Sex toy
de:Sexspielzeug ja:大人のおもちゃ A sex toy, also called a sexual prop, is a term for any object or device that is primarily used in facilitating human sexual pleasure. This term can also include BDSM apparatuses. Sex toys do not include contraceptives, pornography, or condoms.
A related term is marital aid, often used as a euphemism for sex toys, although marital aid is broader as it can also be applied to drugs and herbs marketed as supposedly enhancing or prolonging sex.
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Legal issues
In many areas, such as some U.S. Southern states, the sale of sex toys is either regulated or prohibited, though enforcement is often rare. Nonetheless the laws are on the books and these laws prohibiting or regulating "obscene devices" occasionally take center stage. As recently as 1999, an assitant attorney general in Alabama commenting on a case involving sex toys and discussing to what end the devices are used for was quoted as saying there is no "fundamental right for a person to buy a device to produce orgasm". It is also common practice for someone to move a motor home near a proposed sex shop as a means of protest to prevent the shop from opening where the law prohibits an "adult" establishment within a certain distance of a dwelling.
Types of sex toys
Male and female
- Anal beads are fun devices that consist of a string of beads that is inserted into the anus and then slowly pulled out to provide a very satisfying stimulation producing strong orgasms in both men and woman. They can also be used in conjuction with vaginal sex for two-way stimulation or shared with a girlfriend where you both have half the string inserted anally while playing with each others clitoris.
- Butt plugs are devices that are inserted in the anus for pleasure. They have a flared end to prevent the device from being lost inside the body.
- An electrode is used in erotic electrostimulation to apply electricity to various parts of the body for sexual gratification. A stainless steel urethral sound may be used as such an electrode when connected to electrostimulation equipment.
- Sexual lubricants are lubricants used to facilitate anal or vaginal sex, or as an aid to masturbation.
- Sybian is the brand name of a combination of a saddle-shaped mount with a vibrator built onto it.
- Sex dolls are imitations of the human form intended for simulation of sexual acts. They may consist of a representation of a face, the buttocks, genital areas, or the entire body. Most sex dolls are inflatable. Love pillows, especially popular in Japan, are inflatable pillows with a life-size picture of a porn star or anime character and optionally a hole for lovemaking.
- Nipple clamps are a family of tools which apply pressure to the nipples. They are often used as BDSM toys or torture devices. Some of them can also provide constant, intense nipple stimulation and heightened sensitivity.
Male
- "Pocket Pussies" or "vaginas" or "masturbators" are modeled to accept a penis for simulated intercourse. They are either shaped like vagina, or butt, or anything with a hole for penetration. Fleshlight is a popular variant of the 'artificial vagina,' intended to stimulate the penis in a way similar to coitus.
- Cock-rings are used to provide sensation (to one or both partners) by wrapping the base of the penis. They may also be used to delay the onset of male orgasm or to maintain an erection. They sometimes incorporate a pad designed to stimulate the clitoris.
- A cock harness is a more elaborate harness designed to be worn around the penis and scrotum. Its intention is similar to that of a cock ring. Often associated with BDSM activities.
- A penis sleeve is a cylindrical device that is placed on the shaft of the penis, with the aim of increasing stimulation for the person being penetrated. They often have soft bumps intended to provide further stimulation.
- A penis extension is a partially hollow device like a very short dildo, with the hollow end placed on the end of the penis, intended to increase the effective length of the penis, again for the benefit of the person being penetrated. These are generally worn with condoms to stop them falling off in use.
Female
- A dildo is a non-vibrating device which is used for sexual stimulation of the vagina. Godemiche is an old word for a dildo in the shape of a penis and scrotum.
- A strap-on dildo is a dildo attached to a dildo harness strapped to the groin and hips, generally to allow a person to penetrate a partner as if the dildo were the penetrator's own penis. In particular, they allow a woman to penetrate a man anally or another woman vaginally or anally. They may also be used by impotent men to allow them to penetrate their partner; strap-on dildos used this way are generally hollow, rather than solid.
- A double-ended dildo is a long, usually flexible dildo with both ends designed for penetration. It allows for mutual penetration between two persons.
- Vibrators are vibrating devices intended to stimulate the nerves of the body. Vibrators intended for sexual use are often dildo-shaped, although they also come in a bewildering range of shapes, allowing internal as well as external use.
Medical devices sometimes used as sex toys
- Medical specula are sometimes used as sex toys.
- Kegel exercisers, also known as vaginal barbells, can also be used as sex toys.
Various flesh-like materials used in sex toys
- silicone
- soft and lifelike, warms up quickly to body temperature, non-porous therefore easy to clean (with mild soap and water, or boiled for sterilization)
- Cyberskin / Ultraskin / Eroskin / Softskin / Cyber Jel-lee / Futurotic
- relatively new material (currently the closest emulation of real skin), made of silicone and plastic, very porous therefore must be cleaned very thoroughly (with Cyberskin cleaning solution or antibacterial soap and water)
- jelly
- cheaper, rubber-based material, quite porous
- latex rubber
- cheaper, very porous, might be allergenic
References and further reading
- Karlyn Lotney. The Ultimate Guide to Strap-On Sex: A Complete Resource for Women and Men Cleis Press, 2000. ISBN 157344085X.
See also
teledildonics, Realdoll, sexual intercourse, masturbation, erotic furniture, Wartenberg wheel
External links
- Sex Toys Illustrated (http://www.sextoysillustrated.com) Flash animations of sex toys
- Homemade Sex Toys (http://www.homemade-sex-toys.com) Guide to making your own sex toys
- Sex Toys Pro (http://www.sextoyspro.com/) detailed advice on sex toys
- The Love Lizard's Guide (http://www.lovelizard.co.uk) advice on sex toys and masturbation
- Passion for Pleasure (http://www.passionforpleasure.com/)General sex and sex toy info
- Sex Toy Superstore (http://www.fuckjob.com/toys/index.php) Thousands of products and reviews, everything from inflatable animals to the latest adult DVDs
Categories: Sexology