Magnetic attraction, big bizarre, pink ecstasy

In my study, I examine the connections between the object culture of sex toys and female emancipation using examples from Hungarian popular culture, focusing primarily on the period after the regime change, following on from the precedents of the Kádár era (1957–1989).

The theoretical framework for my research is provided by Judith Glover’s industrial design approach, who highlighted that professional design is capable of elevating sexual devices from the realm of social taboos to mainstream discourse, and who believes that the development of sex toys can be paralleled with the history of women's emancipation. Although the concepts of sexual well-being, self-knowledge, and health preservation have appeared in the discourse surrounding sex toys since the turn of the millennium, the mainstream media still often presents them in the context of ridicule or deviance. This kind of stigmatising portrayal can be a lasting barrier to sexual fulfilment and healthy self-acceptance.