GIGI GOES GAGA

THE SEX INDEX?

First there was the Hemline Index, then the Lipstick Indicator. More recently we've seen the Nail Polish Effect and the Necktie Index. Even bra sales recently pointed the way, it seems. But now the latest consumer category to lay bare signs of our economic condition is, literally, a much sexier one.

Consumer behavior changes accordingly as confidence in the economy falls, we've seen that time and time again. For instance, I'll still part with $25 for a luxury lipstick or limited-edition nail polish occasionally (although I'll give it way more thought than I used to), but I haven't purchased a bag or pair of shoes in a while. Still I have to admit that I was a bit surprised when I read that sex toy sales have boomed as a result of this bust.

According to the online sex toy distributor quoted in the CNBC article published last Thursday, “At a time when unemployment is high and bank account balances are low, people are passing the time by getting busy." I suppose it helps that with more people unemployed, there's more time for couples to spend together; after all, one can only update and send out resumes for so long until feeling disheartened and weary. And when one's spouse or partner is also homebound from being unemployed, there's not enough funds in the piggy bank to dine out or watch a movie (around $10.75 per person in my neck of the woods!). So what do you do?

At least, that's the theory. My guess is that because you can now buy your pack of condoms or vibrator along with, say, your beach read and sunscreen at Amazon.com, doing so is just not as daunting a task as it used to be. Once upon a time, it would require a drive to the nearest sex store (which usually was not just around the street corner, depending on where you lived) or remembering to clear your internet browser history when you searched for "sex toy online stores." And while friends and associates may not necessarily give you a gift certificate to The Pleasure Chest or Good Vibrations, they have absolutely no idea how you'd spend your Amazon gift card (my former boss sure doesn't know what I did with his Christmas present to me -- thankfully).

In other words, I'm wondering if, once again, sex has benefited from technology, more than from the faltering economy. We can go down the list of all new technologies from the past couple of centuries and discover how sex was always right at the forefront. For instance, many early filmmakers tantalized audiences with depictions of sexuality until government censorship came into the picture. And even if online shopping has been around for a long time, there are considerably more places to shop on the internet now. I still remember when I certainly wouldn't have looked for lube at a bookseller site!

Whatever the reasons may be for this sales surge, it's clear that sex sells -- always has, always will. Even when not much else does, apparently.

Note: You know the Swedish product that Stefan Dallakian of Paris Intimates describes in the CNBC article as “the Bentley of vibrators at the price of a well-equipped Hyundai"? I'll spare you the research: It's this brand, I bet. You can take it from this gal who remembers what it was like when it wasn't so easy to shop for a little self-satisfaction.

DARWIN AND ME

I graduated with two degrees: fashion merchandise marketing and journalism (newspaper emphasis). Looking at the US economy as it stands today, I realize that it appears, on the surface at least, I might have doomed myself to failure. Retailers are shuttering left and right, apparel designers are now sticking to safe basics, and newspapers are fighting tooth-and-nail to survive.

The truth is that when I was at that age when I was supposed to figure out what I wanted to do with my life I assumed that people would always buy clothes and read newspapers. For as long as I can remember, I've loved fashion and was intoxicated by the written word. So when it was time to decide, I couldn't pick just one, and I chose to do both. Today, I'm in neither field -- in fact, I'm so, so far away from any career I once thought I'd have. If it weren't for this blog, I wouldn't even be writing at all (which is the only reason I still maintain it after all these years).

Still I'm grateful because I have a job to go to every day, one that I enjoy, one that I get paid for. And when I think about why I'm good at what I do, it's precisely because of everything I learned while working on those degrees and the experience I had in the newspaper and retail industries. For instance, I know how to manage my time well, think on my feet, focus on customer service, communicate clearly, move fast, type faster, and work with all kinds of people. Nothing was ever wasted.

I don't know if I'll be doing what I now do forever. One day, I hope to get paid (perhaps even well) for writing and editing again, and maybe find some use for my lifelong passion for fashion and beauty. At the rate the world is changing, I wouldn't be surprised if I get to do both in a way I can't even imagine at this moment. The trick, I suspect, is to pay keen attention to details and shifts, latch on to opportunities, but know when to let go and keep moving.

Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory might still be controversial to some, but his words ring true in the life I've had thus far:

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

If Darwin is right, despite these challenging times, I think I'm going to be just fine.

LIPS TELL NO LIES

I stopped by the nearest Sephora today and was literally stopped in my tracks by a line to the cash register snaking almost all the way to the entrance. My immediate thought: maybe they're giving away free stuff (next thought: I want me some of that!). But I observed the folks both in the queue and behind the cash wrap and didn't notice anything unusual. No coupons, no secret passwords, and certainly no free stuff.

Shrugging my shoulders, I walked over to the NARS aisle to pick up a tube of lipstick in the newest shade, Canaille (a sheer, shimmering mahogany -- in case anyone cares to know). I'd been searching for it since the holiday collection hit the stores, to no avail. It's been out of stock everywhere I've been -- just as it was here now again. I wrinkled my nose: what recession has everyone been talking about all year? Could there possibly be one when folks seem to have no qualms about purchasing a $24 tube of lipstick? (OK, I'm not exactly flush with cash, but you all probably know by now that I'd go without food for a day if it meant I could buy something I coveted at the cosmetics section.)

And then I remembered that lipstick sales have commonly been interpreted as an economic indicator: when they go up, the economy is down. Makes a bit of sense to me: if I'd lost half my fortune and could no longer afford to buy a Chanel bag for $3,000+, for instance, I'd probably still be able to pay less than 30 bucks for a tube of their lipstick. And anyway, as for me, a swipe of color on my lips can usually brighten up my morning -- and more importantly, my smile. With the way things are going around here, the only thing I can really do is simply grin and bear it. Might as well look pretty doing it.