Sex positivity is a term that gets misused frequently — both over-used by marketers and dismissed by those who confuse it with libertinism. What it actually means, in its useful definition, is approaching human sexuality with an attitude of non-judgment and openness, treating sexual health as a component of overall health, and removing shame from conversations about intimacy.
Why shame is harmful
Sexual shame has measurable negative outcomes: reduced likelihood of seeking sexual health care, increased difficulty communicating with partners, higher rates of risky behaviour (because shame discourages safer sex conversations), and poorer overall sexual satisfaction. The shame doesn’t prevent the behaviour — it just prevents the healthy context around it.
What sex positivity isn’t
Sex positivity doesn’t mean everyone should want more sex, more types of sex, or that any sexual behaviour is acceptable. It means that consensual, adult, informed sexual choices deserve respect rather than shame — and that people have a right to accurate information about their own bodies without judgment.
In practice
Sex-positive approaches in practice include: healthcare providers who ask about sexual health the same way they ask about physical activity; schools that provide age-appropriate, medically accurate sexual education; media that portrays a range of bodies and desires; and retail environments (like this one) that treat intimate product purchases as ordinary consumer decisions rather than shameful secrets.
How this connects to LUXE
We started LUXE in 2014 because we were frustrated with an industry that either treated intimate products as purely clinical or wrapped them in either shame or crude humour. We wanted to create a shopping experience that treated customers as intelligent adults, products as genuinely important wellness tools, and intimacy as the normal, healthy, and meaningful part of human life that it is.
That’s still what we’re trying to do. This Journal is part of it — information without judgment, practical advice without shame, and a constant reminder that whatever your intimate life looks like, you deserve access to good information and quality products.
