Sex toy injuries have reached their climax.
Since 2007, the number of Americans needing emergency medical care for sex toy-related injuries has roughly doubled, according to data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
There was a spike in the number of injuries in 2012 and 2013, soon after the release of “Fifty Shades of Grey” in 2011.
Eighty-three percent of injuries require “foreign body removal,” according to the data. The figures come from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, which surveys hospital emergency room data.
Although some members of the BDSM community don’t think “Fifty Shades of Grey” accurately portrays their community, the series has prompted more people to explore the lifestyle.
BDSM stands for Bondage and Discipline (BD), Dominance and Submission (DS), Sadism and Masochism (SM).
“More people are open to trying it, but without the knowledge to do it,” said Craig Lamb, a mental health counselor and group leader of Gainesville’s BDSM community. “The book may account for an overall attitude shift towards sexual liberation. There is a community here in town for pretty much anything.”
According to the data, middle-aged men are the median sex toy injury victims.
Although the rise in injuries didn’t surprise Lamb, the demographics of the victims did.
“This is stuff middle-aged men didn’t openly talk about,” he said. “It was more of a trial and error, and sometimes error.”
Lamb said the best way to receive information on how to properly use sexual toys is to check online and attend local demonstrations and conversations.
Stores throughout Gainesville have noticed an increase in BDSM-related toy sales after the series was released.
Justin Courts, assistant manager of X-Mart Adult Supercenter on Southwest 13th Street, said within the last two years, the store has seen a 30 percent overall profit increase.
He attributes most of the BDSM merchandise sales to the release of the books.
Courts also did not find the data surprising. He said the more people use the toys, the more injuries will probably occur.
Brandy Heinlein, owner of The Lingerie Company near The Oaks Mall, darted around her store Friday, picking up pieces of vibrant lingerie and making sure everything was in order.
Outside her store, the marquee read, “GET YOUR 50 SHADES ON,” and inside “Fetish and Fantasy” has its own special section.
“The goal was to get open right before the movie,” Heinlein said. “I definitely have seen an increase in the (BDSM) toys. I think it’s opened up. It has made it not so scary.”
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 2/18/2015 under the headline “50 shades of sex toy injuries as BDSM more mainstream"]
