Womanizer – #unmutepleasure (again)

Did our stickers get your attention?

Good! And maybe you see a smidge of irony that we needed to use stickers at a progressive tech and marketing conference to make our point? As a sex toy brand, Womanizer has an ongoing relationship with censorship. Since stickers are harder to take down than an Instagram post...

We chose OMR 2023 to spread the word that it’s time to take a stand (again) and make our voices loud and clear to those looking to censor, police and shame pleasure and body positivity.

Who, you might ask, is in the hot seat? Big Tech companies such as Google and Meta are at the forefront of implementing inconsistent, hypocritical and puritanical rules on ‘sexualized content’.

The result? Sex positive companies are facing a censorship juggernaut – effecting YOUR access to living a sexually and sensually fulfilled life.

Let’s have a look.

Google SafeSearch – the silent censor you might not know about

Simply put, Google SafeSearch is an EU-wide feature designed to prevent explicit content from appearing in search results, which includes explicit sex or nudity.

The feature has existed in some form or other since 2000, with the goal to protect under 18-year-olds from potentially harmful content. Obviously, this is a worthy cause and one we support wholeheartedly.

BUT! – changes made to the feature have been impacting the entire sexual wellness industry with dire consequences. SafeSearch now automatically turns on as a default setting for anyone Google can’t determine the age of – preventing consenting adults from finding sexual happiness.

This means losing access to sexual wellness and pleasure product sites. Our sisters in pleasure at Lovehoney were able to estimate as many as 700,000 consumers were UNABLE to find their site in just TWO MONTHS – that’s approximately 39 million orgasms denied. This figure is based on one person having one orgasm per day because…well, pleasure goals. 

Plus, the blatant double standards. Men’s nipples are okay, but female breasts are not. Ads selling medication for erectile dysfunction pass, but aids for vulva- centered conditions such as anorgasmia or vaginismus are a no-go. Not only does SafeSearch police adults’ access to the pursuit of pleasure, but it also promotes outmoded patriarchal values of what is obscene versus what is acceptable. What year is it again?

Is the nipple really free?

The short answer is NO.

Last March, the Womanizer Instagram account was disabled. Again. Under Instagram’s policy, our tasteful, high quality sex toy brand comes under the same category of sexualized content as hardcore pornography and sex work services. Take a peek at an example image that Womanizer had flagged and taken down.

Super pornographic, right? 😳 We fought back by unleashing our original #unmutepleasure campaign and got back online. But, as always, the threat of being banned still looms. It could be just one mishap in spelling out masturbation or intercourse in our social captions…and BAM!

Beyond being banned on Insta, Meta’s inconsistencies and hypocrisies are ubiquitous as the air we breathe. The recent state-wide bans on abortion pills in the United States sparked a social media movement to educate women on how to LEGALLY get access to the pills. Facebook and Instagram quickly responded by taking the posts down. Within minutes. YET similar posts offering access to guns or weed were not taken down.

Remember nipple-gate with Mark Z? Even though the Meta advisory board made recommendations when it comes to nudity, “so that all people are treated in a manner consistent with international human rights standards", Meta is slow to implement any real changes. CIS and female presenting nipples are still being taken down. In this case, images speak louder than words with a clear message.

The message being that female, transgender and non-binary nipples are automatically sexualized, whereas CIS male nipples roam stigma-free. What century are we living in, Google?

This censorship ties into so many other issues: health, self-love, sexual and gender identity, social justice and more. By censoring sexual wellness as a whole, Meta is limiting public access to not just open, honest sexual discussion, but so much more.

If you see an Insta account being banned when it's doing nothing wrong, just follow these steps to support content creators:

• Go to Instagram 'Settings'

• Click on 'Help'

• Click on 'Report a problem'

• Select 'General Feedback' from the options menu

• Write the following and press send: "Please reactivate @account on Instagram" 

TikNOT

TikTok doesn’t allow content showing sex toys or lingerie. BUT! – a bikini is just fine. Again, there seems to be inconsistency in the community guidelines. Creators can make content showcasing vape pens and copious amounts of alcohol consumption, but educating viewers on period sex or sexual health tips must be tip toed around.

As another example, our friends at Lovehoney had ten videos taken down and were banned from posting for a week. One glimmer of hope from TikTok could come in the form of an 18+ option to help navigate censorship. Fingers crossed.

Your sexual happiness journey should be yours to discover and curate. And it certainly should not be policed by Big Tech corporations. In the spirit of an all-access pass to pleasure, enjoy 20% off a Womanizer toy of your choice with code: OMR20 at checkout*. Consider it a bit of an ‘in your face’ Google!

In the spirit of an all-access pass to pleasure, enjoy 20% off a Womanizer toy of your choice with CODE: OMR20 at checkout*.

Consider it a bit of an ‘in your face’ Google!