The Weinfly Abormination of Mixing White Wine with Energy Drink Ingredients
On every fair, there are exhibitors which are just (hilariously) odd. The first I stumbled upon is Hyla. Hyla is a German vacuum cleaner manufacturer which is sold through network marketing. So one of their distributors in Berlin thought “What are house wives who are trying to immerse themselves in erotic and sexy feelings looking for? A vacuum cleaner which just costs 2.300€ – technically bargain compared to some of the sex dolls offered just across the aisle!” Their self-claimed USPs have long been debunked by product testers and scientists. But the Venus being a sex fair, I approached them with a real life kinkster problem: Can this vacuum clean wax, the most annoying part of wax play. It sadly cannot, but you can clean your windows it…
Overpriced Vacuum Cleaner – The Dream of Every Housewife on a Sex Trade Show
The second one way Weinfly, the Frankensteinian cuvée of white wine and energy drinks. Looking at the empty cans throughout the fair, energy drinks seemed to be the drink of choice, at least for the younger males. Since wineries are challenged by wine getting out of fashion and young people generally speaking prioritizing health and performance by cutting down on alcohol and drinking more energy drinks, they have to find new ways to sell they products. Apparently adding sugar (!), aromas (!!), guarana, taurin and coffin to a cheap white wine, carbonating (!!!) it and selling it for 6,66€ a liter is the way to go. I don’t want to be cultural pessimist but if that is the cure to the ailing wine industry, I would rather take the cup of hemlock instead of the healing potion.
Final Thoughs
The Venus visit was a deep dive into a sexual culture very different to the ones I know and participate in. Like all cultures, it follows a unique set of norms and rules. What looked to me like consent violations and objectifications are probably ok or even expected there, like the safe space we are exploring our darker and forbidden kink fantasies. Part of kink culture is learning where such things are appropriate and have to stay in these safe spaces. Hopefully the Venus visitors have the same knowledge when they leave the fair.
What surprised me was the “look and not touch” atmosphere. Most of the people were obviously horny but nobody was jerking off or having sex in the bathrooms. This might be the gay attitude talking, but I find it a bit unsatisfying to see what I can have without being able to execute. Again, very different culture which is very weird to me.
There must have been at least one Gay (?) Puppy at Venus this Year
The many different shows and photo opportunities in my opinion justify the ticket price for (horny) straight (guys). Compared to straight strip clubs let alone swinger or sauna clubs the ticket price is dead cheap with even cheaper beverage prices. The vendors showcase an interesting intersection of how to improve your intimacy, from mild impulses to wild rides. If you are vanilla and need inspiration or an overview what is possible, the Venus is a good place for getting an overview what sex life has to offer. Though for this group of people I would recommend coming early when the fair is not too busy. For gays and seasoned kinksters, it is interesting to see. It is a bit like taking the observer role some curious straight people do during Folsom Europe. But there is not so much to do and see that I would endorse a visit. If you are not there for the shows or to have a picture taken with your favorite cam girl, you can tour the Venus in about 1½ for which the ticket price is a bit steep.
For me personally, despite this culture shock, it was interesting to see now industry developments, talk to professionals and get to know kink toy makers who was not aware off yet. If I am in Germany next year, I will definitively try to get a press pass again and see what has changed and what trends will rock people getting their rocks off.
Part I: An Expo Review – Part II: The Cool – Part III: The (Non-)Trendy – Part IV: The Challenging
