We’ve all seen them. They’re marketed towards on the go people, people with very little spare time but lots of stress. They can fit into the palm of your hand and can be discreetly stored inside a purse. It's a mini massager and it can relieve your stress anywhere, anytime. Great for working out those kinks in your back or neck, mini massagers are a little modern marvel for the on the go professional.

While a mini massager can definitely be used in this way, we all know that the marketing spiel is nothing more than a little white lie perpetuated by society. These tiny, pulsating, electronic, battery powered dynamos are nothing more than concealed autoerotic devices. They’re vibrators. Yes, I said it and with no shame!

"Mini massagers" come in many different shapes and styles. Some are disguised as tubes of lipstick or other conventional items. Others are less covert but are still marketed for woman to buy, as back or neck massagers.

This dark art of pseudo labeling has been around for a long time and allows department stores and other retail outlets to sell vibrators in their stores without specifically calling them such.

A recent study by Indiana University (home of the famed Kinsey Institute) indicates that 53 percent of American women, ages 18 to 60, use massagers (vibrators).

"The study about women's vibrator use affirms what many doctors and therapists have known for decades -- that vibrator use is common, it's linked to positive sexual function such as desire and ease of orgasm, and it's rarely associated with any side effects," said Debby Herbenick, associate director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion.

One of the most blatant attempts at product mis-labeling, has to be the Yoga Toes mini massager. Yoga Toes, for the uninitiated, are a molded plastic device that are worn on the feet to stretch and condition the toes; literally Yoga for your toes. Strange as that might sound, even stranger are the mini massager units that are available as an addon. They are advertised as waterproof and easy to clean with soap and water and promise to bring great 'vibes' to your Yoga Toes. How's that for suggestive, subliminal advertising?

Vibrators have been around for a long time, so why is their use pushed beneath the surface? In the United States, there is a longstanding tradition of sexual repression. Much of this, some would say, has to do with religious ideology. While sexual titillation is overbearingly used and accepted in advertising, the subject of human sexuality is less commonly discussed.

Many believe the failure to discuss natural human desire with American children has led to generations of sexually confused and sexually ignorant young adults. If sexuality, in general, isn't being talked about it's no surprise that vibrators and other such things are a taboo subject.

Although some may be skeptical of the benefits of vibrator discourse with America's youth, a recent study shows that there is a correlation between vibrator usage and better sexual health.

The report goes on to say that women who use vibrators are more likely to have had a gynecological exam in the last year and more likely to have performed a self-examination on themselves during the last month. Also vibrator users, as a whole, were more likely to have rated themselves higher in many sexual function and performance scales than non-vibrator users.

Think massagers are only for women? Think again. Forty-five percent of the male respondents, ages 18 to 60, also claim to use them during sexual interactions.

Some may also think that male vibrator usage is limited to homosexual males. Wrong. There were no statistical differences between men who stated their sexual orientation as heterosexual, bi-sexual, or homosexual so you can throw those misconceptions out the door.

Some may not be convinced by the Indiana University study, as it was funded by Church and Dwight company, who happen to be the manufacturers of Trojan brand sexual health products. The Kinsey Institute, to say the least, has a pretty good track record when it comes to unveiling sexual attitudes in America so I have no reason to dispute their findings.

The most important aspect to take from the study is that normal sexual behavior is not always talked about in social circles. Don't feel as if you're a sexual deviant because you use or desire to use a vibrator or any other form of self stimulation. It's completely healthy and more importantly completely normal! Be yourself and don't let repressive marketing techniques get you down. In fact, I recommend you shop for mini massagers (vibrators) and other sex toys at places like Adam & Eve where everything is above board and sexuality is celebrated not repressed.