Adapting Sex Toys

I came across this information from about.com which outlines ways to make sex/masturbation easier for persons with disabilities:

To give you a place to start, there are two general kinds of sex toy adaptations. There is the kind where you take a toy and change some aspect of it. You can build up a handle, change the switch, or attach the toy to something else that lets you use it. The other kind of adaptation is where you find a toy that may be intended for an entirely different purpose, but actually suits your needs.

Homemade adaptations (using grab bars, reachers, foam, tape, gloves, etc.) can be a great way to adapt a toy, and you don’t need to wait for an OT! If you stick to inexpensive toys, the adaptations will probably outlast the toy.

On the other hand, finding a toy that doesn’t need to be adapted at all can be good. For that you mostly need to be creative. A good example of this kind of adaptation is really long sex toys. At first you might think buying a vibrator that’s 14 inches long would be ridiculous. But if you’re someone who needs to get a complete firm grasp on a toy, and you have big hands, then your hand ends up covering most of the toy. You need those extra 5 inches just to get a good grip. There are other toys that are made as rings to wear around the penis, but work really well when strapped to hands and fingers. And then there are a thousand things you can do with remote control toys.

The benefit of not making a major adaptation to a toy is that you don’t usually need to rely on someone else to adapt it, it doesn’t cost you anything, and you only need to worry about the toy breaking, not the adaptation.

- Alice

Image taken from acsexxxable.ca

Broaden your masturbatory horizons!

I seem to be posting an awful lot today. Being stuck at the computer writing an essay does wonders for your internet searching skills :P.

I was checking out feministing.com when I came across this new weekly column where individuals can ask questions about sexuality. Here's one that I find useful:

Dear Professor Foxy,
I just want to start off with the fact that I am a virgin who practices abstinence. I practice because I choose to, not because I think it makes me morally better or something (it doesn't). I started masturbating a couple of years ago, and recently I've been trying to make a habit of it. I feel there is a lot of validity in discovering myself sexually and I personally think that a virgin can be sexual. But I'm also very confused about masturbatory techniques.

Currently, my technique is to stimulate the clitoris until it results in an orgasm. It's very effective and it works nearly every time. I've recently discovered that my inner labia likes being rubbed as well. This is the extent of how I masturbate. I mean, it works and everything but I don't know if it's enough. I thought that sexual discovery would be more work. I feel like I'm missing out on something.

What my question is, what are other techniques can I employ for sexual discovery and orgasming? Or is what I'm doing enough? Should I buy some toys? How can I help myself become more sexual?

Sincerely.

Hi Sincerely -
Virgins are sexual people too and finding out what feels good for you before you start having sex with other people is one way of having great sex with other people.

Sexual discovery can be as much work and fun as we like it to be. Becoming more sexual is a process of discovering what we like. People masturbate in many, many ways (I am sure the readers can suggest a bunch). Here are some ideas from me to get you started:
1. The shower or tub head: If you are lucky enough to have a detachable shower head, apply it to your vulva. You can also position your vulva underneath the tub head.
2. Other parts of the body: Do you touch your nipples when you masturbate? Rub your neck? Pull on your ears?
3. Penetration: You can start off easy with fingers in vagina or anus or both. Use lube for anal penetration and for all penetration make sure your nails are short and smooth. A good test is to run them across your palm. If they hurt there they may hurt when inside you. You can even do the two handed method with one hand penetrating and one rubbing your clit.
4. Watching yourself: Position a mirror at the end of the bed while you masturbate or just use it to explore your vulva. Way too few people (especially women) know what their genitals look like.
5. Toys: you can buy a vibrator or dildo or anal beads to try out.

Happy Sexing! - Alice

Artist Of The Month - Annie Sprinkle

Annie Sprinkle (Born Ellen Steinberg) is a performance artist and sex educator. She is a sex positive feminist who has stared in, produced, and directed hundreds of different types of pornographic films and shows. She is well known for being one of the first porn stars to receive a Ph D. Her work is now studied in many university classrooms, which is exactly how i found out about her. When i first saw her work, i honestly did not know how to react. Her fun and encouraging attitude towards sex and female sexuality is not only what makes her work successful but also, educational.

Her website contains tons of images and writings from almost all her work. Her performance piece, Public Cervix Announcement is my personal favourite. In this piece she literally sits in a public space with a speculum placed in her vagina and allows viewers to come up and look at her cervix. While this takes place she talks to them about the functions and beauty of the female cervix. She also talks about how to perform a cervix self examination. A little over the top? Perhaps, but that is exactly what gets people's attention.



Her work, although sometimes seemingly comedic, usually contains serious political and social undertones, and is most of the time accompanied with writings or even dissertations from her PhD. Some common themes and issues prevalent in her work are sex trade work and the education and protection of sex trade workers; female orgasms, masturbation, and sex sex sex. Some links below. ENJOY!

Annie Sprinkle Writings
Annie Srinkle Art Index

-Evy Hareven

Hot & Cold Ceramic Dildo

I came across this dildo on a website that features "designer" sex toys. On cocodemer.com, it is priced at $190 USD... which I find pretty steep considering that it doesn't dance, light up or buzz lol. Yet, it does have an intriguing function. This dildo is hollow and it has a cork on one end, which allows you to fill it up with hot or cold water! What a cool/hot idea!

- Alice

Bikegasm

I came across this youtube video on another blog (see 'Bicycle Porn' posting). I wish I could say that I have that much fun riding my bike lol. Enjoy!

- Alice

Bicycle Porn

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I came across this art project, but after seeing the trailer I must say that I'm intrigued.

