From schnitzel to Korean tacos, you can find almost anything at New York food trucks. But next weekend, one new truck will offer something that even New Yorkers may find out of the ordinary.
The Trojan "Good Vibrations" truck will be traveling around Manhattan and Brooklyn on Thursday, July 28, and Friday, July 29, to promote sexual health awareness by showcasing Trojan's line of vibrators.
The truck will be handing out free Trojan Her Pleasure condoms and giving away Trojan Vibrating Rings. They'll also be offering the first five "pleasure-seekers" to check in on Facebook the chance to win a Trojan vibrator. And in an effort to truly connect with young people, they're busting out the iPads and letting people take a "What's Your Vibe" quiz, which they say will match participants with their perfect Trojan Vibrations product.
Sexual health educator Dr. Logan Levkoff, who will be interviewing sexual health and relationship personalities on the bus, said she is hoping to normalize the conversation around vibrators in a fun and healthy way.
“Those of us who work in the world of sexuality and sexual health have been wanting to have this kind of public dialogue for a long time,” she said. “Sex and sexuality aren’t dirty words, they aren’t a bad thing. It’s such an important part of who we are and part of our overall health.”
Some of the truck stops include Off the Wagon near Washington Square Park and The Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn. The truck will be wrapping up its New York roadtrip at the tip of Long Island in the resort town of Montauk on Saturday.
Levkoff said they specifically chose locations where lots of young adults spend time with friends and are already talking about sex and relationships.
Fifty-three percent of women and 45 percent of men between the ages of 18 and 60 have used a vibrator during sexual interaction, according to a survey by Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University commissioned by Trojan. And 90 percent of women who have used vibrators agreed that vibrator use can enhance a woman's relationship with her partner.
The stats are there, but still many people feel uncomfortable talking so openly about the topic. Levkoff said she anticipates some people will be nervous to approach the truck in public, but it's her job to let them know it's okay to talk about the subject in a fun and positive way.
“The fact that it’s a ‘Trojan food truck’ I think is going to be enough to make people say, ‘What on earth is that?’ and draw people in," she said. "I’m hoping that broaching this conversation is going to be easier than most people anticipate, because this is really an entertaining way of having a conversation about something that is often portrayed as super clinical and scary or completely gratuitous, and this is nowhere near those two extremes."