Marie Comacle
Breaking down taboos on female masturbation and sexuality

Marie, you were born and bred in Vannes, Brittany. If you could point to one thing from your childhood that might explain how you got to where you are today, what would that be?  

My parents were both self-employed and, professionally speaking, very independent. They had set up a franchise of travel agencies. So, I grew up with parents who were entrepreneurs. They worked a lot but were in fact quite free to organise themselves as they saw fit. They were able to take us to the beach on Wednesdays or Thursdays, or stay with us at home if my brother or I fell ill. They made themselves available for us. Without realising it at the time, I think this made a huge impression on me and determined, quite early on, my liking for independence. Just like my brother by the way, who is a musician, also independent. 

What were you like as a child? 

Great question! To tell you the truth, it’s rather hard to say. I was somewhat reserved, especially at high school and college.  Though, I wasn’t an unhappy child. I don’t recall having any particular passions during my childhood. Yet I enjoyed my childhood years! This is quite a contrast to Puissante, for which I surprise myself with how much energy I can put into it. This is linked to the fact of it being a business that finds itself on a genuine mission. This is where my day-to-day motivation stems from. For me, this is altogether marvellous. Every day we receive messages from women who are discovering themselves thanks to Puissante. Now this, yes, this really is my passion. But I see it more in terms of energy and engagement. 

Getting back to my childhood and study path, I was rather gifted in the sciences, but this didn’t help me in deciding which road to go down. With my science Baccalaureate in hand, I headed over to England for a six-month spell as an au pair. I returned to Vannes and worked for my parents for a while… Then one day I went past ICAM in Vannes. Not really knowing what they even did there, I found the idea of going to engineering school quite appealing. 

You enrolled to study at ICAM in Nantes. Did this give you a few pointers as to which career path to choose? 

No, but this gave me five years to think about it. I was only 18 at the time. I liked the school; we had an interesting and varied syllabus. However, I noticed that purely being an engineer was not what I wanted. Therefore, I set my sights on studying at Audencia. The two schools were already in partnership with each other, allowing a number of their students to earn a double degree in engineering and management. Truth be told, for a long time I had been thinking about launching my own company selling vibrators. At Audencia, whilst specialising in Business Development, I had hesitated as to whether to carry out my internship working on the creation of this business startup. However, while Audencia is very broad-minded, I wasn’t sure this would be accepted! Moreover, I clearly hadn’t yet mustered up enough courage to launch my own business. No doubt there was also an element of self-censorship. So, I oriented my end-of-studies internship more towards consulting. Then, I spent the next six months working at Silamir, a Paris-based firm. I was entrusted with several interesting assignments. Still, I never gave up on my dream of setting up this company, an idea that had gradually come to fruition since the age of 18, and no doubt had become fully formed in my head during my time at ICAM. I also recall speaking to one of my teachers with whom I had a good relationship, who had advised me to look for an internship in this field. 

How do you approach this subject with a teacher? Admittedly, you may not have any taboos on this topic yourself, but you can never be quite sure how the other person will react… 

Well, by nature I am very calm and discreet. I therefore broach the subject in a very natural way. Face-to-face, people may come across as slightly embarrassed, but in fact this is not really the case. I think it all comes down to the way in which I bring up the subject, in a very natural and calm manner.  

At the age of 18, what happened to make you want to work in the vibrator business? 

It was at this age that I used a vibrator for the first time. This made a real impression on me. I discovered a pleasure I had never experienced before. As you can imagine, this helps to join all the dots as to all the many things that have happened since! I will never forget it. I was in my parents’ bedroom. I said to myself: “Everyone needs to experience this!” At the same time, I told myself it was all so badly designed, poorly packaged, and the item itself was extremely ugly. I thought what if it could just look prettier, maybe change the design, then this really could prove a huge hit. I thought of the success of the Slip Français brand (French-style undergarments). I thought it would be good to do something along the same lines. Clearly, by rethinking the entire marketing strategy but ultimately taking it to the next level. This is a very specific subject matter with many things at stake. I realised that a great many women feel intense shame at the idea of masturbating. It is as though this were somewhat illegal. Therefore, over and above the object itself, I wished to address all the communication surrounding it, explaining that it’s quite normal, that we have the right to use it, and that it is in no way a source of shame. Equally, that we still have a long way to go. In my entrepreneurial approach, I’m very lucky that nobody else wants to be part of this, whereas during a television show I have no qualms in saying that I masturbate. This is an entirely natural thing to do. I know everyone does it, and I don’t see why I wouldn’t say it. This is Puissante’s core mission: breaking down the taboos surrounding female masturbation and sexuality. 

