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Sex - it's a subject on the tip of everyone's tongue and at the top of everyone's mind. Like a disease, it completely consumes us - infiltrating our thoughts and desires until we finally give in to its sweet inevitability.
For guys, sex is a topic of conversation often taken lightly, something joked about in locker rooms, sports bars and any place that serves alcohol. In this day and age, jokes about masturbation and pornography have become fairly commonplace and are often used as a way of measuring a guy's masculinity.
For girls, however, sex is a more private issue and is usually only discussed between close friends. Often, members of the fairer sex have a harder time talking about doing the dirty deed because they fear their peers will look down upon them. While men often boast about their sexual escapades to their buddies, women tend to keep their bedroom affairs private, especially when it comes to self-gratification.
Contrary to popular belief, the concept of female masturbation has been around for thousands of years. And according to several sex historians, this convention goes as far back as the Paleolithic era and ancient Greece. Several images of Athenian women masturbating with olisbos (dildos) have been found on vases and other pottery of the time. But according to historian Eva C. Keuls, though ancient dildos did exist, these images where merely a product of male fantasies and the olisbos were not made for female pleasure.
Phallic objects and other sex toys have been found in erotic art of almost every culture. A Web site called www.romanceopedia.com explains dildos were a part of the Roman, ancient Chinese, Italian Renaissance and Victorian eras. A British doctor invented the first battery-operated vibrator in 1880 in an attempt to treat female hysteria. By 1930, vibrators were out of the doctor's office and thrust into the spotlight by magazines such as Hearst's. It wasn't too long before rubber dildos could be found in underwear drawers all over America.
With the debut of HBO's popular series "Sex and The City," the topic of female masturbation has begun to lose the sting of its taboo. The episode detailing Charlotte's discovery of the elusive Rabbit vibrator helped millions of women around the country feel comfortable with the idea of self-gratification. Yet many women today still feel uncomfortable when admitting to their sexual desires. Over the years, technology has certainly helped in the matter - as shopping online now allows the anonymity of certain products and their users. However, most women would still rather be caught dead than found shopping in a porn store. For these women, Tempo has provided a list of helpful toys guaranteed to make this Valentines Day unforgettable.
The Fluttering Monarch
As its name implies, this new toy is guaranteed to send your sex drive soaring. Marketed as a scintillating sex toy that provides "powerful reverberating stimulation," The Fluttering Monarch is a hands-free device designed specifically for a woman's clitoris. A spin on the classic vibrator, this little beauty comes complete with adjustable waist and thigh straps, which allow the user to keep her hands on more important things. The butterfly is made completely of silicone, which allows for an exciting, yet gentle sensation. Promising to send the user a flood of silicone waves, The Fluttering Monarch even comes with a powerful teaser tail which enhances the pleasure in a girl's hard-to-reach spots.
The Rabbit
Ever since its debut on "Sex & The City," The Rabbit has become the No. 1-selling sex toy in the country. This infamous bunny is covered in a soft rubber that proves to be both fun and delicate. In the center of the body are tiny pleasure pearls that enhance the experience. With The Rabbit, there are three different types of functions. Function one gives external stimulus while the body rotates and the pleasure pearls swirl. Function two creates slow, relaxed vibration while the body pivots right to left, front to back. Function three give pulses in short, quick motions as the body swings back and forth. The Rabbit comes in five fun colors: strawberry, grape, lime, tangerine and blueberry. Costing a hefty $99.99, it is a fun and sexy toy that is well worth the cost.
The Video Voyeur
In recent years, many celebrities have become incidental stars of their very own porn. And though many couples already enjoy videotaping their sexual encounters, they don't often get the opportunity to explore the inner workings of sex. That is where The Video Voyeur comes in. It is an ordinary plastic dildo and bullet vibrator; however, the memorable feature of this toy is the camera inside the dildo. The device attaches to any television set and displays whatever sight the camera at the tip of the dildo may see. Like all sex toys, the manufacturer doesn't explain how the device is used. The only indication of instruction found on the box explains that the "close-up lighted micro camera is insertable for internal viewing action."
Whether you are an aspiring filmmaker with camera experience or an amateur who simply wants to see things from a different perspective, this $100 purchase will surely launch into a new realm of cinema verity.
Paddles
While vibrators and such are great for the straight-edge, classic "missionary position" folk, there are those who like to add a little kink into their bedroom fun. For those of us who are looking for something new, want to heighten pleasure by experiencing pain or just plain revel in dominating their partners, there is always the paddle.
There are a multifaceted variety of paddles and whips at your friendly neighborhood Hustler store. These run between $30 and $75 and come in all colors and shapes. The toys range from oak paddles, leather tasseled whips, horsewhips and - in the spirit of Valentine's Day - paddle with L-O-V-E and heart shapes that raise red marks when they hit the skin. And for you crazy kids that need a little more crack in your whips, try the best-selling electric bug zapper paddle, which costs less than $30. What a deal.
The Lover's Colossal Collection
Buying sex toys for yourself and your partner has become rather commonplace in today's society. But what is the best thing to get when visiting a porn shop that is littered with rubber phallic objects and other bizarre contraptions? The dildo seems to be the most popular choice because it is relatively inexpensive, pleasurable and self-explanatory. But when couples are ready to explore new sexual horizons they begin trying new apparatuses. If you're truly ready to delve into the world of sex toys, The Lover's Colossal Collection is undeniably the best choice. Though it costs about $90, it is a bargain for the amount of paraphernalia it contains. Inside the kit you will find everything from a penis pump to pubic hair razors. Also included are four various dildos, eight kinds of lubes (including glow-in-the-dark lube), a French tickler and blindfold, nipple clamps, pleasure enhancing penis jackets, anal beads, sex dye and even some erection spray (to keep the party going).
I Rub My Ducky
This vibrating duck can be kept in the bathtub and no one will know what its true purpose is, which, according to a salesperson at Hustler, is its greatest selling point. The toy is designed to make bath time more fun and can be used in any way you want. Whether you will be massaging your back or getting a little bit more creative, this is the "toy that plays with you." The novelty is available in a variety of styles, including bondage, black, devil style and even travel size. The regular duck will set you back $27.99, while the mini version goes for a mere $17.99. It runs on two AA batteries and even boasts a new, stronger motor for super quackin' fun.
The Sea of Love
Upon first glance The Sea of Love couple's kit looks like something you would give a young girl obsessed with The Little Mermaid, but glance again and you will see that there is more going on under this sea than Ariel and her aquatic friends ever intended. Dive into a world of submerged enchantment as you and your significant other stimulate each other with the tantalizing vibrating Diving Dolphin, the Sensual Seahorse, dildo shaped Erotic Eel and Outrageous Octopus (a ring that will send your man's member into 20,000 leagues of pleasure). The kit costs $35 and comes with a two power activator, sea breeze lover's lube and E-Z plug-in jacks for "interchangeable pleasure."
Enjoy, but don't leave it out in the play room - it might end up being your little sister's new favorite toy set.
-All products are courtesy of the Hustler Hollywood store in Downtown San Diego.
-Compiled by Dee Dee Chew, Christy Castellanos, Chaley Zachmeier, Maggie Grainger, Kellie Burns and Jamila Hillebrand.
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