Fall into some much needed self-care this autumn! Read our simple, yet powerful guide to tuning into you this season.
Womanizer is taking a stand after NASCAR rejected its request to sponsor a driver for the 2025 racing season. While NASCAR has previously welcomed brands related to male sexual health, such as VIAGRA, ExtenZe, and GAINSWave, it has drawn the line at a women’s sexual wellness brand—highlighting a troubling double standard.
As an advocate for female empowerment, Womanizer was eager to join NASCAR to offer a women’s-centric brand in the sport. Despite discussions with NASCAR that emphasized the brand’s premium status and assurance that no sex toy would appear on the race car, NASCAR ultimately declined.
“This isn’t just about one sponsorship rejection; this is about addressing a larger cultural bias,” said Verena Singmann, Head of PR for Womanizer. “Women’s sexual wellness is a legitimate industry that plays a positive role in self-confidence and connection. If NASCAR has previously accepted brands that cater to men’s intimacy and performance, why is female pleasure where they draw the line?”
NASCAR has a history of approving sponsorships that normalize male sexuality, yet it sidelines women’s sexual wellness. VIAGRA was a major NASCAR sponsor in the early 2000s, and as recently as 2022, GAINSWave, an erectile dysfunction treatment, appeared as a co-sponsor. “VIAGRA was a sponsor nearly 20 years ago, which shows how long male-centric pleasure has been culturally acceptable, while women’s pleasure is still highly stigmatized,” says Singmann.
Currently, NASCAR partners with brands from alcohol, nicotine, and firearm industries. The rejection of Womanizer raises questions about where the organization chooses to draw its moral boundaries—and why women’s pleasure is considered more controversial than industries whose products carry significant health and safety risks.
However, masturbation and self-pleasure have been proven beneficial to one’s health. Orgasms have many health benefits, including the release of oxytocin which can help relieve symptoms of depression and improve sleep quality. People who masturbate also have significantly higher sexual desire, self-esteem and marital satisfaction.
In response to NASCAR’s decision, Womanizer will take over a major billboard outside Daytona International Speedway, just down the road from NASCAR’s headquarters, throughout February to highlight NASCAR’s contradictory sponsorship policies and call for change. A mobile billboard will also be traveling around Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday, February 12th for Daytona 500 Media Day to catch journalists’ attention and raise further awareness of this bias.