Let’s get back to the end of your studies… 

After my internship at the consulting firm, I returned to Vannes, not knowing how I was going to proceed. I landed myself a job at JobTeaser, an online recruitment firm, in Paris, but I wasn’t there long as this didn’t prove to be a good fit for me. I did a little freelance work in internet consulting. I assisted companies in posting their ads on Facebook. Whilst doing this, I began to get to grips with digital communication, which would come in extremely useful when I came to launch Puissante. Yet, this didn’t last very long either. Once again, I was back in Vannes living with my parents, living off benefits, with all these short-lived work experiences on my CV, none of them having really appealed… In short, I had become a bit depressed! I told myself I’d spent six years studying to wind up still not knowing my path in life… This sensation of arriving in a dead-end street was pretty awful. Of course, I did think about setting up Puissante. Yet, when I discussed it with those around me, many people told me to go for it but basically had no belief it would work out. This is not at all confidence inspiring… Yet, I ultimately believe that I have a real propensity to make of my life what I want it to be. So, I ended up saying to myself: “Seriously Marie, if you don’t go for it now, you are really going to regret it. And if it doesn’t work, it won’t make much of a difference to the situation you’re in now!” And so, I went for it. 

How do you go about launching a business like Puissante, in such a difficult sector marked by a priori assumptions and taboos?  

I began by designing my initial vibrators back in October 2019. My plans of producing exclusively in France were quickly scuppered by Covid-19, which put the brakes on my exchanges with various plastic firms in France. After a series of ups and downs, I eventually found a supplier in China. In the meantime, I met my husband, and it wasn’t long before he got involved and became my associate. As it turns out, he was looking to set up his own firm and he bought into the idea of Puissante. Trying to revolutionise a market that already exists and has become obsolete, in any case rather outdated, really motivated him. He also invested his savings into this project. His friends told him he was crazy, that he’d only known me for six months, and that he was going into a business with me selling sex toys… Anyways, that it would never work! But the risk has indeed paid off, as today Puissante is enjoying sustained growth. We have a staff of 10 employees. Our offices are based in Aix-en-Provence. 

Now, back to the beginnings of the company; whilst the initial prototype exchanges were getting underway with China, we started to look for funding streams, particularly from the banks. However, at times I would find myself in front of six people, around 60 years of age, who, quite frankly, I thought had never even heard of a vibrator… Furthermore, it was all the more difficult as this is still perceived to be part of the pornography industry. We therefore decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign on the Ulule platform, which worked a treat. Firstly, as the platform didn’t block our idea, although we were talking about vibrators for the first time and were unsure as to whether this public would be the right match for us. Secondly as this raised €190,000 in just one month! It was only after, in light of the campaign’s success, that one of the banks showed an interest. Yet again, this was only when we came across a 45-year-old female banker who understood our vision. Even then, managing to arrange a meeting with this person, who went on to trust us, proved no mean feat. This just goes to show the real issue is not necessarily the bank itself. Above all else, you must find the right person. 

How did your parents react when you announced you were setting up a business specialised in vibrators and female pleasure? 

This happened in two stages. First, I’d wanted to get some work experience in this area and had already spoken to them about this. They put me in touch with one of their acquaintances, who had set up a company in this sector which hadn’t worked out. This person tried to talk me out of launching my company. So, I think my parents must have been thinking: “Great, we’ve managed to help her see sense!” Then later, when I told them that this time I was going ahead with the launch, my mom supported me as she is convinced this is a project of vital importance. As for my father, initially there was a bit of friendly banter about my six years of study to wind up selling vibrators. Then, he nervously monitored the Ulule campaign, and came to realise there really was a market out there for this type of product. It reassured him a great deal. Now, each time he hears someone mention the word feminism or clitoris on France Culture or France Inter, he calls me up and tells me to turn on the radio! Ultimately, they have my back and are very supportive. One last thing, I have no clue where all this comes from because I have never spoken to them about sexuality! 

