- Researchers said price and girth “significantly” affected popularity
- But height wasn’t important because women don’t emphasize size
Men don’t have to worry, size doesn’t really matter.
After all, women prefer average sizes, according to an unusual academic study.
Researchers from the University of Kent assessed the popularity of 265 sex toys, looking at their size, material, price and reviews.
They concluded that ‘women do not place significant emphasis on the size of a large phallus’.
Analysis of more than 200 toys by scientists in Kent found that length was unimportant, suggesting that women are not concerned about size. Instead, the study – believed to be the first of its kind to assess both the features and size of toys – saw price and peripheral speed top the list.
This was based on the discovery that bigger didn’t necessarily equal better, reinforcing the theory that women aren’t as concerned with size.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most popular sex toys were the cheapest.
The products reviewed ranged in value from less than £10 to almost £450 and were all available on Lovehoney’s website.
Yet people write in the Journal of Sex ResearchAccording to the academics, those most liked by women had an ‘average’ girth of 12.5cm.
For comparison, the average erect penis has a circumference of about 5 inches (12.5 cm), according to a 2015 study involving more than 15,000 men.
They found that the length of the toy was significantly larger than the average penis, at 21.5 cm.
However, this was “not a significant predictor of toy popularity,” they noted.
The average length of an erect penis, meanwhile, is about 5.16 inches.
The experts wrote in the magazine: ‘Contrary to what we expected, we found no preference for products with realistic features, other than the presence of a veiny texture, when we did not consider price.’
But researchers acknowledged that they were relying on just one measurement of average penis size to compare their findings with.
“We recognize that this study itself may not be accurate given the many methodological issues in determining average penis size, so some caution may be warranted when considering the results presented comparing our sample to ‘reality,'” she added to it.
Because Love Honey is a UK retailer, the results also reflected the preferences of UK consumers only.
They also accepted that not all of the reviews they reviewed may have been submitted by women, while men could also purchase and review the toys.
The global market for sexual wellness devices was estimated to be worth around £15 billion ($19 billion) in 2021.
Celebrities make money too. Model Cara Delevingne is co-owner of sex toy retailer Lora DiCarlo, which has a ‘premium’ robot massager for £270.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s brand Goop is selling a £110 ‘wand’ vibrator, which is being hailed as ‘a thing of beauty on a bedside table’.
Demand for online sales of sex toys also boomed during the pandemic, given the lockdowns and the two-metre contact ban.
However, surgeons have long warned of the dangers of such toys, with hundreds of Britons requiring emergency care for an emergency extraction every year.
Poorly designed ones, without safety features designed to prevent them from getting lost or stuck in them, can lead to pain rather than ecstasy.