😵‍💫 Menopause, hybrid toys, deepfakes...there's a lot going on

👋 HEY ALL!

I’ve been churning through a lot of this week.

Here's what caught my eye...

The Atlantic published two great reads on topics that are popping up again and again in the media: menopause and the sexualisation of ...well, everything.

And if you're running a biz in sextech and having a rough week year… take comfort in knowing you aren't alone.

I've had several conversations over the past week (in person and in-inbox) with people really fighting to keep their business alive. If that's you, know there's many going through it. And it's not confined to this industry.

In the words of Matt Allen "It's fucking hard out there atm" 

On a brighter note, I wanted to share some new products I’ve come across that may bring you a smile; sex toys made of water and hybrid cosmetic/lubricants.

💄 This merging of cosmetics + toys has been happening for some time...

I remember maude's candle-that-burned-into-sexy-massage-oil when they launched years ago!

But this new release I spied on Trendhunter today is the most obvious 'beauty and the bedroom' dual purpose I've seen since.

And on the darker side of the internet, ‘undress apps’ whose harmful consequences have been well documented already, have made news again for appearing on major pr0n sites.

So you know, ups and downs around here.

I hope this newsletter provides you with some relief, whether it is a momentary distraction from your daily grind, sending you down a rabbit hole of research (if like me that's something you find fun), some new source material for your stand-up routine... or even your next job.

Read on for:

🔥 this week in sextech

💼 job openings

🎪 community events

📚 learning opportunities

— Bryony

🔥 THIS WEEK IN SEXTECH

• 💡 New trends in toys

• 👎 #1 Adult content creator promoting deepfakes

• 🔮 Menopause could... disappear?

• 🖥️ The slow sexualisation of everything online

💡 New trends in toys

Japanese co. Tenga, known for their disposable toys for men has released a line of toys made of 98% water (2% agar) under their femcare line, iroha.

Spotted on Trendhunter this week, a hybrid cosmetic - lubricant. It offers the dual purpose of lip hydrator and personal lubricant.

👎 #1 Adult content creator promoting deepfakes

If you have been following the news about the AI "undress apps" 404 Media reported on Sweetie Fox promoting one of these deepfake apps on PH. [Read article]

Laws are scrambling to catch up with deepfake creators, particularly when you need no technical skill and can take a photograph of anyone (consensual or not) and use AI to produce an image that makes them appear naked.

🔮 Menopause could... disappear?

The Atlantic's piece explores how living longer, having babies later and other factors may shift the timeline of menopause.

"As more women have kids in their 40s, the average age at which women give birth to any of their kids is now above 30, or fast approaching it, in most high-income nations... If women decide to keep having kids at older ages, he told me, one day, hundreds of thousands of years from now, menopause could—theoretically—entirely disappear."

🖥️ The slow sexualisation of everything online

Rather than having sex, Jane Coaston argues in this essay for The Atlantic that "the nudes internet is built on the belief that being sexy, or more important, being seen as sexy, is just how you keep score in life".

💼 HOT JOBS

🇺🇸 Director, Management and Operations, Planned Parenthood Federation of America [Apply here]

🇺🇸 Associate Director of Brand and Marketing, Planned Parenthood Federation of America [Apply here]

🇺🇸 Center Manager, Planned Parenthood Federation of America [Apply here]

🇺🇸 Member Support Specialist, Escalations - Spanish & English, Bumble Inc. [Apply here]

🇺🇸 Community Development/Community Impact-Program Manager, myGwork - LGBTQ+ Business Community [Apply here]

🇺🇸 Marketing Business Advisor, Women's Business Development Council [Apply here]

🎪 EVENTS

🇩🇰 May 14, Copenhagen, Beyond the Norm, with Beatrice Gigliuto [RSVP here]

🇺🇸 May 21, Sex and Sexuality: How our Past Affects our Future, with Kaamna Bhojwani [RSVP here if member of The Battery or DM Kaamna for guest tix - few remaining]

🇨🇦 May 22, Toronto, SexTechTO Mixer [RSVP here] Alexandra Friedman with guest speakers Timothy Lagman and Rosalie Macbeth

💻 May 23 online, Something Positive for Positive People (SPFPP) [RSVP here]

💻 May 27, Online, The Future of Community - Sex Tech Business & Well-being Index Report 2024 hosted by Ola Miedzynska, SxTech eu [RSVP here]

🇺🇸 May 29-31, Arlington, SYNC Conference [RSVP here]

📚 LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

🎓️ Looking for a career in sextech?

If you’re looking to land a job or pivot your career, Sextech School's live 6 week program is the industry fast-track and we only open a few times a year.

Cohort 14 kicks off in June 👉 Apply now 👈

Yep, that's a wrap for this week.

Send me a note and let me know how this week has been for you, what articles were interesting, or send me something you've read that sparked an insight.

I read every. email. response.

— Bryony