Club Friday Q&A: Slipp Founder Victoria Lyons on Why Women Need Their Own Condom Brand
By Stacy lee kong
Image: Courtesy of Slipp
If you’ve spent any time in the condom aisle at your local drugstore, um ever, you might have noticed that the messaging is all the same. There’s a lot of masculine imagery (why so many helmets?) and language around sensation, which all implies that these are products for people with penises—and that their pleasure is the most important thing.
That’s the kind of narrative that Victoria Lyons can’t stand. When she switched from hormonal birth control to condoms, she realized there was no condom company that prioritized women, whether that was in product design, packaging or the way it talked about safe sex. So, she founded one: Slipp.
“I wanted to start a conversation to challenge the way the condom industry has been talking about condoms, because I think it's reflective of the way we talk about sex. And the way we think of sex puts male pleasure at the forefront,” she says.
Read on for our conversation about pleasure, safe sex as self-care and what it’s like to run a condom company at a time when reproductive rights are under attack.
Why did you start a condom company?
I've been someone that has relied on condoms as the primary form of birth control for a while. I was on hormonal birth control, and then I wanted to experience my natural cycle, so I said, ‘Let's use condoms.’ That’s when the condom industry started to irk me. I noticed that all the brands out there were so focused on male pleasure. I can see where they're coming from—the first thing people want to bring up about condoms is that they make sex less pleasurable. I get it all the time. But it really bothers me that that's the main topic of conversation, because coming from my own perspective and my needs, there's so much more at stake.
People with vaginas are biologically more prone to STIs. But also, with reproductive rights at stake, we really want to feel in control of our sexual health. If we do become pregnant, we have to physically bear a child (if we choose to). Even just from an ingredient perspective, I noticed a lot of the brands out there had a lot of dyes, flavours and textures, often with the purpose of making it more pleasurable, which are uncomfortable for vaginal health. So, from a product standpoint, I wanted to offer something that had the least number of ingredients possible, that was as comfortable as possible. But also, I wanted to challenge the way the condom industry has been talking about condoms, because I think it's reflective of the way we talk about sex. And the way we think of sex puts male pleasure at the forefront.
How did you go from advertising to sexual wellness?
It seems like a very weird jump, I know! But at the same time, for me, it just made so much sense. I had always thought it would be cool to start a brand. I've been working in the advertising industry for a while, so I know brands can make a real impact and have real influence on culture, and I've always been interested in doing what I do, but for my own company. But, I needed it to be a product that I was really passionate about and that makes sense.
I first started thinking about this in 2020. It was the pandemic and, like many people, I think I just turned inward and somehow came up with this idea. I was like, ‘I feel like there needs to be a condom brand that would speak to me, because there isn't one out there.’ And, background wise, my mom is an obstetrician and my dad teaches business, so I married those two things together and lean on both of them for a lot of support.
Every time I write a business profile, the thing that I'm most interested in hearing about is the spark that takes someone from idea to execution. Like, I often joke with friends about things we wish existed—the number of times we say, “That's a business idea!”—but we don’t actually go start a business. So, what made you think, “I’m going to make this happen”?
I honestly was looking at it as [an experiment]—I asked myself, how far can I take this? When I had this idea, I literally told my mom within like, two seconds. She was like, “Yeah, that makes sense.” Then I put together a little pitch deck and I pitched it to my dad to see what he thought, and he was like, “Yeah, okay, I get it.” And I just kept taking it step by step. I kept thinking, ‘Maybe this won't come to be.’ And there definitely was a point where I found a manufacturer and realized how much it was going to cost that I was like, I don't know if I can do this. But I really am so passionate about the larger issue, so I just kept taking steps. I was like, “No, this actually makes sense. I'm just gonna keep rolling with it.” And eventually, it worked.
Were you working full time as you were doing this? Or did you go all-in from the beginning?
I’m still working full time!
One thing you’re really clear about in your marketing is that Slipp is a counterpoint to the big condom companies. What sets you apart from Durex, Trojan, etc.?
From the product standpoint, the point is to be simpler, with fewer ingredients than the ones that have those additives. But we’re a mission-driven company, so the biggest differentiator is the way we're speaking, the language and the conversations we're trying to start. One example I point to a lot is, I would walk down the condom aisle, and the branding and language would be all about bare skin, raw, naked. It's so clear to me that their priority is convincing us that it will feel like nothing at all. We're not trying to convince you that it's going to feel like nothing at all, because I don't think there's anything wrong with it feeling like there's a condom there. It's still pleasurable! It may not be as pleasurable, but I think being safe is more important than that max pleasure, especially with male pleasure being such a priority. I think there's a lot of downfalls to that messaging.
What you’re saying about degrees of pleasure is so interesting, I think. This idea that the most important thing is for sex to be the most pleasurable for men discounts the reality that we’re probably not having a good time if we’re worried. If we're thinking about women’s pleasure, it's not just about the physical sensation. It's also about other things: Do I feel safe? Do I feel respected? Do I feel like I'm an active participant?
Yeah. If you even think about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, you have to feel safe before you can feel pleasure. Here’s a really interesting example—have you heard of Dipsea, the audio app [that produces erotica for women]? I saw them post something on TikTok recently, and it was about how men ask why they include condoms in their fantasy stories since that's not a part of the fantasy, right? And they were like, we focus on women in our app. For us, it is often a part of the fantasy. It’s about feeling safe.
