Blog Who's Afraid of Sex Toys? Americans Are!

Some people still think that sex toys are Very Bad Things. Not the ones loaded with phthalates & chemicals, or the ones that aren’t green or have a low carbon footprint. Nope, they’ll argue that even the healthiest, most sustainably created, most artistically inspired sex toys are bad for you.

Americans seem to have a serious love/hate relationship with sex toys. We buy them to give as “gag gifts” at bachelorette & divorce parties, we joke about them, we drag our friends into the local adult shop to ogle them, and secretly (or not so secretly) we purchase them & tuck them into our bedside drawers. But when it comes to using them, there are some misconceptions…and I’m here to bust a few of those myths.

“Aren’t vibrators addictive?”

Nope. Nobody has started a “Vibrators Anonymous” yet, and nobody has been arrested for selling drugs to fund their butt plug habit (that I know of, at least!). What does happen for many people is that they find that orgasms are different with sex toys – more intense, or easier to reach…or even actually possible! And when we find something that makes us happy, we’re apt to use it. So yes, using a vibrator often means that we’ll use it again…and again…and again. But vibrators are there to give us a new way to experience the pleasure that our bodies are capable of – and there’s nothing addictive about that, at all!

“Sex toys are replacements for partners.”

This is the same line of thinking that has given masturbation a dirty reputation for years. So many of the sex-negative concepts that sprung from our inhibited Victorian past told us that masturbation (or, “touching ourselves down there” for those whose parents couldn’t say the m-word) was something that we shouldn’t ever do; and later, we heard that it was for those times when we didn’t have a partner that could help us satisfy our carnal needs. What still gets overlooked is that orgasms – and sexual pleasure, as a whole – are part of what keeps us emotionally and physically happy, regardless of whether they happen with a partner or without. So keeping a few toys handy can be a way for us to enjoy some quality alone time – and remind ourselves that we’re worth indulging in!

“If my partner uses a sex toy, it means I’m not good enough”

Frankly, if your partner feels comfortable enough to discuss (or even use) sex toys with you, be honored – for many people it’s a sign of tremendous trust and vulnerability to talk about our sexual fantasies and pleasures with our partners. In fact, using a vibrator or a g-spot or prostate toy with our partner can actually increase our sexual pleasure and intimacy with them – it can be a tool that helps us create even better orgasms for them with more creativity than we could ever manage with our own two hands! For instance, a cock ring with a vibrator (free with every purchase on MyPleasure while supplies last)  attached means that she can get an extra buzz of stimulation while you’re inside of her – and it leaves your hands free to touch her body and bring her to an amazing finale (not to mention the extra pulses of power you’ll get from it).