In terms of communication, what type of obstacles have you come across? 

Initially, the ads we were hoping to post on Facebook weren’t given the green light by the social media platform, deemed as pornography. This is a major handicap when starting out. We have found ways around this today, but we’ve had to be quite crafty. Our ads don’t speak directly of vibrators and are stealthily redirected to our sales website. However, other obstacles may be more insidious, like the mass-market retailers for example, who tell us they will soon be ready to distribute our products, but that they are not quite ready and that they are vibrators after all, and they have their reputation to consider…. Some 70 % of our turnover is made via our online sales, and 30 % from our stockists, including the Passage du Désir outlets, a love store chain. 

Are you managing to hit the objectives you have set yourselves? Yes. In the first year, we reached an annual turnover of €650,000. The following year, 1.5 million euros, and this year we are aiming for 3 million euros. Our flagship product remains the vibrator, of which there are four different models. Admittedly, we aren’t the only ones offering totally redesigned products for female pleasure. However, we set ourselves apart with our elegant lifestyle branding. An original and ingenious design that enables us to stand out from the rest, offering more beautiful and more decorative products. Still, there remains a lot of hurdles. It can be a tricky market when it comes to administration, funding, and communication, etc. Bearing in mind there are behemoths who have been around for a long time, also in the process of reinventing themselves. But that doesn’t deter us. We can rely on our brand image and our products. We just need to look at the company’s growth for confirmation of this. In fact, after the success of the Ulule campaign, it’s true we were expecting a sharp increase in turnover. This proved to be the case. As a rule, I find it smarter to aim high and put everything in place to accomplish your goals, rather than set yourself lower goals and just “coast along”!  

From a personal standpoint, do you think you launched Puissante at just the right time? 

In effect, I could have started the company earlier on. But as it turns out, I’m happy to have waited a little longer. Speaking about all this when you’re 25 years of age, as opposed to when you are 28, is altogether different. A lot of things can happen during those years, that may cause one to have a different take on a woman’s life and on her sexuality. At the age of 28, I expressed myself rather differently to the way I did when I was 25. My arguments were better structured, more serious, with more bearing on the fact that masturbation should be part of a woman’s daily wellbeing. At the age of 25, I held very strong views. Yet, if one gets too het up, it makes launching a business much harder. With Puissante, we endeavour to get the message across in an appropriate manner. We don’t victimise the women, on the contrary we tell them they can do whatever makes them happy! Equally, I believe we are getting the message across to men in a very posed, very elegant manner, without any agitation. This is by no means a competition, it remains an object made from silicon, let’s not kid ourselves!  

What reactions on social media or across the media have taken you by surprise?  

People often refer to our appearance on the M6 television show “Qui veut être mon associé?” (“Shark Tank” in the States), when we triggered a ripple of immature laughter from both the jury members and the presenter. However, in light of the avalanche of negative reactions that came flooding in after their somewhat mocking laughter, they expressed their regrets. I think this served in pushing back the boundaries and I don’t think this would happen today, less and less in any case. Indeed, the last time I went to speak about Puissante on television, on the set of the Bel et Bien show on France 2, the people were delighted to have me there and no one giggled. I believe people are gradually coming to understand that we are talking about a genuine issue. Over time and thanks to all the work being put into this by the various communities across the networks, including ours – 67,000 followers on Instagram –, I think this should no longer occur. For instance, celebrities like Angèle are talking about us on their Instagram feed. Admittedly, we still have a long way to go! But things are changing now. When I was 18, this really was a taboo subject. Today, especially thanks to Instagram, people are speaking more freely on this topic. Not to mention the various movements that now exist, including #Metoo, #balancebtonporc, etc. These have paved the way for more discussion and enabled women to question whether certain situations are appropriate or not. One of the consequences has been the growing acceptance and normalisation of masturbation.