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Articles by Saskia Vogel

trends

Kinky Couples: Couples-friendly Retailing

Retailers have a major opportunity to engage customers in a meaningful and long-lasting way that will keep them coming back even after the spell of Christian Grey’s steely eyes wears off.

Saskia Vogel ·
opinion

‘Fifty Shades’ of Inspiration

The erotic bestseller is nothing new. But “Fifty Shades” feels different. For one thing, it is the bestselling book of all time in the United Kingdom. Take that Harry Potter. “Fifty Shades” feels like “Deep Throat” — a cultural watershed. XBIZ spoke with mainstream book publishers and booksellers, Good Vibrations, Smitten Kitten, The Museum of Sex, Coco de Mer and Rachel Kramer Bussell to see what may come of the “Fifty Shades” phenomenon.

Saskia Vogel ·

Steady as They Come

Vibrating toys have plenty of bells and whistles to draw customers’ attentions to — speed, technology, texture, realism — but what makes a nonvibrating toy hit the spot?

Saskia Vogel ·
trends

Are You Eco-Sexy?

For something to be comprehensibly green, there’s a near endless checklist of things to do and sometimes you’re left with a choice between a rock and a hard place. What happens when you find a material that is totally ethically sourced, processed in a compliance with the highest ecostandards, but it means the end product will be ridiculously expensive? XBIZ spoke to a number of toy manufacturers about the greening of novelties, and found out what in which ways they are eco-sexy.

Saskia Vogel ·

Flame On: Social Media

It’s not news that porn stars and the interactive web go together like bread and butter. The step from web cams and community sites like Burning Angel to porn stars using mainstream social media channels like MySpace, blogs, and Twitter was intuitive. But social media’s full power is still being harnessed. Engagement with social media may very well be the thing that is key to fully assimilating porn with mainstream culture. Dana DeArmond, Nina Hartley, and Madison Young are three people who seem to really be on the right track, following the two basic tenets of social media: authenticity and transparency.

Saskia Vogel ·
trends

Porn for Women

Who wants to see that?” was a question many pioneers of the feminist porn movement heard when they were starting out. Now, “porn for women” is coming into its own, with the volume, mainstream attention, and distribution channels to support it. To help you tap into the growing women and couple’s market, XBIZ got intimate with female pioneers, female-friendly retailers, and festival organizers. We also took a look at the talent paving the way for a generation of porn for women that is also for men.

Saskia Vogel ·