ASOS is the first major retailer with a young customer base to add an erotic line, prompting people to shake their fists at the sky and curse Fifty Shades of Grey... and then open a new browser tab to check it out.
The store, normally known for high-waisted shorts and dresses with so many cutouts they give new meaning to "special snowflake," will offer its first line of erotic accessories this fall with collars, handcuffs, kitty headbands (which are bondage exactly how?) and nipple tassels. Ladies looking to experiment will have their choice of gold or black sequins and everything ties up — and easily comes undone — with wide ribbon. They are all priced accordingly for people who are probably still working entry-level jobs.
But for anyone getting tied up in knots over the kids, the "teasewear" also comes with a sexual education campaign called — and I swear I'm not making this up — Ladies Come First. The designers say they worry that only 30 percent of women report having an orgasm during sex and so the campaign will offer educational materials, tips, tricks and a place for girls to ask questions about safe and satisfying sex. (And also how to get the tassels to swing in opposite directions at the same time.)
"This campaign gives us the opportunity to get some basic principles laid down right at the beginning of young people's sexual journeys," say Sophie and Alice Holloway, the sisters behind the new line. "We don't believe all porn is bad but it's certainly not how you should be learning about sex. Ignoring problems won't make them go away — you have to be the antidote."
ASOS, for their part, says the promotion of good sexual habits was a driving force in deciding to take on the line, adding that it's all in good fun. And honestly, after seeing the line, it feels more like my preschooler's dress-up clothes — sparkly wristbands are so Evil Queen! — than anything meant to inflict pain.
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