I read a CBC article from earlier this year about women-led condom companies, which you’re quoted in, that talks about how there are more and more examples of this type of company. I’m curious what you think is behind this shift in the market? For example, I think we saw a lot of women-led sex toy companies before we saw any women-led condom companies.
That's an interesting point about how the sex toy industry maybe progressed faster than condoms. I don't know why that is. And I can only really speak for myself, but I wouldn't be surprised if this influenced other people, too. For me, it was partially the rise of conversations about female pleasure and that becoming a bigger part of the conversation around sex in general. But the reproductive rights piece was what really got me thinking about it. I think it made me angry, and I felt like I wanted to do something about this. I didn't want to be on hormonal birth control, so I chose condoms as a non-hormonal birth control. I think everyone has a different experience with birth control; hormonal birth control can be great for some, some people don't want to [use it]. And we should be able to do what we want that and what works for us. Even if that’s having to use Plan B, or the abortion pill. These are our bodies, and I'm so passionate about the idea that we should feel in control of them. I don't know if this is relevant to the other women-owned condom businesses out there. But for me, that climate made me angry. So, I wanted to jump in and start talking about these things.
I think that makes a lot of sense. I would be shocked if this climate did not inspire other people to start companies, too. I know you’re based in Tennessee now. What is it like to be running the kind of company that you do, with the mission and purpose that you have, in a state that passed a trigger ban prohibiting abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with very few exceptions? Plus, across the U.S., there's this real fear that birth control is the next battleground in reproductive rights. I know the point of Slipp is that it's more than just contraception, but contraception is a part of it.
I'm pretty new to Tennessee, so when I moved here, I did wonder if people would think I was controversial if I brought up Slipp at a party. But to be honest, I live in Nashville, which is a very progressive city, so everyone I meet has been passionate about these things as well. Maybe even more so because their rights are at stake.
But it definitely feels weird. I launched the business on May 3, 2022. I woke up in the morning, so excited to launch my website. It was the day I’d been waiting for, and I open social media and saw that the Supreme Court drafts [about overturning Roe v. Wade] were leaked. It was kind of a crazy coincidence because wanting people to feel in control of their reproductive health is such a big part of my mission. And I just can't believe that birth control is being come for at all.
That being said, Slipp does talk about sexual wellness in a really holistic way. I really like that you pair the idea of safe sex and self-care. Why do you think it's so important to take condoms out of the realm of just preventing STIs or pregnancy, and positioning using them as a thing that you can do for yourself?
I think it's the same way getting tested or going to the doctor, or anything else you do to have a healthy routine, is a form of self-care. I almost like to imagine Slipp on the shelves at Sephora or something like that. It can be this thing that's not shameful and embarrassing. It's just a part of taking care of myself. It should just be something I throw in my bag. I feel that way about a lot of sexual things, like using lube and masturbation. They’re just a part of being a human being, but I feel like there's so much shame in those things. So, I want to reposition condoms in a way that can feel more fun, and you can have more ownership over.
I think a lot about how we talk about self-care as essentially leisure—doing things that are pleasurable, and often expensive. But actually, self-care is about doing things that aren’t necessarily ‘fun.’ You have to eat, and go for walks, and go to therapy. And I think what you’re saying it fits into that side of it, too. Adults have to take care of ourselves—go to the doctor, take our medication, go to physio if that’s what we need—because no one else is going to.
I’ve talked about this before, too. I love thinking of it as self-care versus self-soothing. Self-soothing is the bubble bath, getting your nails done, and that’s important and great. But there is another side of that. For me, I compare it to finances. [Spending money on those things] feels great, but what feels even better is not being in debt. Taking care of my finances is way less glamorous and exciting. But it's often those things that you don't want to do that make you feel so much better after, versus the things that feel great in the moment, but don't necessarily feel better after. Though again, not to discount self-soothing, because there's a lot of great aspects of that as well.
What’s next for Slipp?
I’m going to be on Dragon’s Den on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. I taped it In May, and it was truly the most stressful professional experience of my life. I I had a week to prepare, which is not normal. Normally, you have a lot more time. But it was a last-minute thing—they had some spots open so a producer reached out and asked if I wanted to apply. I was like, “I don’t want to do this—I can think of nothing more terrifying in the world.” But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. So I did apply and was accepted. I had to make sure I knew the answers to anything they might ask about my finances or my five-year plan.
If I’m being completely transparent, I feel like I've lost sleep for the last six months. Like, am I gonna embarrass myself? It's so nerve-wracking being on TV. But I'm proud of myself for doing something hard. And, the biggest part of my business is the mission, so it was also a chance to share the overall message.
Other than that, I’m taking it day by day. In the next five years, I’m definitely trying to expand product offerings. I get a lot of feedback all the time about wanting different sizes, or different options. Hopefully, I can even expand to different products. And getting into retail is a big goal right now. I’m in 20 independent retailers across North America, but I want to keep building that. I’m just just trying to grow bit by bit. It's still very early days, and still a small business. But I'm hopeful that we can keep growing.
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