"I believe that sex is one of the most beautiful, natural, wholesome things that money can buy"

Steve Martin’s wry assertion, “I believe that sex is one of the most beautiful, natural, wholesome things that money can buy,” masterfully weaves together elements of irony and satire to provoke thought about social norms surrounding sexuality, love, and commercialization. Ostensibly, sex is celebrated as something beautiful, natural, and wholesome, an essential and affirming human experience rooted in intimacy and connection. By inserting the phrase “that money can buy,” Martin subverts the typical reverence with a comedic twist, challenging the assumption that such intimate experiences are always sacred or immune from commodification.

This statement reflects deeper cultural paradoxes. Society often venerates sex as a profound, almost transcendental act, tied to love and romantic ideals. At the same time, the act has been commercialized and regulated, objects of desire are routinely bought and sold, whether openly through prostitution or more subtly through industries like advertising, entertainment, and even dating applications. By joining the elevated language, “beautiful, natural, wholesome”, with the transactional language of purchase, Martin cleverly points out the uneasy coexistence of idealism and pragmatism in contemporary views of sexuality.

The humor in the quote emerges from its deliberate conflation of two incompatible ideas: the wholesome purity assigned to sex and the mercenary world of buying and selling. It serves as a playful critique of both prudish hypocrisy and the ways capitalism seeps into even the most personal aspects of life. The phrase invites the audience to consider the boundaries society draws between the personal and the commercial, inviting reflection on what is truly “natural” in a culture where even intimacy can have a price tag.

Ultimately, Martin’s quip serves not only as a joke, but also as a layered commentary about authenticity, desire, and the sometimes absurd ways in which human values and economic realities intersect. The humor lightens the underlying critique, allowing for both laughter and self-examination.