Study On The Urban Sexual Consumption Space Under The Transformation Of Sexual Attitudes

Nowadays, it is the transition period of socialism with Chinese characteristics, with a transformation of economy, society and culture, as well as the dramatic changes in sexual attitudes. Through the research of the sex shop, a marginal space, from the space to the concept and then to the society, this paper aims to examine the contemporary sexual attitudes of Chinese society. In the perspective of space, this study carried on a qualitative research on eight sex shops in Shanghai, mainly used semi-interview and observation method. It analyses the spatial characteristics of the two different types of sex shops in the city and the sexual attitudes behind the space. Thereby, it further explores the social significance of the sex shop and its social impact. Here are the several findings:Firstly, the suburban-style sex shop is a morbid sexual consumption space. The spatial features include marginalized space, weakening and privatization of space, and no-gender and interactive space. However, the downtown-style sex shop is a sexual consumption space with diverse sex existence. It has a wide range of spatial presentations and diversified interactive means. Service and quality is paid more attention to in such a space, at the same time, it has a pluralistic consumption subject and possibility of diverse sexual practices.Secondly, two different types of sexual supplies consumption space reflect different sexual attitudes. The suburban-style sex shop (Adult Health Store) is a kind of medical-oriented sexual space. It is a morbid sexual presentation and a reproduction of disease space. While the downtown-style sex shop holds a hedonism doctrine that sex is pleasure, advocating the sexual pleasure and the pursuit of sexual rights in today’s individualized era.Thirdly, as a social environment, sex shop is the only legitimate public sexual consumption space in the contemporary China, however, it could not get away from the fact that it is in the gray area between legal and illegal. In addition, the discussion that whether the sex shop is a symbol of sexual liberation or sexual inhibition is a complicated and reflective problem. It includes the discussion of the stigma of purchase sex, the relation between the sex shops and masculinity crisis, and the further academic study between the discipline and control function of the sex shop as a sexual institution and the use of sex toys as a kind of "independent sex".