Tuesday, Jan 13, 2009    Text size: 

Mike Alvear, host of HBO's show “The Sex Inspectors” has made five predictions about sex in the coming year, and they point toward a bad economy that will force people to find more to do at home due to a bad economy.

“Call it recession sex,” he said. “If you're coupled, you're going to spend more time at home and at some point that TV's got to be turned off. The nesting impulse will increase your resting pulse. That's the good news. The bad? As discretionary income goes down, indiscretions go up. Oops. If you're single, you'll have the time but not the money to fritter away at bars. You won't wait for the last-call yard sale so you'll probably lower the bar to increase your odds.”

Alvear invoked porn pioneer Larry Flynt in his appraisal of the adult industry’s chances in 2009.

“Larry Flynt once said, ‘There are two kinds of people who oppose porn. Those who don't know what they're talking about and those who don't know what they're missing,’” Alvear said, arguing that the mainstream of adult entertainment will continue on its current trajectory. The worlds of art, fashion and media will all feel a growing influence from adult entertainment.

The coming year will also see a change in the world of online dating, Alvear said. As noted in a previous XBIZ story, paid online dating sites are feeling pressure from free dating sites as the economy tanks and consumers seek out cheaper ways to connect with people.

"It's like they've been working a corner for years and now some hussy's going to do the job for free," he said. "Oh, my."

Along this theme, Alvear also noted that the ever-increasing sophistication of interactive sex toys will help cash-strapped consumers stay occupied in the grim economy. In particular, Alvear praised the SaSi vibrator.

"Safe sex is not a padded headboard, but it is programmable," he said. "Take the SaSi vibrator. It's a sort of iTunes dildo — it remembers your favorite vibrations so you can play them later. Make it go left, right and a little to the side and it'll 'record' the vibrational combinations, releasing you from, well, all that hard work."

For more information, visit MichaelAlvear.com.