Sex

Toys: Where They've Been and Where They're Going by Kate Sloan Sex toys have come a long way since the veiny purple jelly dildos of yore. Sure, you can still get one of those snakelike beasts if you want one, but sex toys these days look less like greasy alien phalluses and more like sleek, sexy instruments of pleasure. 2012 brought many significant developments in the sex toy industry. Perhaps the most obvious change was the onslaught of kinky ideas introduced to mainstream audiences by Fifty Shades of Grey. Where previously, BDSM (bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism) was seen as a group of fringe activities practiced by sexual weirdos, those so-called perversions are now more acceptable for normal folk. People went nuts for paddles, whips, handcuffs, and other tools of erotic control. Fifty Shades author E. L. James even worked with U.K. toy retailer Lovehoney to design a collection of toys inspired by her book. Donna Faro, U.S. sales and marketing manager of Swedish company LELO (Luxury Erotic Lifestyle Objects), has definitely noticed the Fifty Shades influence in her line of work. It has really shaped the way people view adult novelty products, she says. Customers are demanding higher quality because [the book's romantic lead] Christian Grey is a multi-millionnaire and everything he does is top-of-the- line. LELO recently released a trio of Fifty Shades-inspired kits Dare Me, Adore Me and Indulge Me which each feature one sex toy and two soft bondage items. Weve put together that whole fantasy in one box, Faro says. There was also a trend toward toys and tools that promote sexual wellness. Toys that aid Kegel exercises, such as the LELO Luna Beads Noir, Aneros Evi, and Magic Banana, flew off the shelves. The Jopen Intensity, a rabbit-style vibrator that shocks vaginal muscles into squeezing and releasing automatically, garnered two nominations at the prestigious 2013 XBIZ awards. Sex blogger Epiphora, who earns her living testing and reviewing sex toys at HeyEpiphora.com, called the Intensity one of the strangest toys of the year, with its inflatable shaft and metal electrodes for electrostimulation. Meanwhile, male prostate massagers remained popular and were marketed as being not only pleasurable but healthy for the prostate. Ethan Imboden, founder and creative director of luxury toymaker Jimmyjane, sees the industrys progression not in steps but as a continuum. The world is getting more comfortable about sex, which means the customer is more willing to talk about the product, he says, so the industry has to be more responsive. Imboden says this newfound openness has resulted in a new era of accountability for toy companies, in which there is increasing pressure to make innovative products that meet a certain threshold of quality. In the past, the industry at large was notorious for making unregulated products out of questionable

materials, but Imboden says thats changing and body-safe materials are becoming a much higher priority for both consumers and companies. Epiphora sees this happening too. People are realizing that they should invest in their own pleasure and get a toy that will last, she says. The bigger sex toy companies will need to step up their game to keep up with the pace of the luxury toy companies. She notes that industry giant California Exotic Novelties has the right idea with their high-quality Jopen line. Theres also been a major push toward more couples-oriented toys, Imboden says. Most of Jimmyjanes sex toys are geared toward women, but their brand-new fingertip vibrator, the HELLO TOUCH, was designed with couples in mind. "Using a vibrator can be sexy, but it can also be distracting," he says. "Products now are being adapted to fit our real-world sexuality theyre simple, intuitive, versatile, and they fit our experience and what we want." Even before the HELLO TOUCH came along, there were other couples vibes designed to enhance the experience of sex with a partner: the We-Vibe 3, Lelo Tiani 2, and newcomer FixSation all earned plenty of attention this past year. Its hard to say what new toys 2013 will bring, but were already seeing some hints of the new direction. Fun Factory, a toy company based out of Germany, has just launched the Stronic Eins, a phallic toy that thrusts instead of vibrating. Epiphora says the Stronic will quite possibly end up being the biggest development in the industry in years, because the technology feels absolutely nothing like traditional vibrators. Similarly impressive innovations were seen last year with the Sqweel 2, an oral sex simulator featuring a spinning wheel of silicone tongues, and the Minna Ola, which learns vibration patterns that you teach it by squeezing it rhythmically. At the recent AVN Novelty Expo in Las Vegas, it was reported that some companies showed off interesting new toys like a heat-activated vibrator, a vibe that acts as an alarm clock, and a dildo carved from Norwegian moonstone. Donna Faro says LELO plans on introducing technologies never seen in the adult novelty industry before. She predicts the sector will embrace innovations like Bluetooth, and that consumers will demand more products with lithium ion rechargeability in 2013. Sometimes the market isnt ready, she says, but we think the consumer is ready now and that they can appreciate and understand what theyre getting for the price. Though big changes will be the name of the game in 2013, Epiphora has some words of warning for toy manufacturers. In the scramble to innovate, some companies forget that basic functionality and anatomical compatibility still matter most, she observes. Some of the best sex toys are the ones that dont try to do anything ridiculously different they just work really well.