PARIS – Lacking lavish restaurants and being forced to stay home at night to stop the spread of coronavirus, French lovers resort to sex toys to spice up their Valentine’s Day.
“Perhaps at a time when everything seems forbidden, sexuality has become one of our last bastions of freedom,” said Patrick Pruvot, founder of the sex toy store chain Passage du Desir.
In the three months leading up to Valentine’s Day this year, sales at the seven points in Passage du Desir increased by 68% compared to previous months. A year earlier, sales increased by only 12% in the same period before February 14.
Candy cuffs and other sex toys lie on the shelves of the Pruvot store, surrounded by restaurants and closed cafes in central Paris. Large red heart-shaped boxes with 14 full bedroom toys bring a Valentine’s Day twist to an Advent calendar.
“Normally we would go to a restaurant, but it will be a little difficult. So I thought she might like to pay attention, ”said 21-year-old Maryne Fraudin as she flipped through the goods for a perverse game for herself and her boyfriend.
France prides itself on a nation of seducers. Seduction influences not only the relationship between the French, but the way they do business, define style, choose politicians and enjoy food and drink, wrote Elaine Sciolino in her book The Seduction.
For a long time, the French slowly accepted sex toys, a taboo that had slowly worn off before the pandemic left many couples with more time at home, Pruvot said.
“The COVID crisis has accelerated the trend,” he said.
Other countries have seen a similar phenomenon during the COVID-19 blockades. From Denmark to Colombia, usually conservative, sales of sex toys rose early in the pandemic, while British lingerie chain Ann Summer reported higher sales during the first blockade.
“What else can we do if we can’t get out,” Anthony Jeka said before going out with his partner and a carrying bag full of goodies.