What’s cute, colourful and… vibrates? You’d be forgiven for thinking that they’re for massages (that’s just how conditioned we are when it comes to shopping). However, shoved amongst the shelves of deodorants, facial washes or shampoos at your local Watsons, is a series of ‘Smile Makers’, a Swedish brand that makes vibrators – yes, the ‘happy ending’ kind of massage.
Thanks to their artsy shapes, not everyone knows what they’re really for. There are 4 models that are supposed to embody the types of men that women would go for. So, you’d have the Fireman, the Tennis Coach, the Millionaire and… the Frenchman. Did they take this list from an 80s Chippendale show?
According to their boxes, the Fireman’s ‘going to heat you up’, the Tennis Coach has a ‘skillful aim’, the Millionaire ‘has a big trust fund’, and the Frenchman is ‘a sexy linguist’. Punny stuff, but we can imagine an unsuspecting auntie wondering why shoulder massagers need to have personalities. And where’s Andy Lau?
No doubt the products raised eyebrows (and blood pressure), but we have a few questions to raise:
- Why the Frenchman? Are they still an icon these days – and in Asia?? What about hunky Korean men, or even Hollywood icons? And why Tennis Coach? When it comes to fantasies, women want what they can’t get.
- Why do the vibrators have to embody a stereotypical ‘desirable’ male figure at all? Can’t it just be modeled on the type of woman using it instead (ie. Lady Boss)? Or simply given random names like ‘Bubba’? Are they trying to imply that to make women happy, there’s got to be a guy behind it all?
We are thankful that they’re not designed like those porn-star-endorsed models (you know what we mean), but when it comes to personalising these lady toys, they can take a page from Lelo, Jimmyjane or Tenga Iroha.
