Episode 027

Life after Launch: Sexual Health Innovation with Jude Glover

Dr. Glover is an educator, a leading researcher on sexual pleasure and access for people with disabilities, and a designer who has been innovating in the sex toy industry for over three decades. She is a wealth of knowledge taking us through the history of women with “hysteria”, to sex toys dictated by the porn industry, to today where the internet has enabled people to find their niche customers and the sex toy market has grown to imagine options far beyond phallic representative dildos. Originally a metal worker, Dr. Glover transitioned into industrial design after recognizing a significant gap in the market for well-researched, thoughtfully designed sex toys. She discusses how the industry has long overlooked this need and how the landscape might have been different if companies like Braun or Apple had engaged with it. Our conversation explores how societal discomfort and restrictive attitudes toward sexuality, women, the queer community, and people with disabilities have hindered the development of products that meet their needs, and how much we stand to gain by addressing these gaps.

Show Notes:

• Vibrator Nation by Lynn Comella