Pornography evokes a lot of mixed ideas in my head. I mean, I'm definitely pro-sex, but porn (at least in its mainstream/popular forms) can be kind of disturbing, especially where issues of consent are concerned and it seems more like rape being caught on tape instead of one/two/many people getting off. I feel that porn often perpetuates heteronormative and misogynist ideas about what sex should look like and who should be having this kind of sex. I'm not saying that all pornography is like this, but that this is just how I've felt most of the times I've watched mainstream porn. How does anyone else feel?

In any case, I'm very curious to see how bicycle porn plays out! You can check out the trailer here if you're interested.

Warning: video contains bicycle pornography in its raw form :P

- Alice

Product Review: An Alternative Perspective on the Rock Chick

I did not enjoy the rock chick. Maybe it’s just not the right shape for my vagina or something but I find it really uncomfortable. It’s very flexible, going from the V shape to an L shape when you insert it. But, I find that as soon as you let go, it tries to get back to the V shape, closing up and making it really uncomfortable. I tried to make it work for a while, but now I just feel like I’ve wasted $100. I think that it was a great idea, but in practise it just didn’t work out the way that I’d hoped.

- Alice

Sexy Quote of the Month

"Masturbation is like tuning a radio -you don't know what frequencies you'll enjoy until you play with the knobs."
-Jayme Waxman

Masturbation 101 for women

It's difficult for women to feel comfortable masturbating, or even talk about it when faced with a multitude of double standards. If you do it/talk about it you’re a whore/slut/dirty. If you don’t do it or just don’t talk about it then you’re a prude/tease/nun. Everyone has sexual urges, but repressing them may make you feel like you're just not sexual or horny.

Here's a fun way to masturbate for the first time without getting a cramp in your hand or buying a sex toy. Jump in the shower, turn on the water and have the shower head shooting at your clitoris. If you don't have a moving shower head then just lay under the faucet with your legs spread open. It should start to feel good in a few minutes and if you wait a little longer, you just might have an orgasm (or more than one if you're lucky!).

Give it a try. It's free and easy and it could change your life!

- Masturbation method borrowed from "Vagina's: an Owner's Manual" (but I'm sure that they weren't the first one's to try it!)

- Alice

Product Review: The Rock Chick

I can’t remember exactly how I found out about this toy, but the idea that you could have hands-free sex just blew me away. It works by first inserting one end into the vagina, and then rocking back and forth on a chair, bed, the floor, or any other surface. In addition to the hands-free feature, it also has a vibrating cordless bullet to stimulate the clitoris simultaneously. It can also be used in the shower as long as the bullet is inserted past the cap.

My experience: it was my first vaginal penetrating toy so I was pretty nervous, even though I’ve had tampons, menstrual cups, penises, fingers, speculums in there before. I have a sensitivity to water-based lube and so I use silicone lubricants for sex. This is a problem because the rock chick is made out of silicone. Although that makes it really easy to clean (you can boil it or even put it in the dishwasher though I haven’t tried it) and to keep clean (lint/hairs etc. don’t stick to it like pvc toys), you can’t use silicone lube on silicone toys. It may melt or damage the toy.

Some other drawbacks:
- you can’t use it lying down because it starts to come out. You must rock.
- It takes a bit of practise to get it in properly. It’s very flexible so you can bend the v-shape backwards to get it in. It didn’t come with instructions so my first attempt was kind of a battle.
- I read one online review stating that the outer part did not reach the clitoris, but this person said that they were pretty tall and that the rock chick was just too small for them.
- The bullet is a little noisy, and I needed to rock ontop of a pillow because the noise was magnified by my mattress.
- The battery that powers the bullet costs $5 to replace (but you can always rock without the bullet)

Some pros:
- Because it’s hands-free it’s great to use on yourself while stimulating another person at the same time
- the shape of the penetrating part curves up for g-spot stimulation
- made of silicone (which can be good!)
- it’s quite small so it’s a good choice for a first time penetrating toy

- Alice

Product Review: Lelo Nea Vibrator

I came across this little gizmo in a sex shop in downtown Montreal. Surprised by the price ($130) I put it back on the shelf, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it! After a few months of research I decided that I had to have it. Luckily, I found it for a relatively reasonable price on the internet (brand new of course), and after owning it for almost a year, this is why I love it:

It is a clitoral stimulating vibrator, which is ideal if you're not into penetrating toys.

It features a built-in rechargeable battery so you won’t have to constantly buy those oddly sized and expensive batteries that most vibrating toys use.

The curved design fits well over your body.

The attractive design makes it inconspicuous, so you can leave it on your desk or night table without it being obvious that it’s a sex toy.

It has several speeds that you can adjust even in the dark since the buttons light up.

It is very easy to clean. A damp cloth with a bit of soap will do it.

Pressing and holding the two buttons down simultaneously locks them, so you won’t have to worry about your purse vibrating while you’re out in public or travelling, etc.

Cons
It is a little pricey. But it is definitely an investment that pays for itself (especially with the rechargeable feature).

Overall, I am very pleased with this product and would recommend it to anyone looking for a durable, convenient, inconspicuous, powerful and pretty way to make masturbation easier and more fun!

- Alice

We haven't read it but...

Getting Off: A Woman's Guide to Masturbation by Jayme Waxman

"Masturbation is like tuning a radio—you don’t know what frequencies you’ll enjoy until you play with the knobs. Masturbation has a complicated stigma attached to it; everybody is doing it, but not everybody talks about it. Some were told that touching oneself would cause cute kittens to die, some were told masturbation led blindness. Getting Off: A Woman's Guide to Masturbation is here to debunk those masturbation myths, and reinforce the truth.

Masturbation is a totally natural and normal way for women to connect with and find pleasure in their bodies.

Fun, informative, and illustrated, Getting Off provides women with a wealth of masturbation knowledge—its history, the mechanics of it, the joys of sexy toys—plus clear, concise tips on getting off."

- Vivian