“Regardless of the pandemic or not,” Mintz said, “the research is unequivocal that women who use vibrators have easier and more frequent orgasms.
Is your sex drive stronger than that of your partner or partners? Do different things get each of you in the mood? Does the pandemic seem to be the perfect time to unleash the beast lurking in the bottom of your sock drawer? Are you - and we’re talking mostly to you hetero guys here - jealous of your wife’s handheld sidepiece? Mintz underscores that you needn’t be jealous.
When the number of consenting adults in your safer-at-home circle reaches two or more (no judgments here), communication skills become more important.
1 women’s bestseller - for the last two decades - has been the Butterfly Kiss, a personal massager with butterfly-shaped wings ($16.99). “Maybe people are trying to double it as a hand sanitizer”), but toy-wise, it’s the Main Squeeze line of replica masturbators for men ($79.99, modeled after specific adult performers’ and social media stars’ actual body parts) that seem to be selling like hotcakes.Īnd at CalExotics, founder and Chief Executive Susan Colvin reports that the No. If that’s your mind-set, you’d be missing a golden opportunity to better yourself.Īt Doc Johnson, a North Hollywood company that’s been around since 1976, the current bestseller is actually an antibacterial toy cleaner (“Sales are way up on that,” said Chief Creative Officer Chad Braverman. If your home zone is as partner-free as it was before the great societal shutdown of 2020, you might think there’s nothing to be done besides chatting on apps like Tinder or Scruff to set up post-COVID-19 dates or hookups or taking advantage of the #playathome discounts that retailers are offering on intimate hardware. And if it doesn’t work, try something different.”
“There really are no rules except to do what feels good and don’t feel guilty about it - that’s a hard one for a lot of people,” said Mintz, a University of Florida professor and author of “Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters - And How To Get It.” “Take your time. Psychologist Laurie Mintz echoes that sentiment. If sex-toy sales are any indication, people are seeking sexual pleasure during this anxiety-fraught period of extended social isolation. Be kind to yourself.”ĭue to the coronavirus, sex-toy sales are up, stigma is down
It’s really about giving yourself permission to do what you need to do right now to take care of yourself. If you want to have masturbation marathons because that’s a coping strategy for you, that’s OK. “If you have no sexual desire right now, don’t beat yourself up about that. “Be there to meet yourself where you’re at,” said Jill McDevitt, a San Diego-based sexual wellness coach who serves as the in-house sexologist for Ontario, Calif.-based adult-novelty company CalExotics. There are several options to narrow the field (hey, this pandemic isn’t going to last forever, right?) for singletons, cohabitants and disconnected couples alike.Īnd if you’re taking your first baby steps into the buzzing, pulsing, shiny chrome and colored plastic world of assisted loving, here’s a piece of advice from the professionals: Check any self-judgment at the door. Whether your goal is alleviating boredom or becoming a more complete sexual being, there’s a sex toy out there somewhere with your name on it.