Sex in a Bad Economy 

With the stock market in peril, big brother style bailouts, and thousands upon thousands of Americans losing their jobs and homes, finding a silver lining in this dismal situation is less probable than your yearly bonus.

But a crazy thing happened when the entire world’s economy came tumbling down last month; people got their love thang on. Turns out sex is a lot cheaper than dinner and a movie, divorce or therapy, which who could afford now anyway?

While not exactly rocket science, economic downturns have a decided effect on people’s sense of selves, and more interestingly perhaps, their sense of sexual pleasure. Historically speaking, hard times fan our romantic flames, bringing couples closer together, or back together, much like was seen after the attacks of 9/11.

That said, it’s should come as no surprise then that with the influx of layoffs, many people are (re)turning to their partners for physical comfort and familiarity. Long heralded as one of the best anxiety reducers out there, the physical benefits of sex are staggering. From boosting your immune system to maintaining a healthy weight to the apropos advantages of lower blood pressure and overall stress reduction, there’s no time like the crummy present to knock boots. But this, according to sex educator Dr. Ruth, presents a conundrum of sorts.

In a Forbes.com commentary entitled “Sexual Recession,” Dr. Ruth warned that people anxious about diminishing investments or “looming pink slips should turn their attention to a side effect of the present economic tsunami: the way it's washing away the love lives of couples caught up in the rushing waters. Stress, depression and anxiety all wreak havoc on the libido.”

Aquatic allegory aside, some people are so tense over layoffs that they can’t even get aroused enough to have the sex that might actually de-stress them. Ahh, nothing like a catch-22 to get the blood pumping to nowhere in particular.

However frivolous recession sex might seem to the denizens of families and businesses filing for bankruptcy, the radical truth remains that sex is somewhat recession proof. Take erotic toy and lingerie business Babeland, for example, whose sales for the week of September 29 were up 25 percent over last year, and up 12 percent the following week. Quoted from an October 16 New York Times featured blog, Babeland co-founder Claire Cavanah remarked on her company’s impressive yield: “The same thing happened after 9/11, when our business also soared. I think we’re recession-proof because sex accessories are an inexpensive luxury.” Call it the “Lipstick Index.” Or as the Times puts it, “that frivolous financial barometer that says cosmetics sales rise in direct relation to free-falling finances.”

But while business may be booming at specialty sex shops, specialty sex stars are taking a hit, and not the type they’re paid for. According to 24-year-old adult film star Annie Cruz, the economy has dealt a decent size blow to the industry, which, in turn, has scaled back on productions and shootings. Said Cruz, “I hate to say it, but on some shoots talent isn’t even being paid, and I’ve heard about checks bouncing lately too.”

And the films that are being produced are of the decidedly more “conventional” variety. Having worked in porn for the past five years, the last four of which were spent exclusively at Kink.com, “the world's leading producer of BDSM and fetish content,” Cruz has noticed other changes to her work environment: Certain companies are opting to shoot “traditional” films, which require only two actors, over racier type scenes, which require more actors and “extra” adventurous behaviors, thus incurring higher costs. “I don’t think the market is necessarily demanding conventional porn, but scenes like that are cheaper to produce,” acknowledged Cruz. “You would think people would be buying more porn in hard economic times like these to sort of distract them from their troubles, but things are so slow that people aren’t really buying.”

Probably because they’re downloading like crazy, those cheeky little buggers.

But Cruz does touch on a larger sexual trend. When the economy falters, people tend to express their sexuality by increasingly traditional means. Britain’s largest Catholic newspaper, The Catholic Herald, took stock of this phenomenon in a November 14 article, citing its parallel functions vis-à-vis the more infamous Lipstick Index. Anecdotally speaking, the article suggested, “As the country moves into a recession, the pews in churches seem to be a bit fuller. People put less into the collection, but [the parish priest] noticed that they are lighting a lot more candles.”

When times are tough, the tendency leans toward the familiar. This return to more “traditional” values, including ideas centered on family and religiosity and piety are a consequence of people’s fears of an uncertain future. Which would all seem okay enough, if not for the fact that a large contingent of people are being shoved to the wayside in the name family mores and faith. Or should I say, in spite of them.

With the passing of Prop 8 in California, along with a slew of other anti-gay propositions (and sentiment) voted for across the country, LGBTQI individuals have found themselves being denied the same creature comforts their fellow citizens are clinging to. Blatant discrimination aside (however pat that may sound), not allowing some, and thus more, people to marry doesn’t make much financial sense.

But more on that later.