By Abhya Adlakha
19-Sep-2024
In the heart of India, a country known for its rich traditions and sometimes conservative views, a revolution is quietly unfolding in the realm of sexual wellness. At the forefront of this cultural shift stands MyMuse, India's first bedroom essentials brand, co-founded by the dynamic husband-wife duo, Anushka and Sahil Gupta.
Launched in 2021, MyMuse has rapidly emerged as a beacon of change in India's sexual wellness landscape. The brand offers a curated range of high-quality, well-designed products for intimate spaces, coupled with informative and relatable content. But MyMuse is more than just a product line—it's a movement to normalize and destigmatize conversations around pleasure and intimacy in a society where such topics have long been taboo.
In this exclusive interview, Anushka Gupta sat down with GlobalSpa to delve into the journey of MyMuse, the challenges they've faced, and their vision for the future of sexual wellness in India.
What inspired you to start MyMuse in a traditionally conservative market like India?
Anushka: The inspiration came from our own experiences. Back in 2018, when Sahil and I were ideating, we realized that sexual wellness was an area of life that had always been taboo in our culture. We were a young couple, and we noticed a significant gap in the market for good-quality intimate products. They were either non-existent or extremely hard to come by and often felt sketchy. We believed that just like us, thousands of other couples or individuals must be seeking better products and experiences.
To us, it went beyond just sex. We call our industry "sexual wellness" or "intimate wellness" because it truly is about having a healthy connection with your body and your partner.
So, our thinking was, that this is such a normal, natural part of life. Why isn’t there a company tackling it head-on, giving people the opportunity to enhance this important area of their lives with the best possible products, content, and information?
And that’s why we just went for it!
How do you navigate the cultural and legal sensitivities while marketing these intimate products?
Anushka: We were very aware that we were among the first brands to really do this in India. We were the first to take sexual wellness or intimate wellness mainstream. We realized that if others hadn’t done it, there must be a reason. And the main reason we found was fear. When something is so taboo and ingrained in people’s minds, it’s their mindset that holds them back, not the reality. We believed strongly in our mission, but we also knew we had to approach it the right way. We weren’t trying to offend people or turn them off.
We formulated our brand and approach keeping in mind the diverse opinions and contradictions in India. Our approach was to remain pared down and toned down, while still celebrating and expressing all the positive, uplifting messaging we wanted around sex.
For instance, our packaging is extremely discreet because in India, people often live in joint families. A younger person might want to explore this space but doesn't want others in the house to know. We present our products differently on our website versus on social media, adapting our brand identity to where and how we're speaking to consumers.
At our core, we don’t believe in selling sex. None of our content is explicit, because we’re not trying to offend anyone. The goal is to give curious people the means to explore something new for themselves or with their partner, and you don’t have to be vulgar to do that.
Legally, it's a gray area. The laws focus on obscenity and explicit marketing. But since our approach is the opposite of that, we'd be defensible in any court of law. Our products, from how they look and feel to how they're marketed, are discreet and tasteful.
You mentioned education and awareness-building. How are you involved in initiatives beyond your products that focus on educating consumers?
Anushka: Education and creating high-quality, honest, and reliable content have always been a huge part of our brand identity and mission.
Before we even launched MyMuse, when we were just brainstorming, our initial idea was to create a content platform. Sahil and I thought about building an online space where Indians could access information written by Indians, discussing all the nuances of sex, psychology, and more. But then we realized that alone wasn’t enough to create a sustainable business model, so we coupled that with a gap we saw in the product market.
We dedicate a lot of resources to education and awareness, and everything is created in-house. From the content on social media to the original games, books, and other products we sell—all of it is researched, conceptualized, written, and designed by our team.
On our website, we build additional content like blogs, newsletters, and free downloadable guides, all designed to address real issues. We also invite our community to share their questions, which we personally respond to. We've accumulated years of data and experience by speaking to thousands of people across the country, allowing us to address real questions and concerns.
How have you seen attitudes towards sex and sexual wellness evolve in India? Do you think we have a long way to go, or have we made significant progress?
Anushka: I think we've already come a long way. Even when we launched MyMuse in 2021, we were only able to do so because of the progress that had already been made. Indian social media, OTT content, and most importantly, Indians themselves were becoming more open to discussing topics like sex, homosexuality, open relationships, dating culture, and hookup culture.
We've been pleasantly surprised by how many Indians, not just from urban metros but also from tier-two and tier-three cities, are buying our products. In fact, 20% of our orders come from tier-three markets, which is incredible.
That being said, there's still a long way to go. The negative effects of sexual repression, like rape cases, sexual violence, and domestic violence, are still prevalent. While that's separate from our products, these issues stem from deep-rooted attitudes and beliefs about sex and relationships. As a brand, our goal is to help improve the way people think about their own pleasure and empower them to take control of their bodies and relationships.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of building your brand? Or perhaps, the most challenging?
Anushka: The most rewarding part is genuinely hearing from our customers. It's incredible when someone says, "Your product helped me have an orgasm for the first time," or "I didn't know my body could feel this way until I used one of your products." Hearing these things is so impactful. It's a tangible change we're making in people's lives, and that's incredibly rewarding.
As for challenges, navigating the restrictions around selling our products is tough. We face difficulties with marketing, especially with platforms like Meta and Google, where adult products are still restricted. It's not an issue with Indian law, but rather these global platforms that make it challenging to advertise, even though we're doing it in a safe, responsible way.
It's amazing that you and Sahil are running this business together. How do you balance being both business partners and married, especially living in the same house?
Anushka: Our approach has always been complete transparency and honesty. We have a lot of respect for each other's work and opinions, and while we think differently and have different strengths, that actually works in our favor. We're not stepping on each other's toes because we handle different parts of the business, but we still learn a lot from each other.
Balancing work and life is tough, whether or not you're working with your partner. But in a way, working together has made it easier for us. We're always on the same page, so we don't have to catch each other up on how our day went. We know exactly what's going on. It allows us to decide when to continue work discussions over dinner and when to switch off and focus on personal time.
Lastly, if you had to define sexual wellness in one word for yourself, what would it be?
Anushka: For me, sexual wellness is all about exploration. It's deeply personal, and it's about exploring what works for you. It's also about continuously rediscovering and evolving your relationship with your body and your partner over time. As you grow, those relationships change, and it's important to keep exploring and redefining what sexual wellness means to you. It's a lifelong journey, and with an open mind, it can be a really beautiful one.
