-night girl-talk session fueled by many glasses of pinot grigio. But now you can find them advertised on MTV and boldly displayed at Duane Reade, Walgreens and other mainstream drugstores, mere steps from the Bengay and Dr. Scholl’s.” I think there’s a double standard, though, as I doubt any of those places would carry sex toys for men. Eugene Volokh blogged on that double-standard a while ago.

But what is this “sex conservatism of the ’80s” they’re talking about? I don’t remember any of that, unless you count Catharine MacKinnon and Andrea Dworkin’s man-hating claptrap. Meanwhile, here’s an interesting history of the vibrator.

UPDATE: Reader Dub Kilpatrick emails: “As a proud member of the Fort Worth gay community, I assure you that ‘vibrators’ are not just for women. Big fan of your blog by the way. Keep up the good work.” Well, duh. But thanks!

And reader Jeff Nolan writes: “It’s interesting to note that the double standard reverses when the topic switches to topical and ingested remedies for low sex drive in women. Popular topical remedy Zestra is sold through Amazon but the company has had a very difficult time getting their advertisements carried in press and on TV. Meanwhile, over the counter ExtenZe not only has a plethora of TV ads, they even have a NASCAR sponsorship.”