Study Results Reveal Millions of Americans Are Nervous, Seeking Comfort & Still Horny

Awkward Essentials' Data Shows Americans Want to Boost Confidence as Post-Pandemic Sex Lives Thrive, Launches Bed Betch Campaign to Celebrate Comfort and Win Free Dripsticks For a Year

PR Newswire

COSTA MESA, Calif. , June 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Awkward Essentials , a personal hygiene company with the first after-sex clean up product of its kind, the dripstick, conducted a study to see how complicated America's relationship with sex and comfort is in 2021. The findings ¹ show that while sex for millions can be awkward and uncomfortable, certain shifts to pre- and post-sex rituals can ensure more satisfying experiences as Americans continue to ride the positive-pandemic-sex surge . Adding to the findings, the brand is launching a Bed Betch campaign today, which is also National Sex Day, encouraging fans to show up as nothing but themselves in the bedroom — and giving them the chance to win free products for a year.

Relax, Go Do it
Sometimes the deed has millions of Americans feeling a bit awkward:

• Freaking Out - Two in three (68%) or nearly 141 million sexually-active Americans confess that there's been at least one thing that has made them nervous before having sex.
• In fact, 80% of sexually-active Millennials and GenZers are more likely to be nervous than their older counterparts (60%).
• Women are more likely than their male counterparts to admit they felt nervous because they were lacking confidence in their body and how they felt about themselves (63% vs. 41%).
• If you're feeling sticky, you're not alone - more than 37 million confess that the after-sex mess was the source of their nervousness.
• However, many sexually-active Americans admit that the awkward parts of sex are what keeps things in the bedroom interesting or feeling new (18%).
• To keep the vibes up, more than 42 million Americans ensure they have something to clean up with after sex. (cough cough, makes sense that the Awkward Essentials dripstick went viral on TikTok recently)
• Beyond the act, nearly half - or more than 95 million - Americans confess they've felt awkward discussing certain sex topics with their partner. For more than one in three of them, they felt too awkward to dive into taboo topics like preferences (37%), frequency (37%), after-sex mess (34%) and sounds (34%).

How Americans Get Comfy
Getting comfortable and sexy isn't always about grey sweatpants. Millions of Americans look to boost their confidence before sex to combat the awkward vibes. About two in three (62%) report that they typically do at least one thing to kick their confidence into high gear before having sex:

• Savage Time - about 58% self-groom (i.e.: shaving or waxing) while 36% put on a piece of clothing that makes them feel better about themselves, such as sexy lingerie or new underwear.
• ¿¿ My Pony ¿¿ - Others attempt to set a romantic mood, as 39% have an intimate conversation, 30% kick back with an alcoholic beverage, and 19% make a sex playlist of their favorite songs.

Expectations for their partner is even higher - with three in four (74%) expecting their partner to do at least one thing before sex.

While pre-sex rituals vary, close to half (46%) of Americans who have sex stay in bed for a while to talk or cuddle afterward and one in three look to clean up the sex mess (31%) and shower (31%) while 18% stay under the covers for added comfort and only 13% will change their sheets.

Pandemic Pound Town
The baby boom this year was no joke. In the wake of the pandemic, more than 97 million sexually active Americans report that COVID-19 positively impacted their sex life. One in three asserts that the pandemic has made them more confident in their sexual relationship with their partner and allowed them to feel a deeper, more intimate connection. And across the board, many have enjoyed a more active sex life — among those who felt the positive effects of the pandemic, many report that they are having more spontaneous (30%), more frequent (29%) and more adventurous (26%) sex.

"The research confirms that although COVID lockdowns benefitted some people's sex lives, millions of Americans are still nervous about doing the deed," says Frances Tang , founder & CEO at Awkward Essentials. "The goal of Bed Betch is to let our consumers know that it's totally OK to show up as yourself in the bedroom. In fact, that's exactly what we are encouraging people to do!"

In honor of the findings, Awkward Essentials launched a new campaign called Bed Betch, encouraging people everywhere to be their true selves in (and out of) the bedroom. The Bed Betch campaign will be supported on Awkward Essentials' social media, where the brand will share these results and more throughout the month. Fans will also have the opportunity to share under-the-covers couple selfies, messy hair moments, branded reshares and more with #BedBetch for a chance to win free dripsticks for a year - ensuring comfortable sex (and post-sex snuggles!) throughout 2021 and beyond.

To learn more and to purchase Awkward Essentials' product, please visit: www.awkwardessentials.com

About Awkward Essentials
Awkward Essentials is a new personal hygiene company created to provide personal solutions for hella personal problems. It all started with dripstick — the first after-sex solution of its kind made with a super soft, medical-grade sponge that quickly soaks up all the excess fluids so users can move on with their day (or night!). As a minority/woman-owned brand launched in 2019 by Founder Frances Tang , Awkward Essentials is in the process of expanding its product portfolio to include more products that will seriously upgrade your hygiene game. Dripstick is available for purchase at www.AwkwardEssentials.com , and you can follow us on social @ AwkwardEssentials .

Media Contact
Power Digital Marketing
awkwardessentials@powerdigital.com

¹ Awkward Essentials Survey was fielded among 1,002 nationally represented Americans aged 18+ via an online survey conducted during the period of May 21-26, 2021 by Kelton Global and the study has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%

SOURCE Awkward Essentials