Cincy Chic - Let's Talk about Sex

Let's Talk about Sex

Written by Emily Terbrueggen, on 28-12-2009 10:58

Let's Talk about Sex
Three little letters, one big topic — especially for women. See how this local business owner spices up relationships all over the country and promotes women's sexual health awareness.

Not too long ago the thought of openly discussing intimate relationships and the use of bedroom toys was unheard of! Nowadays, adult sex toy parties are seen as a fun social event to chat with your girlfriends while purchasing items to get you and your significant other in the mood for love. But without the record-breaking efforts of Patty Brisben, founder and CEO of Pure Romance, the industry might not be where it is today.

Cincinnati-based Pure Romance is an in-home party company for intimate products, and Brisben has taken the company from its humble beginnings in a Montgomery-area residential basement to its current nationwide and international success. "I just want to be able to remove that stigma with sexual health. I want to give people permission to enjoy that part of life and it not be taboo," Brisben says.

As a mother of four and as a divorcee, Brisben was working as a medical assistant in a pediatrician's office in the early '80s when she caught an episode of the "Phil Donahue Show" covering the topic of in-house bedroom toy parties marketed toward women. Brisben found that she identified with these women, and after discovering that one of her girlfriends had actually attended one of these parties and loved it, Brisben immediately signed up to become a distributor.

After working for 10 very successful years in the intimate product business, the company that employed Brisben folded. She took this opportunity to strike out on her own and start her own company from the basement of her home. Now, almost 17 years later, Pure Romance has more than 40,000 consultants and operates out of a 47,000-square-foot building in Loveland.

But Pure Romance is not only about sexy bedroom goodies. Brisben is devoted to providing a place for women to discuss not only intimacy but sexual health. "It was never about the sale of a product. It was about having a safe environment for women to come together to ask questions and network with one another and find out more about themselves, their relationships, their bodies and how to take better care of themselves," Brisben says.

Brisben serves as a national ambassador for women's sexual health and has created several sexual health programs such as the "Sensuality, Sexuality, Survival!" program. The mission of the program is to "help women recapture their sensual and sexual selves through education, empowerment and safe product offerings designed specifically for women following cancer diagnosis and treatment." Another program, "The 'Naked Truth' College Tour," caters to students on college campuses across the country. And in 2006, Brisben founded the Patty Brisben Foundation, a charitable non-profit organization geared toward benefitting causes directly related to women and sexual health. In the New Year, look out for events such as "Pink in the Rink" and the foundation's Fourth Annual Fundraising Gala — "Evening in Monte Carlo."

To learn more about Pure Romance, visit the Web site at PureRomance.com. And keep an eye out for Brisben's biweekly "Ask Patty" column at CincyChic.com.

PHOTO CREDITS

Photo courtesy of Patty Brisben

Emily Terbrueggen
		About the author:
		Emily Terbrueggen is Cincy Chic’s editorial intern. Send her an e-mail at eterbrueggen@cincychic.com.
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