Sex, whips and tupperware

By Jaimee Lee-Baggley

I incorrectly put a condom onto a dildo under the supervision of a gender-questionable gym teacher and once thought an orgy was an exotic fruit. My sexual repertoire was fulled by Cosmo magazines (circa ’95–’98) hidden under my sister’s bed. I was young, but until recently, my sexual education was a bit rudimentary. Thus, this year’s Taboo… Naughty but Nice Sex Show presented a chance to acquire more sexual knowledge, to see if any wet boys’ whistles would tickle my fancy.


The show was littered with saleswomen describing their products as if they were selling Tupperware. Approachable and friendly, the sales reps treated sex like a social event requiring some accessories and gadgets. Vibrators, dildos and vibrating dildos came in a variety of colours, sizes and gages.


Alongside their product, marketers presented a philosophy prioritizing women’s sexual needs. One woman reinforced sexual activity as a stress reliever in a busy girl’s life, offering a eychain vibrator to use in traffic jams or on work breaks.


With everything so out in the open, I hoped there would be a display offering a window into the more dirtier and mysterious aspects of sex. There was a display for those who enjoy the exclusivity and intimidation of the more elusive fetishes and s&m cultures, offering whips, cages, swings, corsets, masks, cuffs and rubber clothing. A booth advertising provocative sex slogans like “I have the pussy so I make the rules” was next to fishnet stockings and copious amounts of vinyl everything.


The Naughty but Nice Sex Show left no woman’s sexual concern unmentioned. A cost effective, informative and down-to-earth show, but still graphic, in-your-face, and heavy on the visual stimulus. Despite being up to my eyeballs in long legs and big breasts, I never felt unattractive or left out because of the range of shapes, colours and sizes of the nude and nearly-nude models. It’s like learning sex-ed in the back of a San Francisco store, but more shocking and fun.