Sex Tech, Toys and Accessibility with Jules Margo

Listen to "Sex Tech, Toys and Accessibility with Jules Margo".

In this episode, Hannah is joined by Jules Margo, who is the co-founder and COO of Hot Octopuss, a sex toy company that champions inclusivity and accessibility in their products and marketing. Jules discusses sex toy technology and development, and some of the exciting things happening in the sex toy industry. She and Hannah talk about the intersection of disability and sexuality as well as Hot Octopuss’s focus on accessibility in their sex toys. Finally, Hannah and Jules discuss how COVID-19 has affected sex toy sales, long distance relationships, and people getting into solo kink, and answer some of your questions from Instagram about toy recommendations, how to clean your sex toys, and whether more expensive sex toys are really worth it.

Read the episode transcript here!

SHOW NOTES

What we chat about…

What is Hot Octopuss and how and why did it come to be?
Where the idea for the Guybrator came from
Have disability and accessibility continued to be a part of how Hot Octopuss develop new proucts?
Hot Octopuss seeking out customer feedback
Working with a senior sex consultant
Sex toy audience demographics
The intention behind Hot Octopuss’s brand identity
Was Jules always interested in sex toys and sex technology? What made her say yes when her business partner came to her with the idea?
The rise in sex toy sales during the pandemic
Different attitudes to male and female masturbation
Why does Jules think stigma exists around male masturbation? (17:30)
Whether Jules initially felt conflicted about the change in her career
A life-changing letter from a Hot Octopuss customer
The importance of sexual satisfaction for mental and physical health
My partner and I are both women, wheelchair users, no use of legs. Best toys to climax together? (25:00)
Best way to clean your sex toys? (25:53)
Can you get less expensive but still good quality toys or do I just have to save? (26:25)
The term “power queen”
Has Jules noticed any general trends in the sex toy industry over the last ten years? Is there a most popular toy each year? (28:42)
What is the process of developing sex toys? (32:20)
When do Hot Octopuss come with the names for their sex toys?
Jules’s future predictions for the sex toy industry and sex technology
Are there any sex toys that can be controlled from far away (for people in long distance relationships)?
Suggestions for someone looking to spice up their solo sex routine? (39:48)
The growing interest in kink during lockdown

USEFUL LINKS

Hot Octopuss: https://www.hotoctopuss.com/
Joan Price, senior sex therapist and writer: https://joanprice.com/
Lovehoney UK*: http://tinyurl.com/y35behcz
Lovehoney US*: http://tinyurl.com/y282evon
Hot Octopuss’s kink blog: https://www.hotoctopuss.com/category/kink/

MORE ABOUT JULES MARGO AND HOT OCTOPUSS

Julia Margo co-founded the premium British company Hot Octopuss in 2011 with her good friend, Adam Lewis. As Chief Operating Officer, Julia directs Hot Octopuss’s marketing department and leads its public relations team. Her expertise stems from roles in top UK organisations including the think tank Demos, the consumer group Which? and the medical research charity Genesis Research Trust.

She is also a published author on social change, wellbeing and consumer issues.

Jules lives in London with her 3 children.