A New Zealand sex toy company has made millions of dollars tackling a bedroom issue, and now the range is available in Aussie stores.
Taslim Parsons, from Wellington, New Zealand, was working in a wholesale retail and trade business, when she realised there was a gap in the market for affordable, beautifully packaged but high quality sex toys.
“I think we’ve achieved that really well – and more than that it’s the messaging of what we’re trying to achieve,” Taslim told news.com.au.
“It’s sex positivity. It’s removing that taboo and the shame around masturbation because it’s good for us. It’s good for our mental wellbeing, our physical wellbeing and it’s good for your heart.
“I wanted to change that and actually just promote a brand that people aren’t going to be embarrassed by if they’ve got a box or a product on their bedside table.”
Share Satisfaction launched Kama in October 2020 and by January 2021 it was number two on the bestseller list.
In the time since, the range, which includes the Eyden collection specifically designed to alleviate pelvic and vaginal health concerns, has also launched in Australia.
One study suggests that 95 per cent of men usually or always achieve climax during partnered sex, compared to just 65 per cent of women.
Taslim’s aim is to close this gap, arming people with the tools and information to help themselves feel good, but also help those who are gender fluid.
“We’ve got a very vibrant queer community here in Wellington, and people that are quite close to me that are gender fluid,” Taslim said.
“I’ve learned a lot because in my generation, it’s not talked about as much. And I’d like to think I’m a really open person, and inclusive.”
She said when Share Satisfaction started, there were conversations about how the products should be labelled.
People were like, ‘oh, yeah, that’s a toy for a woman and that’s a toy for a man’. I said that wasn’t the case, as what you may look like on the outside isn’t necessarily how you identify,” she said.
“So when we launched the website, that was my nod to the community here in Wellington.”
Sex education is another topic Taslim is passionate about, and something she struggles to understand is the New Zealand government’s pledge to scrap sex education in schools as part of a “war on woke”, according to the SBS.
While sex education is looked after by state and territory governments in Australia, a concerning instance in Australia earlier this year in reaction to Yumi Styne’s book Welcome to Sex: Your no-silly-questions Guide to Sexuality, pleasure and figuring it out, which faced backlash and was pulled from stores after parents deemed it “too graphic and inappropriate for children” shows similar thought processes.
“We’ve got high rates of pregnancy, we’ve got sexual rates, we’ve got stealthing, and all these things,” Taslim said.
“It’s really harmful for young people to not get that education. I’m a firm believer that if you educate, they’re not going to go and seek that information elsewhere.
“The new government here is suggesting that it should be taught by families and should be taught by parents but a lot of parents aren’t equipped. They don’t know. They weren’t taught.”
Taslim’s proudest achievement is helping people achieve pleasure, having had emails from people from all walks of life – such as a 76-year-old – thanking her.
Part of this, apart from the gender neutral products, is the Eyden collection, which is designed to help people with pelvic issues. Taslim said sex shouldn’t be a painful or uncomfortable experience, and this range is to help the countless people who experience these issues.