Fri, April 28, 2006

After reading Regina Lynn's column about how sex toys are often designed by men – emphasizing phallic form over female gratification, reassuring guys that their equipment is indispensable to the female orgasm – I became curious and did some research on sex toys designed by women. The results of my quest are posted here in case anyone should find them interesting.

While some of the products are hideously functional and look like something out of Dead Ringers, most of them feature soft, natural lines and a sleek design that would be appropriate for a conversation piece on the mantel:

• Liberte Personal Massager

• Petite or Magnifique

Others are less discreet, but focus on choice, like the Athena from Berman Center.

Then there's furniture, like the Substation, which uses ergonomics to increase the pleasure of oral sex, while appearing entirely innocent when not in use. (Not that there's anything "guilty" about oral sex. Just ask any high-schooler.)

Finally, a couple of products which include a few fellas on their design teams, but still take a unique approach to keeping the girls happy:

• Big Teaze Toys, tub toys with vibrating cores and carefully placed pressure points. There are several in the menagerie, but the original duck and the wormie seem the cutest and most eager to please.

• Je Joue, a slender, hand-held massager that stores a variety of "grooves": sequences of fluctuating vibration frequency, duration, and movement – fully swappable, remixable, customizable, and downloadable. Basically, an iPod for your clitoris. Truly innovative and user-focused. I can't see why a woman would buy any other vibrator.