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Gross Double Standard! Men Using Sextech Elicit Stronger Disgust Ratings Than Do Women.

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Title: Gross Double Standard! Men Using Sextech Elicit Stronger Disgust Ratings Than Do Women.
Authors: Williams, Madison E., Petruzzello, Gabriella, O'Sullivan, Lucia F.
Source: Journal of Sex Research. Feb2026, Vol. 63 Issue 2, p161-168. 8p.
Subjects: Vibrators (Massage), Aversion, Stigmatization, Social attitudes, Sex toys
Abstract: Use of vibrators and more advanced forms of sextech is increasingly common, yet remains stigmatized. Disgust, an emotion linked to social attitudes and sexual norm violations, may contribute to this stigma. However, research has yet to examine perceptions of sextech use as disgusting, or how these perceptions vary by gender. To address this, we tested whether: H1) men's sextech use is rated as more disgusting than women's; H2) disgust increases with the humanlikeness of the device; and H3) women report greater disgust than men across scenarios. Results from a survey (n = 371) revealed that men were viewed as more disgusting than were women when depicted as using sextech. Additionally, disgust levels varied depending on the device depicted, with sex toy use eliciting the least disgust and sex robot use the most. Across all items, women participants reported higher disgust than did men. These findings provide the first evidence of a sexual double standard penalizing men for sextech use, and that sextech use is viewed as more disgusting as it becomes more humanlike. These findings advance work promoting integration of technology and acceptance and normalization of varied sexual behaviors as they become increasingly incorporated into people's sex lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Sex Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Gross Double Standard! Men Using Sextech Elicit Stronger Disgust Ratings Than Do Women.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Williams%2C+Madison+E%2E%22">Williams, Madison E.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Petruzzello%2C+Gabriella%22">Petruzzello, Gabriella</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22O'Sullivan%2C+Lucia+F%2E%22">O'Sullivan, Lucia F.</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Sex+Research%22">Journal of Sex Research</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 63 Issue 2, p161-168. 8p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Vibrators+%28Massage%29%22">Vibrators (Massage)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Aversion%22">Aversion</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stigmatization%22">Stigmatization</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+attitudes%22">Social attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sex+toys%22">Sex toys</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Use of vibrators and more advanced forms of sextech is increasingly common, yet remains stigmatized. Disgust, an emotion linked to social attitudes and sexual norm violations, may contribute to this stigma. However, research has yet to examine perceptions of sextech use as disgusting, or how these perceptions vary by gender. To address this, we tested whether: H1) men's sextech use is rated as more disgusting than women's; H2) disgust increases with the humanlikeness of the device; and H3) women report greater disgust than men across scenarios. Results from a survey (n = 371) revealed that men were viewed as more disgusting than were women when depicted as using sextech. Additionally, disgust levels varied depending on the device depicted, with sex toy use eliciting the least disgust and sex robot use the most. Across all items, women participants reported higher disgust than did men. These findings provide the first evidence of a sexual double standard penalizing men for sextech use, and that sextech use is viewed as more disgusting as it becomes more humanlike. These findings advance work promoting integration of technology and acceptance and normalization of varied sexual behaviors as they become increasingly incorporated into people's sex lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Sex Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/00224499.2025.2586748
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 8
        StartPage: 161
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Vibrators (Massage)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Aversion
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Stigmatization
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sex toys
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Gross Double Standard! Men Using Sextech Elicit Stronger Disgust Ratings Than Do Women.
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            NameFull: Williams, Madison E.
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            NameFull: Petruzzello, Gabriella
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            NameFull: O'Sullivan, Lucia F.
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            – D: 01
              M: 02
              Text: Feb2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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