本文回顧1970年代在美國的女性主義「性戰爭」以及後來發展以女性為導向的性用品商店，繼而探討於英美學術圈已有研究的「女性為本」（Female-oriented）性用品零售模式。曾有學者批評此模式強調順性別生理女性情慾商品化和高檔化，本文提供「女性為本」性用品零售模式在香港的案例研究。以過往商業例子作對比，觀察現時營運的「女性友善」（Female-friendly）性商店裝潢、柱狀按摩棒及震動器採購與加工包裝、以及性商店在不同年代在大眾媒體的曝光，我將提出女性為本的「女性友善」概念性用品業務的年代發展，闡述其與港英殖民與「女性友善」消費品味之關係，以及所研究對象與《淫褻及不雅物品管制條例》之間的拉鋸、矛盾與策略，提供一個東亞地區的實況與對照。 我在個案研究如下：1）追跡2000年以來媒體對性用品與女性為本性商店的受歡迎程度增長； 2）比較2000年代與2010年代之間以女性為本的性用品商店發展差異； 3）提出港英殖民對性用品品牌採購及中產消費品味的反映； 4）探討香港性用品產業與《淫褻及不雅物品管制條例》管轄之間的矛盾、歷史與當前景況。 「女性為本」性用品商業模式能否減低觸法風險，其品牌選購對否對香港女性主義運動造成影響，以及對推廣公共（談）性空間的影響。在擁有第一身工作經驗及得到行業內部人士的支持下，本文有望透過結合多元方法，運用英語、中文、粵語的資料，深入研究東亞地區的「女性友善」商業模式，並尋求從消費主義、商業營運與性解放倡議之間尋求一條出路。 ;The paper first examines the Feminist Sex War in the 1970s and its impact on the emergence of women-oriented sex shops and reviews the development of the “female-friendly” sex toy retail model that has been discussed in Euro-American academia. Some scholars criticize the business model for intensifying commodification and gentrification of (cis-)female sexuality. This paper offers a case study on the female-oriented sex toy retail model in Hong Kong. By comparing closed and ongoing business examples, I pay attention to the differences in shop decoration, selection, and packaging of stick-shaped vibrators and dildos and media exposure between the 2000s and the 2010s. I point out the linkage between establishing “female-friendly” sex toy consumption, taste formation, and British coloniality and investigate the impact of the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance (COIAO) on my case study subject. The case study of Hong Kong is as follow: 1) Tracking the growth in popularity of female-friendly sex shops on media since 2000; 2) Comparing the difference between two generations of female-oriented sex shops: the 2000s and the 2010s; 3) Reviewing the British colonial influence on the sourcing and the middle-class taste construction for sex toys; and 4) Discussing the tension and difficulties between sex toy retail business and the COIAO in Hong Kong. Backed by first-hand working experience and interviews with industry insiders, the thesis hopefully offers an in-depth study on the current situation of the female-oriented sex-related business in East Asia. I attempt to seek the relation among Hong Kong feminist sex liberation advocacy, capitalist consumerism, and business-making in the female-oriented sex toy retail model. Using multi- and mixed methods in English, Chinese, and Cantonese, this paper interrogates whether the model could be a way out for the sex toy market to avoid legal complications, sustain their businesses, and expand the space of sexuality in the public sphere. The thesis ends by suggesting some angles for future research.
