It’s been 27 years since a little blue pill quietly transformed how Americans talk about aging, sex, and health. In spring 1998, the FDA approved Viagra, making it the first oral medication to treat what we now call erectile dysfunction—or ED. Before Viagra, ED was hardly discussed publicly, often buried in shame or brushed off as a joke.
Alicia Walker, a sociology professor at Missouri State University said, “If it was talked about at all, it was behind closed doors or joked about as part of the inevitable decline of aging…Viagra opened the door for these conversations.”
Originally developed to treat high blood pressure, sildenafil—Viagra’s active ingredient—unexpectedly showed a different effect: erections within an hour. Pfizer recognized the opportunity, and by the end of 1998, Americans had spent nearly $788 million on almost 100 million pills. Viagra shifted the language and the stigma. With former U.S. Senator Bob Dole leading its first ad campaign, the condition was reframed from “impotence” to a medical term—“erectile dysfunction.”
That framing, Walker says, “changed the tone of the entire conversation.” Experts say Viagra’s impact was broader than sex—it encouraged men to seek help. For LGBTQ viewers, Viagra’s legacy also underscores how mainstream medicine can evolve to better address intimacy, health, and dignity.
