Mass Media Portrayal in Hong Kong
CULTURE
What makes people having mixed thought on sex toys?
Generation difference
The older generation (interviewee B&C) thinks that sex should be interaction between couples only.
Therefore using sex toys is not appropriate.
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*​They have a misconception that sex toys is purely for masturabation and could not accept it
​*They have more negative thoughts and less knowledge towards sex toys.
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Age group of 41 or above recorded low sex toys purchase rate compare to other age group in China
Indeed Hong Kong has recorded the lowest sex toys usage among the globe in 2018.
Even Mainland China ,which shares similar has recorded a higher use of sex toys. It might thank to the rapid online shopping culture that provide more privacy and encourage people purchase.
Western and Chinese background
For younger generation (Interviewee A&D), they have more knowledge of sex toys. However, their reaction still variates.
The difference of their background might contributes to the difference:
Interviewee D is from international school and grew up watching lots of western sitcoms and got in touch with sex toys in a very normalized way, and was able to view sex toys in a user point of view, and analyze it in a psychological and academical way.
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Interviewee A has a very localized background and different set of cultural belief compare to interviewee D . Growing under interviewee B&C, she also somehow got influenced by her parents and think that sex is not something appropriate to talk about.
​Compare to Interviewee D, she seemed very embarrassed and could not stop laughing
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Cultural beliefs that may cause people understanding of normal sexuality deviate from Western definitions, which are research-based concepts. (Heinemann, Atallah, & Rosenbaum, 2016)
​In western definitions, sex is human needs purely. However, when I comes to a asian context, it sometimes become a taboo.
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Religious belief
Sexual guilt and shame have been reported in religious literature(Heinemann, Atallah, & Rosenbaum, 2016).
“You shall not commit adultery” is one of the Ten Commandments, the biggest teaching in bible.
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​Interviewee ABC are baptized christian. Interviewee C, particularly is a devoted christian for over 30 years. This has contributed to her negative thoughts towards sex toys, or sexuality itself.
However in Western society, even if they share the same religious, they are still more welcome for the use of sex toys in married couples. It goes back the to perception of how Interviewee B&C both think that sex toys are only for masturbation, and do not understand that sex toys could do far more than that.